Bin There, Cleaned ThatLakeland, TN Trash Pickup Schedule and Cart Rules
Your pickup day, what the truck will and will not take, and the placement mistakes that get carts skipped in Lakeland.
Last verified 2026-07-29 against City of Lakeland Public Works. Questions about your specific address: see the City's contact page
Your collection day
Once per week, with bulk pickup running on the same schedule as your regular trash day.
Look up your route on the official Lakeland schedule
Cart placement
| Cart | 95-gallon container, service provided by Waste Connections |
|---|---|
| Out by | the morning of your collection day |
| Back in by | after collection |
| Clearance | at least 3 feet between the trash cart and your mailbox, other structures, and your other carts |
| Facing | accessible to the truck |
Why carts get skipped
- Limbs or branches sticking out so the lid will not close.
- Leaf bags over 35 pounds.
- Contractor or builder waste, which the contractor has to remove rather than the City.
- Less than 3 feet of clearance around the cart.
When you have too much
Lakeland is unusually relaxed about this. Garbage may go in the yard waste container and yard waste may go in the garbage container, because it all ends up in the same truck at the same time. Waste Connections will also take unlimited bags of leaves as long as each is 35 pounds or under, and the City removes up to 10 broken-down moving boxes free.
Recycling
Recycling is handled through Waste Connections. Check their site for the current accepted materials list.
Goes in the recycling cart
- See the Waste Connections materials list for Lakeland
Keep out
- Contractor and construction debris
Bulk items and appliances
The City bought its own knuckle boom loader, so bulk pickup runs once weekly following your regular trash day and you do not have to schedule it. Large limbs that will not fit in the cart get picked up this way. Lakeland also holds three Community Cleanup Days a year at the Public Works facility at City Hall, 10001 Highway 70.
Small appliances can go in your 95-gallon container or be left at the curb with regular trash. Larger units go through bulk waste service.
Holiday weeks
Observed holidays are New Year's Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Collection is delayed one day. If the holiday falls mid-week, days before it stay normal and everything from the holiday forward shifts a day.
What we see on this route
Lakeland letting yard waste and household garbage share carts is genuinely unusual around here. Neighboring cities will skip your cart for exactly that.
Worth confirming yourself
Sources disagreed on these, so we are telling you rather than picking one quietly.
- Watch out when searching this one. Several national schedule sites publish a Lakeland trash schedule that is actually Lakeland, Florida, complete with a Polk County phone number. Use lakelandtn.gov.
We clean carts in Lakeland
Because Lakeland lets yard waste and garbage mix in the same cart, Lakeland carts pick up an odd combination of grass rot and food waste. It is a different kind of buildup than a straight garbage cart and it bakes on harder.
Your city empties the cart. It does not wash it. We come after pickup, scrub and sanitize inside and out, and deodorize it. Leave it at the curb and we handle the rest.
- 1 cart · $20
- 2 carts · $30
- 3+ carts · $40
Common questions
- What day is trash picked up in Lakeland?
- Once per week, with bulk pickup running on the same schedule as your regular trash day. City of Lakeland Public Works publishes a route map, and the fastest way to be certain is to check it or call see the City's contact page.
- Is recycling collected on the same day in Lakeland?
- Yes, recycling goes out on the same day as household garbage. Recycling is handled through Waste Connections. Check their site for the current accepted materials list.
- What time do I need my cart at the curb in Lakeland?
- By the morning of your collection day. Leave at least 3 feet between the trash cart and your mailbox, other structures, and your other carts, and put the accessible to the truck.
- Why was my cart skipped?
- Usually placement rather than schedule. Limbs or branches sticking out so the lid will not close.
- What if I have more trash than fits in the cart?
- Lakeland is unusually relaxed about this. Garbage may go in the yard waste container and yard waste may go in the garbage container, because it all ends up in the same truck at the same time. Waste Connections will also take unlimited bags of leaves as long as each is 35 pounds or under, and the City removes up to 10 broken-down moving boxes free.
- Do you clean the cart on my trash day?
- We come after your cart has been emptied, so it is empty when we clean it. Leave it at the curb and we handle the rest, you do not need to be home.