Sanford, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

City Code § 86-121 requires Sanford households to keep recyclable material separated from household garbage and yard waste before it is set at the curb. If a bin's contents are commingled, the contractor first tries, when practical, to pull the garbage or yard waste out and still collect the recyclables, leaving the removed material in the bin along with a noncollection notice explaining why it was not taken. Only when contamination is too extensive to separate, or when the whole recycling container is spoiled by garbage or yard waste, does the contractor skip the pickup entirely; § 86-125 requires the contractor to supply and post those noncollection notices, in a form the city's representative approves, on every missed item.

Once tagged, a resident's recycling will not be collected again until the material is re-sorted and the container is cleaned, so a contaminated bin can sit for a full extra week's cycle. The prohibition reaches beyond the resident's own household: § 86-34(11) separately makes it unlawful for anyone to open, untie, or otherwise disturb a recycling container or its contents once it has been placed at the curb for collection, protecting the segregated load from being re-contaminated by scavengers between set-out and pickup.