Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Temple Terrace
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.
City-Issued 65- or 95-Gallon Cart Bin (Trash)
Carts can be placed at the curb no earlier than one hour before sunset the day prior to pickup, and must be removed by sunset on collection day. All trash must fit inside with the lid closed.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
- ✓Glass bottles and jars (since they are banned from recycling)
Green Bins Bin (Recycling)
Items must be separated. Plastics/metals go in one green bin; paper/cardboard must go into a second green bin. Unsorted bins or bins containing glass will be tagged and left at the curb.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bin 1: Aluminum and steel cans, rinsed plastic bottles and jugs
- ✓Bin 2: Flattened corrugated cardboard (cut to 3'x3'), junk mail, office paper, and magazines
Do NOT Include
- ✕Glass of any kind
- ✕Plastic bags or bubble wrap
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Pizza boxes (or any food-soiled paper)
- ✕Tissue paper or paper towels
Yard Waste Bin
Collection is every Wednesday. Put debris in reusable containers under 30 gallons (max 50 lbs), in bags, or neatly bundled. Branches must be under 4 feet long and 6 inches thick.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Palm fronds
- ✓Tree limbs and trunks
- ✓Mulch and brush
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
One free pickup annually (On-Demand)
Placement
Place items within 10 feet of the curb. Do not block the street, sidewalks, or place under low-hanging tree limbs and power lines. Call Public Works at 813-506-6570 *after* the pile is set out to schedule the truck.
Accepted
- ✓ Old furniture
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Large household items
- ✓ Extra yard debris (must be piled separately from household items)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and demolition (C&D) debris
- ✕ Tires
- ✕ Household hazardous waste
- ✕ Trees larger than 10 inches in diameter (requires a permit and paid removal)
The first bulk pickup is free. Removing prohibited items (like C&D or massive tree stumps) or requesting a second pickup will result in minimum quarter-hour time fees added to your utility bill.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
There is no solid waste, recycling, or yard waste collection on city-observed holidays. If your collection day falls on a holiday, your refuse will not be picked up until your next regularly scheduled service day for that specific material.
Yard Waste Exception
Since yard waste is only collected on Wednesdays, a Wednesday holiday means yard debris will be delayed a full week.
Unlike cities that shift everything forward by one day, Temple Terrace simply skips the holiday and resumes on the next normal route day for your neighborhood.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Glass is Trash in Temple Terrace
Never place glass bottles or jars into your green recycling bins. Broken glass acts as a severe contaminant in the paper sorting process, and Temple Terrace will refuse to empty recycling bins that contain glass.
Divide to Conquer
Because the city does not use single-stream recycling, failing to separate your metals and plastics from your paper and cardboard is a code violation. Always use at least two separate green bins to keep these material streams distinct.
Keep Fruit Out of the Brush
When cleaning up your yard, ensure that fallen citrus or food scraps are placed in your regular garbage cart. Mixing food waste into your Wednesday yard debris piles contaminates the organic mulch and will result in a skipped pickup.
Seasonal Information
Hurricane Season
June to NovemberBefore severe tropical weather strikes, secure all city-issued carts indoors. Do not initiate major tree pruning right before a storm hits, as regular Wednesday yard waste pickups may be suspended to prioritize emergency vehicle road clearance.
Winter Holidays
December to JanuaryWith the influx of online shopping deliveries, remember that all cardboard must be broken down and cut into pieces no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet to fit into the green recycling bins. Foil wrapping paper and ribbons must go into the trash.
Spring Cleaning
March to MaySpring is the optimal time to utilize your one free annual bulk pickup. Call the Public Works Department early in the season to secure your spot for hauling away old furniture or mattresses that won't fit in your 95-gallon cart.
About Temple Terrace Waste Management
Managing Your City-Issued Solid Waste Carts
Temple Terrace operates its own municipal sanitation fleet, providing robust twice-weekly garbage collection to nearly all city residents. Every home is provided with either a 65-gallon or 95-gallon rolling cart specifically registered to the property address. The city strictly enforces a maximum limit of two municipal carts per household. If your family consistently generates more trash than two carts can hold, you must evaluate recycling more or taking excess waste to a Hillsborough County disposal site, as garbage bags left outside or on top of the carts will not be picked up by the automated trucks.
How Temple Terrace Handles Curbside Recycling (No Glass!)
Unlike many Florida communities that use single-stream carts, Temple Terrace utilizes a multi-bin sorting system designed to maintain the purity and value of recyclable materials. Residents use city-issued green rectangular bins (you can request up to four for free) and must manually separate their items. One bin should be strictly dedicated to rinsed metals and plastics, while a separate bin must be used for mixed paper and flattened cardboard. Most importantly, glass is completely banned from the curbside recycling program because broken glass easily contaminates the valuable paper stream.
Wednesday Yard Waste Collection Rules
To maintain the city's lush, tree-canopied aesthetics, the Sanitation Division dedicates every Wednesday entirely to yard waste collection. Vegetative materials such as palm fronds, grass clippings, and shrubbery must be placed in reusable containers (under 30 gallons and 50 pounds) or neatly bundled. Tree branches cannot exceed 4 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter. Residents must ensure that no food scraps, fallen fruit, or regular garbage are mixed in with their yard debris, as these loads are routed to specialized Hillsborough County composting and mulching facilities rather than the incinerator.
Navigating the Free Annual Bulk Waste Pickup
Living in Temple Terrace comes with the perk of one free bulk pickup every year for items too large to fit in your standard garbage carts. This special service is perfect for disposing of old furniture, mattresses, or large appliances. To utilize it, you must first place your items at the curb (keeping them at least 10 feet from the road edge and away from overhead wires) and then call the Public Works Department to schedule the routing. Be aware that construction debris, tires, and trees larger than 10 inches in diameter are explicitly excluded from the free annual pickup and require a separate paid service.
Hillsborough County Drop-Off Sites for Hazardous Waste
Toxic materials, liquid paints, and electronic waste must never be thrown into your Temple Terrace curbside carts. Instead, residents have access to several Hillsborough County Community Collection Centers (CCCs). The nearest locations include the Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility in Seffner and the Northwest County Solid Waste Facility in Tampa. Be sure to bring a photo ID proving your residency, as these centers offer free drop-off for hazardous household chemicals, old TVs, and dead batteries to protect local groundwater from contamination.
Drop-off Facilities
Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility
6209 County Road 579, Seffner, FL 33584
Materials Accepted
Northwest County Solid Waste Facility
8001 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, FL 33625
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need to put my garbage carts on the curb in Temple Terrace?
City code requires that solid waste carts be placed at the curb no earlier than one hour before sunset on the day prior to your scheduled collection. They must be out by 7:00 a.m. on the collection day and removed from the curb by sunset that same evening.
Why didn't the city pick up my green recycling bin?
The Sanitation Division will tag and leave a recycling bin if it contains contamination. In Temple Terrace, the most common reasons for a rejected bin are the inclusion of glass bottles (which are prohibited) or failing to separate your metals and plastics from your paper and cardboard into different bins.
Does Temple Terrace provide a way to get rid of large furniture?
Yes. Every residential utility account is provided with one free annual bulk waste pickup for items that don't fit in standard carts. You must place the items at the curb and then call the Public Works Department at 813-506-6570 to notify them to schedule the truck.
What happens if a holiday falls on my garbage collection day?
If a city-observed holiday (like Thanksgiving or Labor Day) lands on your scheduled pickup day, service is canceled for that day. Temple Terrace does not push the schedule back by one day; instead, you must hold your refuse until your next regularly scheduled route day.