Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Tamarac
Florida residential routes generally operate Monday through Friday. Your specific household collection depends on your local county zoning map.
State Mandate
Do not mix yard trimmings with regular household garbage.
Green Cart (or resident-provided 30-gallon bins in manual zones) Bin (Trash)
Place carts curbside before 7:00 AM on your designated collection day. The lid must close completely. Ensure the cart is not blocked by mailboxes, fences, or parked cars. Carts should not be placed out more than 24 hours prior to collection.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (mandatory)
- ✓Styrofoam
- ✓Pizza box bottoms with food residue
Blue Cart (or Green Cart with Blue Lid) Bin (Recycling)
Tamarac uses single-stream recycling. Do not bag your recyclables; place them loosely inside the cart. All cardboard must be broken down and cut into smaller pieces to avoid jamming the trucks.
Accepted Items
- ✓Plastics #1 - #7 (No caps or lids)
- ✓Newspaper, junk mail, and mixed paper
- ✓Cardboard cut into 24x24 inch pieces or smaller
- ✓Aluminum, steel, and tin cans
- ✓Milk cartons and juice boxes
Do NOT Include
- ✕Glass bottles or jars
- ✕Plastic bags of any kind
- ✕Styrofoam and plastic to-go containers
- ✕Pizza box bottoms
- ✕Ceramic cookware or mirrors
Yard Waste Bin
Small yard waste can be bagged and placed in the regular garbage cart. Larger yard waste can be placed out on bulk collection day but must be cut into lengths not exceeding 4 feet and tied in bundles weighing 40 pounds or less.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass trimmings
- ✓Tree limbs
- ✓Palm fronds
- ✓Lumber (untreated)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly for single-family homes; Quarterly for condominiums.
Placement
Place items curbside in a neat and orderly manner. Do not place bulk items near mailboxes, fences, or parked cars, as the grapple trucks need overhead clearance.
Accepted
- ✓ Couches, chairs, and mattresses
- ✓ Appliances
- ✓ Carpeting (cut to 4-foot sections)
- ✓ Bundled tree trimmings and yard waste
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction materials (roof shingles, tiles, sheetrock, concrete)
- ✕ Commercially generated landscaping debris
- ✕ Hazardous waste (paint, oil)
- ✕ Automotive parts and large truck tires
Standard bulk collection within the 3-cubic-yard limit is included in your utility fees. Contractor-generated debris must be removed by the contractor at the homeowner's expense.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Waste Management operates regular residential collection routes Monday through Friday all year long. The only exception is if your scheduled collection day falls on December 25th (Christmas Day).
Yard Waste Exception
Bulk and yard waste collections are also skipped if they fall exactly on Christmas Day.
Collections occur completely normally on Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July. Ensure your carts are at the curb by 7:00 AM on these holidays.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Throw Away the Lids
While you can recycle a wide variety of plastics (#1 through #7) in Tamarac, the city strictly requires residents to remove all caps and lids from plastic bottles and containers. Throw the lids into your regular garbage cart.
Keep Glass Out of the Blue Cart
Glass breaks easily during the single-stream sorting process and contaminates valuable paper and cardboard. Do not put any glass bottles, jars, windows, or mirrors in your recycling. They belong in the standard trash.
Size Matters for Cardboard
Simply flattening a large cardboard box is not enough in Tamarac. City guidelines require all cardboard to be cut down into pieces no larger than 24 inches by 24 inches before being placed in the recycling bin.
Seasonal Information
Hurricane Season
June to NovemberDuring an active tropical storm or hurricane watch in Broward County, Waste Management will suspend bulk pickups. Immediately stop placing yard waste, bulk items, or regular carts at the curb to prevent them from becoming dangerous projectiles in high winds.
Condominium Move-Out Season
April to MayAs snowbirds leave for the summer, condo trash rooms often overflow. Remember that condos only receive quarterly bulk pickups. If you miss your designated date, you must hire a private hauler or take your furniture to a county landfill to avoid HOA fines.
Post-Holiday Cleanup
Late DecemberChristmas Day is the only holiday where waste collection is paused. For all other holidays, collections continue as normal. When disposing of holiday boxes, remember to cut cardboard into 24-inch squares and throw away all styrofoam packing peanuts.
About Tamarac Waste Management
Navigating Tamarac's Four-Zone Collection System
The City of Tamarac utilizes a highly structured four-zone system to manage its residential waste collection efficiently. Depending on where your home is located within these zones, your standard garbage will be picked up twice a week—either on Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays. Recycling and bulk trash services occur once a week on specific days tied to your zone. Residents can use the city's interactive collection map to pinpoint their exact service days.
Single-Family vs. Condominium Bulk Trash Schedules
Bulk trash collection rules in Tamarac differ significantly depending on your housing type. Single-family homes enjoy the convenience of a weekly bulk pickup day, allowing for ongoing disposal of yard trimmings and old furniture. However, condominium communities operate on a strict quarterly bulk schedule. Condo residents must coordinate with their property management boards before leaving large items like mattresses or appliances out, as off-schedule dumping can lead to serious community fines.
Manual Collection Allowances for Select HOAs
While the majority of Tamarac utilizes automated trucks and large rolling carts, a few specific Homeowners Associations (HOAs) have narrow streets or layouts that cannot accommodate these carts. Through a special arrangement with Waste Management, these neighborhoods receive manual solid waste collection. In these designated areas, households are permitted to place up to two standard 30-gallon garbage cans or heavy-duty bags at the curb twice a week.
The Glass and Cap Recycling Ban
Tamarac's single-stream recycling program has some unique restrictions compared to neighboring Broward County cities. Specifically, glass bottles and jars are strictly prohibited from the blue recycling carts and must be tossed in the regular household garbage. Furthermore, while plastics labeled #1 through #7 are accepted, the city mandates that all plastic caps and lids be removed and thrown away before placing the containers in the recycling bin.
Drop-off Facilities
Broward County Residential Drop-Off Center
2780 N. Powerline Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my garbage collection zone in Tamarac?
Tamarac is divided into four collection zones. Depending on your zone, your garbage will be collected either on Mon/Thu or Tue/Fri. You can verify your exact zone and schedule using the interactive Collection Map on the City of Tamarac's official website.
Why didn't Waste Management take my yard trimmings?
Yard waste left at the curb for bulk pickup must be properly prepared. Tree trimmings, branches, and palm fronds must be cut into sections no longer than 4 feet and tied into bundles. Each bundle cannot weigh more than 40 pounds. Unbundled or oversized piles will be left behind.
Can I put glass bottles in my recycling cart in Tamarac?
No. The City of Tamarac strictly prohibits glass bottles, glass jars, mirrors, and window glass in the recycling cart. All glass materials must be thrown directly into your regular green garbage cart.
Do I need to call ahead for a refrigerator pickup in Tamarac?
For single-family homes, no. Appliances are collected as part of your weekly scheduled bulk pickup day. Just ensure the item is at the curb by 7:00 AM. However, condo residents only have bulk collection once a quarter and should check with their HOA for specific appliance disposal rules.