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

Sec. 14-35(b) defines horticultural refuse as tree branches, palm fronds and brush trimmings, and sets two size rules before the city will take a piece at the curb without a special-pickup charge: it cannot be more than four inches in diameter, and it has to be cut to no more than five feet in length, though the length cap does not apply to palm fronds. Up to two cubic yards of loose horticultural refuse, meaning material that will not fit in the regular container, is collected once a week, except that a holiday landing on the scheduled day skips that week's yard-waste run entirely rather than shifting it, unlike regular garbage under the same section.

Go over two cubic yards, or mix in nonhorticultural material, and the whole pile converts to a billed special pickup at the rate on file with the city clerk. Sec. 14-36(a) adds placement rules on top of the size limits: horticultural piles must be stacked compactly at the curb, kept separate from regular trash, kept within the resident's own property line, and never placed under overhead electric or telephone wires or tree limbs; small clippings such as grass, short hedge trimmings, weeds and fallen leaves must be bagged rather than piled loose.

Sec. 14-42 layers a separate duty on residents: horticultural refuse has to be kept apart from non-horticultural refuse for collection, and if the city has to send crews to separate or sort a mixed pile, the customer is billed a sorting fee under the established fee schedule to cover that added cost.