Tampa picks up garbage twice a week and recycling and yard waste once a week. Carts out by 6 a.m. Bulk goes once a year free. Call 813-274-8811.

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Tampa’s Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management pages. Updated each time the city changes its schedule or fees.

The City of Tampa collects household garbage, recycling and yard waste for its utility customers. Garbage goes twice a week; recycling and yard waste go once a week. Bulky items are picked up once a year on a scheduled Sunday cleanup, and the charge shows on your city utility bill. New Tampa is the exception: Hillsborough County picks up there.

Who to call

  • Missed pickup, carts, special bulk pickup: City of Tampa Utilities Call Center, 813-274-8811
  • Report a missed pickup online: missed trash pickup form
  • Solid Waste Department office: 4010 W. Spruce St., 813-348-1146, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays
  • McKay Bay Scale House (drop-off): 114 S. 34th St., 813-242-5320
  • New Tampa (county service): Hillsborough County Solid Waste, 813-272-5680
  • Official page: Collection Days and Times

What day is my pickup?

The city does not publish one citywide table. Type your address into the My Collection Schedule lookup or browse the city’s map to see your garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulk dates. The free Tampa Trash and Recycling app gives the same schedule and sends holiday changes.

Service Cart How often
Household garbage Blue cart Twice a week
Recycling Green cart Once a week
Yard waste Your own can, paper bags or bundles Once a week
Bulky items (S.W.E.E.P.) One pile at the curb Once a year, on a set Sunday

The cart rules

From the city’s collection days page and residential trash page:

  • Put the cart at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, or the night before.
  • Leave 3 feet of clear space on all sides, and do not block it with a car.
  • Keep the lid closed with all trash inside the cart.
  • Trucks run all day and may come into the evening.
  • Take the cart in by sunset on collection day and store it out of sight of the street.

The city offers free back-door pickup for customers who are medically unable to take their cart to the curb and have no one else at home who can; it needs a doctor’s certificate and an application.

Recycling

The green cart takes recycling, according to the city’s recycling page:

  • Items must be bigger than your fist and rinsed, empty and dry.
  • Put them in loose. Bagged recycling is not recycled.
  • Do not go by the plastic resin number; use the city’s accepted list in the recycling brochure.
  • Flatten boxes so they do not jam the cart.
  • The cart can wait until it is full before you set it out.

Yard waste

Since Feb. 1, 2024, the city no longer takes yard waste in plastic bags, so it can all be composted. Per the yard waste page:

  • Use a non-city garbage can (32 gallons is suggested), paper yard waste bags or bundles tied with jute twine. Grocery bags, the blue cart and the green cart are not allowed.
  • Limbs and logs must be cut to 4-foot lengths, and no single item may weigh more than 50 pounds.
  • Up to 4 cubic yards a week, with 3 feet of clearance around each pile.
  • No food, soil, rocks or heavy debris. Landscaping companies must haul away what they cut.

Bulk pickup: S.W.E.E.P.

The Solid Waste Enhanced Environmental Program gives single-family homes and properties with four or fewer units one free bulk pickup a year. Look up your Sunday cleanup date on the S.W.E.E.P. page.

  • Put everything in one pile at the curb no earlier than five days before your Sunday date and no later than 8 p.m. that Sunday. Crews do not come back.
  • Keep the pile under 10 cubic yards (one cubic yard is about the size of an oven) and away from low limbs, power lines, meters and utility boxes.
  • Taken: appliances, furniture, mattresses, grills, toilets, carpet, wrapped flat glass, up to four passenger tires, railroad ties cut to 4 feet, tree limbs and stumps.
  • Not taken: building materials, electronics, paint and chemicals, gas cylinders, ammunition, metal drums, boats and ordinary yard waste.

Missed your date? Call 813-274-8811 or use Tampa Connect to book a special pickup. The city’s fee schedule effective Oct. 1, 2026 sets curbside bulky pickup at $19.03 a cubic yard, one cubic yard minimum.

Drop it off yourself

City residents with an active residential solid waste account can leave furniture, mattresses, up to two appliances a visit, grills without propane tanks and properly bagged yard waste at the McKay Bay Scale House, 114 S. 34th St., at no extra charge. Bring a photo ID and a city utility bill in the same name, and wear closed-toe shoes. Hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. It is closed Sunday.

Hazardous waste and electronics

Paint, solvents, oil, fuel, pesticides and batteries do not go in either cart. The city’s hazardous waste page says Tampa residents can use Hillsborough County’s household hazardous waste sites and electronics drop-offs at no extra charge with a driver’s license showing a county address. The city no longer holds its own annual collection day.

Holiday schedule

City offices close on city holidays, and pickup shifts. The city posts each change on its solid waste news page about a week ahead. Last year’s pattern, from the city’s notices:

  • Veterans Day 2025: residential and commercial pickup was suspended on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
  • Thanksgiving 2025: Thursday homes moved to Friday, and Friday homes moved to Saturday.
  • Labor Day 2026: Monday homes got no pickup and no make-up day; service resumed on the next regular day.

The McKay Bay Scale House closes on the same holidays. We will add the 2026 Veterans Day and Thanksgiving changes when the city posts them.

What it costs

From Oct. 1, 2026, the residential rate is $45.84 a month for one garbage cart and one recycling cart, covering trash, recycling and yard waste. Each extra garbage cart is $22.92 a month. Account holders 65 or older, and households in the city’s Customer Assistance Program, pay $40.39. A replacement cart is $95.

What this means for you

  • Look up your address once; the lookup gives every pickup day, including your S.W.E.E.P. Sunday.
  • Carts out by 6 a.m. with 3 feet of space, back in by sunset.
  • No plastic bags for yard waste, and no bags at all in the recycling cart.
  • In New Tampa, call the county at 813-272-5680, not the city.

More city services: who to call at City Hall, property taxes and moving to Tampa.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Tampa?

It depends on your address. The City of Tampa collects garbage twice a week and recycling and yard waste once a week; type your address into the city’s My Collection Schedule lookup or the Tampa Trash and Recycling app to see your days.

What time does trash need to be out in Tampa?

Carts must be at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, or the night before, with 3 feet of clear space on all sides. Bring them in by the end of the collection day.

How do I get rid of furniture or a mattress in Tampa?

Each home gets one free S.W.E.E.P. bulk pickup a year. Otherwise, book a special pickup for $19.03 a cubic yard, or take it to the McKay Bay Scale House free with ID and a city utility bill.

How much is trash pickup in Tampa?

The residential rate is $45.84 a month from Oct. 1, 2026, for one garbage cart and one recycling cart. Account holders 65 or older pay $40.39.

Who picks up trash in New Tampa?

New Tampa is served by Hillsborough County Solid Waste, not the city. Call the county at 813-272-5680 for your schedule.