Jacksonville, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandatory since
- Ord. 91-321-129 (1991)
- Recyclables ownership
- Become City property once curbed
- Scavenging recyclables
- Separate offense per collection
- Coverage area
- Duval Co. excludes USDs Two–Five
- Enforcement
- Municipal Code Enforcement Board
Summary
Jacksonville requires residents to separate recyclables from trash, bans mixing them in the same curbside container, and makes it illegal to contaminate or scavenge recycling set out for the City's contractor.
It shall be unlawful and a violation or this ordinance for any person to place at the curb for collection any bin(s) or container(s) other than one(s) containing recyclables alone or solid waste and nonrecyclable solid waste alone. It is unlawful and a violation of this ordinance for any person to contaminate recyclable materials set out at the curb for collection by the City or by the City's contract collector.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 6 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Ordinance Code Part 5 of Chapter 380, Duval County residents (outside Urban Service Districts Two through Five) must separate recyclable material from solid waste and set it out in the bin provided by the City or its contractor. Sec. 380.504 makes it unlawful to place a curbside container holding both recyclables and nonrecyclable waste together, or to contaminate recyclables set out for collection. Once placed at a designated collection location, recyclables become City property (Sec. 380.506), and only the authorized recycling contractor may remove them: unauthorized collection is a separate offense for each occurrence (Sec. 380.507).
Violations & Fines
Combining or contaminating recyclables, or unauthorized removal from the curb, is a code violation; each unauthorized collection is a separate offense enforced by code enforcement officers and the Municipal Code Enforcement Board (Secs. 380.504, 380.507, 380.509).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put recyclables and trash in the same bin at the curb?
Who owns my recycling once I put it at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jacksonville
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Jacksonville to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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