Sanitation & Recycling

The City of Decatur contracts with an outside waste disposal company for solid waste collection. Everyone within the city limits is required to have garbage collection and we want to encourage our residents to take advantage of our recycling program. If you are interested in recycling, there are recycle bins located at the South end of the city hall parking lot next to Maple Ave. 

Most trash and debris, when properly bundled and/or contained properly, can be disposed of at curbside with your regular garbage service days, which is either Thursday or Friday. Below are lists of what is accepted and what is not accepted in your regular household trash.

What items can I put in my household trash?

Since we are contracted with Waste Management, and according to their website, the following items are include in everyday trash. These items just need to be place in your curbside conatiners:

  • Diapers

  • Disposable razors

  • Cactus and Palm branches

  • Cat litter and pet feces

  • Glassware and ceramic dishes/cups

  • Hoses and wire

  • Juice boxes/pouches

  • Non-flourescent light bulbs

  • Sheet glass ( windows, mirrors, etc.)

  • Foam Cups or packing materals

  • Treated wood ( painted, stained, etc.)

What items do not go into the trash?

The following hazardous household waste items should NOT be treated as everday garbage and should NOT be placed at the curbside.

  • Batteries

  • Electronics

  • Flourescent light bulbs

  • Paint and paint cans

  • Used motor oil and filters

  • Prescription medications

For questions specific to trash or to find out what other services they may have available, please visit their website at https://www.wm.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Please call city hall at 479-752-3912 to learn what day your garbage will  be collected. To check about their holiday schedule, you can call us at 479-752-3912 Option 1, or visit the following link: https://www.wm.com/us/en/holiday-schedule

  • Located at the South end of City Hall (Decatur Municipal Building) are two trailers, one for cardboard, and one for recyclable items. The items are are NOT accepted are paper and plastic bags. The lids on each bin has information as to what is acceptable in that particular bin.

  • Have your garbage set at curbside by 6 a.m. on your collection day.

  • Mattresses, box springs, furniture and appliances  may be set out in your trash twice a year when inside city limits city wide clean events are held. There is one usually held in the Spring, and then one in the Fall.

  • The City of Decatur does host a city-wide clean up twice a year; Spring and Fall. The Spring clean up is typically scheduled for sometime in April, and the Fall clean up is typically scheduled for sometime in October. These events are advertised through water billing, website, and electronic sign located at the library. You are always welcome to call the City of Decatur at 479-752-3912 for more information on these events.

  • No. The clean up is only for those citizens who live inside the city limits. If you are on Decatur water and live outside the city limits, you can contact wastemanagement (https://www.wm.com/) for a dumpster, or you may contact the Benton County Convenience Center for more options of recycling/disposal services: https://www.bentoncountyrecycles.org/

  • The following Items may be set out:

    Furniture:

    • Chairs

    • Mattresses

    • Box Springs

    • Tables

    • Desks

    • Dressers/Chests

    Appliances

    • Stoves

    • Vacuums

    • Water Heaters (electric only)

    • Washer/Dryer

    Miscelllaneous:

    • Toys/Toy Parts

    • Swingsets must be disassembled/boxes (Flattened up to 20)

    • Bicycles

    • Fake Christmas Trees

    • Tools

    Items That Are Not Acceptable

    • NO Refrigerators

    • NO Tvs/Monitors/Air Conditioners

    • NO Construction/Demolition (Windows/Doors/Glass/Fencing/Sinks/Toilets/Carpet and Padding/ Dimensional Lumber)

    • NO Hazardous Waste (Wet Paint Cans/Motor Oil/ Refrigerant/ Propane Tanks/ Batteries/ Automotive Parts)

    • NO Yard waste ( Limbs/Branches/Bagged Items)

    • NO Grills