Trash and recycling pickup in Wellington: schedule, holidays, bulk

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Facts on this page come from the Village of Wellington Solid Waste and Recycling page and its pages on garbage, bulk, vegetation and recycling, and from the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County. Updated when the village changes the rules.

Wellington runs its own solid waste program. The village’s Solid Waste Department oversees a contracted hauler, FCC Environmental Services, which took over collection on Dec. 30, 2021. Garbage goes out twice a week; recycling, yard waste and bulk trash once a week each. Your days depend on your collection zone.

Who to call

• Your pickup days, rules and questions: Wellington Solid Waste (Public Works), 561-791-4003
• Missed pickup, new or broken container: GoWellington service requests (also an app)
• Find your zone: Garbage Collection Zone Lookup map
• Hazardous waste drop-off: Solid Waste Authority, 561-697-2700
• Village Hall: 12300 Forest Hill Blvd., 561-791-4000

What day is my pickup?

The village’s Solid Waste and Recycling page has an interactive zone map. Type your address in the search bar, click your property on the map, and it shows your garbage, recycling, vegetation and bulk days. The zones have been in effect since Dec. 30, 2021. If you live in a homeowners association, check its rules too.

Set-out times and container rules

The village’s garbage page sets these rules for garbage, recycling and vegetation containers:

• Put containers out no earlier than 6 p.m. the day before collection.
• Have them at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day. (The main solid waste page says 7 a.m.; 6 a.m. meets both.)
• Bring the container in and store it by 11 p.m. on collection day, screened from view.
• Only garbage inside the gray wheeled container is collected on garbage days. Face it with the wheels and handle toward the house and the lid arrows toward the street.
• Keep it within 3 feet of the curb and at least 4 feet from mailboxes and other containers. It may not weigh more than 50 pounds.
• The gray container is village property. Do not paint or modify it, and leave it for the next resident if you move.

Bags or items left outside the can are picked up on your bulk day, not your garbage day.

Holiday schedule

There is no garbage, recycling or vegetation collection on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, according to the village. Service resumes on your next scheduled day.

Recycling

Recycling is collected once a week in two small curbside containers, under the village’s recycling guidelines:

• Blue container: cans, cartons and drink boxes (no pouches), glass bottles and jars (lids off), and plastic bottles and containers of 2 gallons or less (lids on).
• Yellow container: cardboard, paper rolls, dry food boxes and clean pizza boxes, magazines, mail, newspaper and office and school paper.
• Never: aluminum foil and pans, foam, paper plates, paper towels, napkins, shredded paper, light bulbs, plastic bags and plastic utensils.

Large cardboard that is not cut and flattened goes out on your bulk day.

Yard waste (vegetation)

Vegetation is collected once a week and covers routine yard maintenance only. Leaves, pine needles, hedge trimmings, small fronds and weeds must be bagged or containerized. If your area has a green vegetation container, fill it first. No single piece may be longer than 6 feet or heavier than 50 pounds, and piles must sit 3 feet from other trash. Coconuts go in the garbage container.

The vegetation page says tree removal, limbs more than 10 inches across, stumps and land-clearing debris are not collected, and contractors must haul away their own debris. Piles that break the rules are tagged; you can fix the pile or pay the hauler $9 a cubic yard to take it as is.

Bulk pickup

Bulk trash is collected once a week and may go out 24 hours before your bulk day. It includes refrigerators, sofas, ranges, toilets, mattresses, water heaters, washers and dryers. Remove or tape shut appliance doors. Carpet must be cut into 4-foot lengths of no more than 50 pounds. You may also set out up to 4 cubic yards, about a small pickup bed, of debris from minor home repairs, cut under 6 feet. No concrete or rock, according to the village’s bulk page.

Hazardous waste and electronics

Paint, pool chemicals, household cleaners, propane tanks, fluorescent bulbs, used motor oil and electronics never go in the cart. The Solid Waste Authority’s Home Chemical and Recycling Centers take them free from county residents. The main site is at 6161 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach, open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (self-service), closed Sunday. Everyday alkaline batteries can go in the garbage; lithium batteries cannot. The centers do not take tires, sharps, prescription drugs or electric vehicle batteries.

What this means for you

• Look up your zone once on the village map and keep the days handy.
• Out after 6 p.m. the night before, at the curb by 6 a.m., back in by 11 p.m.
• Thanksgiving and Christmas week, your pickup moves to your next scheduled day.
• Report a missed pickup through GoWellington, not by calling the hauler.

More village services: who to call at Village Hall, hurricane prep and moving to Wellington.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Wellington?

It depends on your collection zone. Enter your address in the village’s Garbage Collection Zone Lookup map, or call Wellington’s Solid Waste office at 561-791-4003.

How often is garbage picked up in Wellington?

Garbage is collected twice a week. Recycling, vegetation and bulk trash are each collected once a week.

Is there trash pickup on holidays in Wellington?

There is no garbage, recycling or vegetation pickup on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Service resumes on your next scheduled day.

How do I report a missed pickup or get a new garbage can in Wellington?

Submit a request through GoWellington, the village’s online and app-based service request system. The gray garbage container belongs to the village and stays with the house.

Where do I take paint and pool chemicals in Wellington?

To a Solid Waste Authority Home Chemical and Recycling Center. The nearest main site is at 6161 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach, free for county residents. Call 561-697-2700.