Fort Lauderdale Trash & Recycling Schedule
Official garbage collection rules, bin guidelines, and holiday schedules for residents of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Find Your Exact Pickup Days
Enter your street address on the official collection map to see your specific trash, recycling, and yard waste schedule.
📍 View Official Collection MapService Provider
City of Fort Lauderdale Solid Waste
Phone Number
954-828-8000Facility Address
2201 NW 9th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
Collection Schedule
Garbage is collected twice a week, and recycling/yard waste is collected once a week.
Bin Colors
Black for garbage, Blue for recycling, Green for yard waste.
Guidelines & Rules
🎄 Holiday Delays
No service on Christmas Day; the next collection will occur on the next regularly scheduled day.
🛋️ Bulk Waste Pickup
Bulk trash is collected once a month according to a neighborhood zone schedule.
⚠️ Important Guidelines
There is no limit on yard waste as long as it is prepared correctly or fits in the green cart.
Comprehensive Guide & Details
Fort Lauderdale's Black and Blue Cart Guidelines
Living in the Venice of America requires strict adherence to local sanitation protocols to protect the city's intricate waterways and stunning neighborhoods. The City of Fort Lauderdale issues a black cart for standard household garbage, which is collected twice a week, and a blue cart for single-stream recycling, emptied on a weekly basis. Property owners must wheel their receptacles to the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before collection and no later than 7:00 a.m. on the actual service morning. To accommodate the automated mechanical arms equipped on the collection fleet, a mandatory three-foot clearance is required around each bin. Empty carts must be hidden from street view by midnight following your scheduled pickup.
Recycling Standards to Prevent Contamination
Fort Lauderdale is highly committed to environmental sustainability, making proper sorting inside your blue cart an absolute necessity. Acceptable recyclables include flattened corrugated cardboard, aluminum cans, rinsed glass bottles, and rigid plastic containers. The most frequent cause of load rejection is plastic bag contamination. You must never bag your recyclables; instead, deposit them loosely into the blue bin. Items such as greasy pizza boxes, styrofoam egg cartons, and tangled garden hoses are strictly banned from the recycling stream. If a route inspector finds excessive forbidden materials inside your container, they will affix a red non-compliance tag to the handle and leave the cart full.
Monthly Bulk Waste Harvesting Events
Disposing of oversized household furnishings, such as worn-out couches, old mattresses, or broken patio furniture, is facilitated through a designated once-a-month bulk pickup. Because bulk collection zones vary widely across different Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods, consulting the city's official route map is crucial. Residents can set out up to 10 cubic yards of acceptable bulk material. Appliances like refrigerators and washing machines are accepted, but Florida safety statutes require the complete removal of all doors before placing them on the swale. Commercial construction debris, roofing tiles, and contractor-generated waste are never permitted and must be hauled to a private landfill at the homeowner's expense.
Managing Seasonal Yard Trimmings
Tropical landscaping flourishes year-round in South Florida, meaning yard maintenance is a constant endeavor. Grass clippings, fallen palm fronds, and leaves can be set out on your regular scheduled garbage day. However, preparation is key to ensuring a smooth pickup. Loose organic material must be contained within personal trash cans or heavy-duty yard bags. Thicker tree branches and limbs must be chopped down to maximum lengths of four feet and tied securely with twine. A single bundle or loaded yard bag cannot exceed a weight limit of 50 pounds, as these are hoisted manually by the sanitation crews.
Holiday Interruptions and Hazardous Materials
The municipal solid waste division maintains a highly dependable operational calendar, pausing service solely on Christmas Day. If your regular trash or recycling day falls on December 25th, the crews will simply service your home on the very next scheduled collection day for your specific zone. Furthermore, items classified as household hazardous waste—including wet paint, motor oil, pesticides, and lithium batteries—pose a severe fire threat to garbage trucks. These dangerous substances must be stored safely and taken to one of the city's specialized drop-off events hosted periodically throughout the calendar year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When is trash collected in Fort Lauderdale?
A: Garbage is collected twice a week, and recycling/yard waste is collected once a week.
Q: How does the holiday schedule affect garbage pickup?
A: No service on Christmas Day; the next collection will occur on the next regularly scheduled day.
Q: Which bins should I use for trash and recycling?
A: Black for garbage, Blue for recycling, Green for yard waste.
Q: How can I schedule a bulk waste pickup?
A: Bulk trash is collected once a month according to a neighborhood zone schedule.
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