West Palm Beach, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Section 74-35(d) of the city's solid waste code governs recyclable-materials placement: residential recyclables go in the special containers the city provides, positioned five feet from the garbage and refuse container. In neighborhoods where garbage is collected from the alley, recycling still can't be left in the alley; it must go to the front of the property, on the premises served, and no more than six feet from the street. Under no circumstances can a recycling container sit on a sidewalk or in the street itself.

Collection frequency is set by § 74-33(a)(4) at least once a week, the same minimum the city applies to yard and garden waste. Commercial recycling works differently: § 74-33(b)(4) bars the city from collecting commercial recyclable materials at all unless the establishment has made prior arrangements with the city, so a business can't simply set bins at the curb and expect a stop. Hazardous and biomedical waste, defined broadly in § 74-3 to include batteries, chemicals, propane tanks and pathological waste, is excluded from both the recycling and garbage stream under § 74-35(e) and must instead be disposed of under applicable state, county or city law. Code enforcement officers with authority under § 74-81 inspect placement citywide and issue notices of violation for containers left in the wrong location.