Miami-Dade County, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential materials
- Newspaper, glass, aluminum, steel, plastics
- Multi-family requirement
- Program covering all 5 materials
- Commercial requirement
- Min. 3 of 10 listed materials
- Scope
- Countywide: 34 cities plus UMSA
- Cart theft/scavenging
- Banned without written consent
Summary
Every residential unit and multi-family building in Miami-Dade County must separate newspaper, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans and plastics from regular trash for recycling collection, with commercial properties running a parallel program.
All occupants of every multi-family residential establishment and every residential unit are required, in accord with the collection program provided at that location, to separate, from all other solid waste collected or received by Miami-Dade County or any other collector, the following materials: (1)Newspaper; (2)Glass; (3)Aluminum cans; (4)Steel cans; (5)Plastics.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Miami-Dade County Code § 15-2.6 requires every residential unit and multi-family establishment to separate newspaper, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans and plastics from other solid waste. Multi-family properties must run a recycling program covering those five materials (§ 15-2.2); commercial establishments must recycle at least three materials from a longer list (§ 15-2.3). The rule binds all 34 municipalities plus unincorporated UMSA (§ 15-2.5) unless a city runs its own equivalent program. Scavenging placed-out recyclables or taking a recycling cart without written consent is a separate offense (§ 15-2.1).
Violations & Fines
Violating the separation or recycling-program rules is prosecuted as a misdemeanor: fines plus up to 30 days in jail, or civil penalties under Chapter 8CC; contaminated carts get tagged and refused service until fixed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply inside cities like Miami or Hialeah?
Can someone else take recyclables I set out at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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