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

Sec. 48-1 defines garden and yard trash, also called fine trash, as grass, palm fronds, leaves, branches, shrubs, vines, trees, and other similar items generated by normal maintenance of lawns, shrubs, gardens, and trees, but only when the customer generates it at their own residential unit; trash from a commercial lawn, garden, or tree service does not qualify. Preparation rules in Sec. 48-30(5) require garden and yard trash, grass clippings, and small branches to be separated from all other household refuse and recyclable materials and stored in reusable containers not exceeding 50 pounds in weight, with no plastic or paper bags allowed for storage or collection.

The trash must sit in garbage cans with tight-fitting lids so it cannot blow onto streets, sidewalks, or neighboring property. Larger material is handled separately: Sec. 48-30(6) requires tree and shrubbery trimmings to be cut to no more than four feet in length if under six inches in diameter, or two feet if over six inches, and stacked in a uniform direction, while Sec. 48-30(7) allows the contractor's claw truck to collect yard trash and trimmings that exceed the normal size or weight limits if the load is within the truck's capability.

Multifamily properties face an added rule under Sec. 48-30(11): yard trash must be stored in reusable, separate containers and cannot go in the same bulk refuse container used for household refuse, and bagging it in plastic or paper is prohibited there too.