Residential Services

Residential garbage is collected once a week - either Monday or Tuesday, depending on the address.

Scroll to the bottom of this page for holiday schedules.

The following guidelines will help to provide better service and ensure collection:

Please place your container curbside the night before collection.
Following collection, please remove containers from the street no later than 7 pm on the evening of collection.
Containers should be placed no further than three feet from the curb. The mechanical arm cannot reach beyond three feet.
Place containers at least four feet from any other object including other containers, mailboxes, power poles, fences, trees, or bushes. The mechanical arm needs room to maneuver, and cannot grab cans when other objects are too close.
Place containers at least 10 feet from cars parked on the street. Sanitation trucks cannot easily maneuver around parked cars. If cars are blocking containers, trucks cannot service them without risk of damage.
Place the container at the curb with the handle facing away from the street. The lift cannot unload a container that is improperly placed, without the risk of damage or spillage of contents.
Do not place chemicals, motor oil, or paint in your containers. These are hazardous materials that could harm the driver, the truck, and the environment. (see Hazardous Waste Disposal)
Keep lids closed on containers. Items that are too big for the containers, such as bed rails or long pieces of wood can cause damage to the collection vehicle. Please call for a bulk waste pick-up.
Do not place items on top of the container. All items must be placed inside containers for collection.
Bag all household garbage before placing it in containers. Un-bagged garbage attracts pests and increases odors. It also increases the chance of trash scattering on the ground or being blown out of the trucks.
Do not place rocks, dirt, concrete, or hot coals in containers. They can damage trucks or containers.

Yard Waste

Yard Waste is collected once per week (Monday through Thursday) based on a City-wide schedule. The City will pick - up no more than 4 cubic yards of yard waste per resident per week per household. Removal of larger amounts is subject to a charge.

Residents can call 850-833-9655 to arrange for an estimate of bulk yard waste pick-up for tree limbs or brush that is larger than the specified guidelines of 4 cubic yards per week per household.

Items accepted for yard waste collection include:

Leaves
Grass
Shrub clippings
Garden residue
Twigs
Branches and small limbs (Not more than 4 inches in diameter and no longer than 4 feet in length)

How to Prepare Yard Waste for Collection

Place your yard waste curbside the night before collection.
To assist in the speed of collection, leaves, grass, and pine straw should be placed in plastic bags.
Placing yard debris in containers is not acceptable.
Place yard waste within 2 feet of the curb and at least 3 feet away from other collection items (including other yard waste) and obstacles such as mailboxes, phone poles, vehicles, etc. Do not block the sidewalk.

Tree Service Contractors & Landscapers

The City of Fort Walton Beach does not pick up yard waste generated by private contractors performing tree removal or trimming at your home. The contractor is responsible for removing all waste.

Courtesy Notice Information

The courtesy notices are used by the drivers to help inform residents about the Collection Rules. The tags are used as reminders about how to place containers and other debris at the curb for ease of collection.

Miscellaneous Household Pickup

The City of Fort Walton Beach Sanitation Division provides curbside removal of large non-commercial "miscellaneous household" items (items that are too big to be discarded in your container) from residents. This is limited to four cubic yards per household, per month. Anything over the limit will be subject to a charge. Please refer to City Ordinance 10.80.05 for further information. These pickups are by request and scheduled on Fridays.

Please call 833-9655 before 3 pm on Thursdays to schedule your household pickup.

Neighborhood Clean-ups

The City of FWB Solid Waste Division coordinates City-wide neighborhood clean-ups during the months of JANUARY and AUGUST. Residents are advised to place all miscellaneous household items curbside away from any obstruction. Pick-ups will be made on your regularly scheduled yard waste day free of charge during these months.

For further information on the neighborhood clean-up or disposal of unacceptable items, you may call the Solid Waste Division at 850-833-9655.

Note: commercial accounts and residents that are not serviced by the city of fort walton beach solid waste division are not eligible.

Excluded items include:

Tires
Construction Materials
Demolition Debris
Concrete
Bricks
Dirt, Rocks, or Sand
Hazardous Materials
Glass (i.e. table tops, doors, and windows)

Green Tip

Examine the types of material you are planning to throw away. Many charitable organizations will gladly accept miscellaneous household items. Consider donating items to a Goodwill or Thrift Store, instead of sending them to the landfill. Many organizations provide collection services and will come to your home for pick-up. This can be claimed as a deduction on your tax return!

Appliance Pickup Service

Appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters, and any white goods are collected as bulk waste and scheduled on Fridays. Please call 850-833-9655 to request a pickup.

Special Needs Services

If you are unable to put your container out due to a physical limitation, we offer a once-a-week "walk-up" service. This service is provided to the elderly or any resident who may have disabilities or handicaps that prevent them from being able to roll out their container. Our staff will walk up to the residence and roll out the container, dump it, and return it. To qualify, you will need to fill out a "Special Needs" application and return it to our office for approval. This information can be mailed to our office or faxed to 850 - 833 -9561.

Maintenance & Repairs to Containers

The City of Fort Walton Beach Sanitation provides each resident with two 95-gallon containers for the disposal of trash and recyclables. The Sanitation Division will not replace cans due to smell or unsanitary conditions. It is the property owners' responsibility to maintain your container in a clean and sanitary condition. To help you keep your container clean and free of odor, insects, and rodents please use plastic bags for disposal of your garbage. This will also help prevent possible spillage or wind-blown debris when collected.

Here are some ordinary household ingredients you can use to deodorize your trash can:

Baking soda: Baking soda can work wonders at preventing odors in your trash cans. Sprinkle it in the bottom of a trash can or directly into the trash to help absorb stinky odors. As an added bonus, baking soda is great for scrubbing out your trash can to remove odors that may have seeped into it.
Dryer sheets: Even used dryer sheets will help absorb odors in your can.
Vanilla extract: Place a small amount of vanilla extract on a couple of cotton balls, and let them stay overnight in the trash can.
Cat litter: Cat litter in the bottom of your trash can keep odors away. The cat litter absorbs odors and liquids, leaving a fresh scent.

The Department also repairs or replaces containers that are damaged, lost, or stolen at no charge. Please call the office at 850-833-9655 to request a work order.

Holiday Services

"When in doubt, put it out!"

The City of Fort Walton Beach observes the following holidays during the year:

New Year's Day
- No residential, commercial, or yard waste collections. Service will be delayed by one day.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Spring Holiday
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Memorial Day
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
4th of July
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Labor Day
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Veteran's Day
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Thanksgiving Day
- No residential, commercial, or yard waste collections.
Day after Thanksgiving
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Christmas Eve
- Regularly scheduled residential and commercial service. No yard waste collection.
Christmas Day
- No residential, commercial, or yard waste collections. Service will be delayed by one day.