Find answers to questions about your garbage or recycling cart. Learn how to use and maintain your cart, as well as how to report damaged or stolen carts.
General Questions
Which cart is for garbage and which cart is for recycling?
- The green cart is your Garbage Cart, for garbage and yard waste. Garbage includes food waste, packaging, non-recyclable products found in your home. Yard waste includes grass clippings, weeds, leaves, mulch, small shrubs, limbs or other similar items. If you are interested in using grass clippings to help fertilize your lawn, see our Composting page. The blue cart is your Recycling Cart, also called the "smart cart". For a full list of materials that can be recycled in your Recycling Cart, see here.
How do I know which cart is mine?
- The cart's number can be found at the front of the cart. That number is assigned to individual street addresses, not individual customers: If a customer moves, the cart must remain at the assigned address. To verify your cart, call the Customer Call Center at 311.
Is a 96-gallon cart sufficient?
- National surveys indicate that a 96-gallon container is adequate for an average household.
Where should I place my carts and what about parking on collection days?
- The carts must be placed at the street curb, away from mailboxes, low hanging branches, shrubbery or other obstacles.
- Corner houses should place carts on street address, not on the side street.
- On collection days, we ask that you do not park your vehicle at the curb so that the truck can easily approach the cart(s).
- On collection days that you set out both Household Trash (green cart) and Recycling (blue cart) simply place your blue cart next to your green cart, five feet apart.
What happens if I cannot roll the cart to the curb?
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For those who are physically or medically unable to place the cart at the curbside, call the Customer Call Center at 311.
Garbage Carts
How do I use the garbage cart?
- Your regular household garbage must be placed in the cart. Residents will be serviced once a week. Please do not place any items outside the cart, as they cannot be picked up.
- You must place the cart in the area adjacent to the curb by 7:30 a.m. for collection.
- You are encouraged to recycle to save landfill space and ensure that your trash will fit into the cart.
What can I put in the garbage cart?
- Typical household waste.
- We encourage you to use plastic bags for wet garbage.
- Pet waste should be bagged in order to avoid odor.
What does NOT go in the garbage cart?
- Construction or other materials such as sheetrock, roofing material, lumber, fencing, concrete, brick, rocks, stone, or dirt will not be collected with garbage.
- Hot ashes, flammable or hazardous materials such as asbestos, oil, gas, antifreeze, solvents, brake fluid, transmission fluid, batteries, cleaning solvents, polishes, oven cleaner, pool chemicals, paint, paint thinner, paint stripper, spray paint, weed killer, pesticides, insecticides, sprays, dusts or poisons will NOT be collected with garbage.
- Do not place dead animals in garbage carts. Call the Customer Call Center at 311 for proper disposal of dead animals.
- Do not place anything on top of the cart.
Recycling Carts
What can I put in the recycling cart?
Cart Maintenance
Caring for your cart
- Simply rinse the inside of your cart with water from time to time to keep it clean.
Cart safety
- Never sit, climb or stand on your cart. Do not allow children to play on, in or around the cart.
Removing and Storing the Cart
- Carts set out for collection must be removed from the collection location not later than midnight on the designated collection day. (Ordinance, Chapter 21, Article II, Section 21-11 (f) for recycling and Section 21-22 (e) for garbage)
- Store the cart in your garage or other location in compliance with your deed restrictions. Be careful not to store it close to a furnace, fireplace, grill or any source of excessive heat.
Who repairs a damaged cart or replaces a stolen cart?
- Do not remove the cart from your residence. The automated cart belongs to the City of Corpus Christi and must remain with the address it is issued to.
- If a cart is damaged, through no fault of yours, please call the Customer Call Center at 311 for a replacement.
- If the cart is stolen, notify the Customer Call Center at 311 for a replacement.
- You may order an additional cart for $10.50 per month and a $11.55 delivery fee. As a reminder, the cart is the property of the City of Corpus Christi and must remain at the address it is issued to. If a resident moves, the cart is to remain at the home. If an additional cart is obtained, the second cart must remain at the home and it will be collected by City collection crews and returned to the main office.
What are the benefits of the carts?
- The automated system allows the City to collect garbage efficiently. Since the automated collection vehicle requires a crew of only one driver as compared to a crew of three persons, significant long-term financial savings in labor costs can be achieved.
- Manual collection is labor intensive and puts workers at a high risk for injury. Since manual loading of garbage is eliminated with automation, job injuries are reduced, thereby decreasing claims and insurance premiums paid by the City.
- The City provides durable carts with a close-fitting lid. A cart is equivalent to three regular garbage cans. This animal-proof cart with a stay-on lid helps reduce windblown litter and improves the neighborhood's appearance.
- The carts are also easy to roll. Ensure the lid is closed. Use the toe hold at the bottom rear of the cart, grasp the plastic handle and tilt the cart toward you. You can either push or pull the cart.
