East Baton Rouge Parish, LA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Sec. 6:394 of the Code of Ordinances bans scavenging recyclable materials from residential, commercial, business and governmental areas within the city's corporate limits. No one other than the current resident or owner of the property where the items are placed, or an authorized carrier under contract with the city-parish, may remove, pick up or transfer recyclable materials left at curbside, whether in a specifically marked recovery container or any other type of container, at a residential subdivision, single-family residence, business, commercial site or government operation inside the city.

The code specifically calls out glass, plastic and aluminum as examples of materials meant for the designated carrier alone. Each unauthorized removal is a separate violation, so a scavenger who works down a street of set-out bins can rack up a violation per bin rather than one for the whole trip. The prohibition sits inside the broader Title 6 penalty section governing garbage, trash and refuse collection citywide, and works alongside the civil penalty provisions of Sec. 6:395 that back up the criminal fines with the ability to seek injunctive relief against ongoing violations.