Marietta, GA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 5-8-160(C) makes unauthorized collection of set-out recyclables a distinct violation: no person other than the City of Marietta or an authorized recycling contractor may remove recyclable material once it has been placed at a designated recycling collection location or in a designated recycling container. This is the provision that stops individuals or unlicensed scrap haulers from combing through curbside bins ahead of the scheduled truck, since Section 5-8-160(B) has already made that material city or contractor property the moment it is set out. Enforcement authority under subsection E rests with the public works director, and the ordinance is explicit that this authority supplements, rather than replaces, the police department's separate power to act under the city code.

Subsection F adds a civil-liability layer on top of any criminal enforcement: nothing in the section limits the right of a person harmed by a violation, and a criminal conviction for unauthorized collection does not exempt the violator from a civil action brought by the authorized recycling contractor whose material was taken. Together these subsections give the city two tracks, code enforcement and contractor litigation, against curbside recycling theft.