Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Alpharetta
Trash Day
Trash is collected once per week, Monday through Friday, depending on your street address.
Recycling
Recycling is collected weekly on the same day as trash pickup.
Yard Waste
Yard waste is collected weekly on the same day as trash and recycling pickup.
Set Out Time
By 7:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Alpharetta bills residential sanitation quarterly in advance. If your collection is ever delayed, leave carts out through the following day before submitting a missed pickup report.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone, Mail, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
Seniors (65+) and individuals with disabilities qualify for discounted rates, and those meeting specific low-income criteria receive free service. Residents can also receive a 5% discount by paying annually in advance before July 1.
City-issued 95-gallon or 68-gallon cart Bin (Trash)
Place carts at the curbside no later than 7:00 AM on your scheduled collection day. Excess bags require a prepaid $2 bag tag purchased from City Hall.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Dried paint (must be fully hardened)
City-issued 65-gallon cart Bin (Recycling)
Items must be clean, empty, and placed loosely in the recycling cart without bags. Place curbside by 7:00 AM.
Accepted Items
- ✓Flattened cardboard and pizza boxes (no food)
- ✓Mixed paper, mail, and magazines
- ✓Plastics #1 and #2 (bottles and jugs)
- ✓Aluminum and steel cans
Do NOT Include
- ✕Glass of any kind
- ✕Plastic grocery and takeout bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Aerosol spray cans
- ✕Batteries
Yard Waste Bin
Must be in paper lawn bags (max 10 bags) or 35-gallon personal containers (max 5 containers). Limbs must be tied in bundles (max 10 bundles). Place by 7:00 AM.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Tree limbs (max 3 feet long and 6 inches in diameter)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
As needed, on your regular service day, but strictly by advance appointment.
Placement
Once confirmed, place bulky items at the curb no later than 7:00 AM on your scheduled collection day. Ensure items do not block mailboxes or the roadway.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (sofas, tables, chairs)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Large appliances (refrigerators must have doors removed)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals)
- ✕ Tires and auto parts
- ✕ Excess unbagged household garbage
Standard bulky waste pickup is included in your base quarterly sanitation fee at no extra charge, provided you properly request and schedule the service in advance.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If your scheduled service day falls on a holiday or a subsequent day in that same week, your pickup will be delayed by one day. For example, a Wednesday holiday pushes Wednesday service to Thursday, and Friday service to Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste and bulky waste pickups follow the exact same one-day holiday delay schedule as your regular trash and recycling collections.
If a holiday falls on a weekend, your collection schedule for the following week will typically not be affected.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Spring/Summer
June to JulySanitation billing is managed by the City. Remember that you can secure a 5% discount on your base quarterly rates if you make a non-refundable annual payment in advance between June 1st and July 1st.
Fall
October to DecemberDuring peak leaf collection season, ensure you do not exceed the 10 paper lawn bag maximum per week. Never blow excess leaves into the street or storm drains, as this violates City ordinances.
Year-Round
All YearWeather and severe storms can disrupt Republic Services routes. Sign up for the City of Alpharetta's Sanitation Text Notification Opt-In via the city website to receive immediate SMS alerts about service delays.
Local Tips & Community Info
Alpharetta's City-Managed Waste Collection Program
In Alpharetta, residential solid waste disposal is a mandatory municipal service provided through an exclusive city contract with Republic Services, Inc. Unlike neighboring areas that rely on open-market subscription systems, all single-family homeowners here are automatically enrolled in the city's comprehensive sanitation program. This package covers weekly household garbage, curbside recycling, yard waste, and bulky item removal. Residents are billed quarterly in advance directly by the City of Alpharetta. If you are looking to save money, the city offers an appealing 5% discount for homeowners who choose to pay their entire annual balance upfront before July 1st of the service year. Seniors aged 65 and older, as well as residents with disabilities, can also apply for heavily discounted or even free quarterly service rates.
Recycling Protocols and the Hembree Road Glass Center
Your standard quarterly sanitation fee includes a 65-gallon recycling cart, which Republic Services empties once a week on the same day as your household trash. Alpharetta utilizes single-stream processing, meaning clean cardboard, plastic jugs, and aluminum cans all go into the same curbside bin without needing to be sorted. However, you must keep all glass bottles and jars out of your curbside cart to prevent dangerous breakage and contamination. Instead, the local government provides a dedicated 24-hour glass drop-off facility situated at the Department of Public Works on Hembree Road. Dropping your glass here ensures it is successfully transported to a specialized plant in College Park to be repurposed into commercial fiberglass and flooring materials.
Handling Yard Trimmings and Bulky Furniture
Seasonal landscaping debris is collected weekly, provided it is prepared according to Republic Services' strict guidelines. Grass clippings and leaves must be placed in compostable paper lawn bags, while tree branches must be cut to manageable lengths and securely bundled. If you are replacing appliances or doing heavy spring cleaning, your residential contract includes the removal of up to two large bulky items per week. However, these are not picked up automatically by the regular route drivers. Homeowners must submit a bulky waste request form online or call the customer service hotline at least 72 hours before their scheduled collection day. Leaving a mattress or couch at the curb unannounced will result in a missed pickup.
Proper Cart Positioning and $2 Overflow Bag Tags
For flawless automated truck collection, roll your 95-gallon garbage cart and 65-gallon recycling bin to the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your designated service day. Position the carts with the handles facing your property, leaving at least five feet of horizontal space between the bins and nearby obstacles like mailboxes, parked cars, or trees. If you host a party and have extra household trash that will not fit inside your cart with the lid completely closed, you cannot simply leave loose garbage bags on the ground. You must purchase official $2 bag tags from Alpharetta City Hall to affix to each overflow bag, signaling to the sanitation driver that the extra volume has been paid for.
Drop-off Facilities
Alpharetta Department of Public Works
1790 Hembree Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009
Materials Accepted
Roswell Recycling Center (For Fulton County Residents)
11570 Maxwell Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I opt out of Alpharetta's trash service if I haul my own garbage?
No, participation in the city's contracted sanitation program with Republic Services is mandatory for all residential properties within the city limits, and fees are billed quarterly.
Where can I safely recycle glass bottles in Alpharetta?
You can drop off glass 24/7 at the unstaffed, camera-monitored recycling center located in the parking lot of the Alpharetta Department of Public Works at 1790 Hembree Road.
What happens if my garbage collection day falls on a holiday?
If a major holiday like Christmas or Memorial Day lands on or before your scheduled service day, collection routes are delayed by exactly one day for the remainder of that week.