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

City Code § 86-126(a) requires every residential yard waste set-out in Sanford to go into a garbage can, a plastic bag, or a tied bundle, capped at 50 pounds per container or bundle regardless of which option a resident chooses. Bundled branches and limbs carry two extra limits that loose bagged clippings do not: a bundle cannot be longer than five feet, and it cannot contain any branch thicker than five inches in diameter, so oversized limbs from tree trimming have to be cut down before they reach the curb.

The same subsection lets residents use the ordinary garbage cans and bags described earlier in § 86-126(a), nonabsorbent receptacles up to 40 gallons, or plastic bags strong enough to hold their contents when lifted by the top, for loose yard waste rather than requiring a dedicated yard waste cart. Yard waste cannot simply accumulate on the property between collections either: § 86-34(9) separately makes it unlawful to accumulate yard waste, junk or rubbish on a lot, and § 86-34(17) caps any accumulation of solid waste, including yard debris, at seven days for reasons of health, sanitation and community appearance, with backyard composting carved out as recycling rather than disposal as long as it does not become a nuisance.

Collection of yard waste is folded into the same mandatory solid waste billing that covers garbage and recycling under § 86-38, so the fee applies regardless of how much yard debris a household generates.