New Orleans, LA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential recycling fee
- $1.00/month
- Commercial/industrial recycling fee
- $2.00/month
- Senior/low-income exemption
- 12 months, renewable
- Late payment penalty
- 10% added to charge
- Private-hauler exemption requirement
- 25% waste-reduction goal
- Fee status
- Suspended since 9/1/2005 per § 138-63(h)
Summary
Recycling service in New Orleans carries its own charge under § 138-63, $1.00 a month for residential units and offices, $2.00 for commercial/industrial/manufacturing accounts, billed with the sanitation fee, though the ordinance itself has suspended collection of that charge since September 1, 2005 until recycling collection resumes.
The fees for recycling shall be as follows for services rendered:(1)Each residential unit, except residential units in multi-residential structures that show proof of exemption from payment of city service fees as provided in this section below, $1.00 per month.(2)Business, professional, or service office or institution, except those that show proof of exemption from payment of city service fees as provided in this section below, $1.00 per month.(3)Commercial, industrial and manufacturing establishments, except those that show proof of exemption from payment of city service fees as provided in this section below, $2.00 per month. ... The director of finance shall provide a certificate of exemption from the recycling charge for 12 months for any head of household who is 65 years of age or older and whose household income does not exceed the standard for low income households which is established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 116 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
00 for commercial, industrial and manufacturing establishments. Like the sanitation charge, it's billed through the property owner via the water/sewerage bill and becomes due on the utility bill's due date, with a ten percent penalty added if unpaid on time. Heads of household 65 or older whose income falls at or below HUD's low-income standard can get a 12-month exemption certificate from the Department of Finance, renewable annually, on proof of age (state ID, driver's license, birth certificate) and income (SSI, Medicaid, food stamp card, or an award letter); once age is proven, it doesn't need to be re-verified.
Property owners can also get an annual exemption by swearing that a private hauler already collects both refuse and recyclables at the address, with any private recycling program required to meet a 25 percent waste-reduction goal. Notably, subsection (h) has the Department of Finance temporarily exempting everyone from the recycling charge, retroactive to September 1, 2005, until recycling collection services actually resume, meaning the fee as codified isn't currently being billed unless the city has separately reactivated it.
Violations & Fines
An unpaid recycling charge under § 138-63(f) draws a ten percent penalty added to the amount due on the water/sewerage bill's due date. Falsely certifying eligibility for a low-income or private-hauler exemption under § 138-63(c)–(e) exposes the applicant to the sworn-statement requirements of that subsection and potential loss of the exemption.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the New Orleans recycling fee?
Is the recycling charge actually being billed right now?
Can seniors get out of paying the recycling fee?
What if I already pay a private company for recycling?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Orleans
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