Sarasota, FL Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Bundle limit
- 48 inches, 50 pounds max
- Can/box limit
- 32 gallons, 50 pounds max
- Plastic bags
- Prohibited as containers
- Improper prep
- Billed as special collection
Summary
City of Sarasota requires yard waste to be bundled, boxed or bagged with strict size and weight caps, and bans plastic bags as containers.
Residential users shall place segregated yard waste or yard trash in cans, paper bags, boxes, bundles or stacks and place same at the curb in front of the residential user's premises on the day of the week designated by the city manager for collection... Bundles of such materials shall not exceed forty eight (48) inches in length and shall not weigh more than fifty (50) pounds per bundle... Cans, paper bags and boxes containing yard waste or yard trash shall not exceed thirty-two (32) gallons in capacity... Plastic bags shall not be used as containers for yard waste or yard trash.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33 | Zoning: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
Sarasota City Code § 16-19 requires residential users to segregate yard waste or yard trash from all other waste and set it at the curb in cans, paper bags, boxes, bundles or stacks on the assigned collection day. Bundles of limbs, branches or fronds cannot exceed 48 inches in length or 50 pounds; cans, bags and boxes are capped at 32 gallons and 50 pounds when full. Fifty-five-gallon drums, wheel barrows and garden carts are barred as containers, and plastic bags are flatly prohibited: yard waste bagged in plastic is treated as improperly prepared and either goes uncollected or is billed as a special collection.
Violations & Fines
Yard waste left in a plastic bag or an oversized bundle is left uncollected or picked up only as a billed special collection under § 16-27(o); repeated improper preparation can also draw the § 16-23 civil-penalty schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put yard waste in a plastic bag for pickup in the City of Sarasota?
How big can a yard-waste bundle be in Sarasota?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sarasota
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Sarasota to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sarasota County handle yard waste collection.