Bonita Springs, FL Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

The City of Bonita Springs regulates yard waste through its open burning article, Chapter 22, Article III, adopted as Ord. No. 15-20 on 10-7-2015. Section 22-41 states the purpose: prohibiting open burning of household refuse, recyclable material, yard waste and commercial waste reduces air pollution. It adds that citizens have no need to burn yard waste, household and commercial waste, recyclable material or construction debris, because Lee County collects these materials through its solid waste program. Collection itself is a county service, not a city one.

Section 22-42 defines yard waste as vegetative matter resulting from landscaping and yard maintenance operations and other routine property cleanup activities. It includes leaves, shrub trimmings, grass clippings, palm fronds, tree cutting debris and brush.

Section 22-44(1) turns the purpose into a rule: it is a violation of the article to dispose of yard waste, commercial waste or household waste through the use of open burning. Section 22-44(2) bars burning recyclable materials, whether commercial or residential. The general prohibition in Section 22-43 makes any open fire a violation unless the article specifically allows it, so a pile of brush or palm fronds set alight in a yard has no exception to rely on. Section 22-45(4) does allow fires to abate a fire hazard when the fire district having jurisdiction declares the hazard, and Section 22-46 leaves burning of debris from land clearing operations authorized by the Florida Forest Service to that agency.

Elsewhere in the code, Section 44-25(3) exempts yard waste compost, mulches and similar organic materials applied to improve the physical condition of the soil from the landscaping best management practice timing and application-rate provisions of Section 44-24. Related Section 20-90 counts yard clippings, leaves and all horticulture debris as rubbish for the litter article, so leaving them in a public place is a litter violation.