Lauderdale County collects garbage in Killen, and its rules say it plainly: “Residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart.” TidyCan cleans your bin on your pickup day, so the county cart stays clean without you touching it. Service starts at $30 every 4 weeks for up to two bins.
In Killen, the county says the clean cart is your job
Lauderdale County’s Solid Waste Department provides residential garbage collection “for all of Lauderdale County excluding Florence City Limits and Lexington City Limits.” Killen is neither, so the county’s rules are the ones that apply to Killen carts, in town and out on the county roads.
“Residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart. It is recommended that you bag all waste to help maintain cleanliness.”
Lauderdale County Solid Waste, residential pickup schedule
The carts are county property and stay with the home if you move. They come in one size, 95 gallons, with up to three per home. If a cart is damaged beyond repair, the resident pays for the replacement. Collection is once a week and costs $21.00 a month.
| Lauderdale County cart rule | What the county says |
|---|---|
| When to put it out | The night before collection day (the county’s two pages give 5:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. as the morning cutoff) |
| Cart | County-provided, 95 gallons only, up to three per home |
| Cleanliness | “Residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart” |
| Not allowed in the cart | Liquids, hot ash, hazardous materials, yard waste, cardboard, batteries, construction materials, wet paint cans |
| Monthly fee | $21.00 for once a week collection |
Lauderdale County Solid Waste, for reference: 5100 Highway 157 North, 256-760-5878. Brush and yard debris pickup is by request at the same number, in piles no bigger than four feet high, ten feet long and five feet deep.
Most of “Killen, AL 35645” is outside town limits
The Town of Killen had 1,040 residents in 2024, on about two square miles. The 35645 ZIP code is far bigger: about 97 percent of its land lies outside any town. Those homes get the same county garbage service and follow the same rules, so everything on this page applies in town and out along the county roads alike.
No curbside recycling from the county
The county’s solid waste service does not include curbside recycling. For most Killen households that means the soda cans, bottles and food containers go into the same 95 gallon cart as everything else, and that is the residue that sours fastest.
Why a Shoals summer is the whole problem
This is not a matter of opinion. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, the reporting station for the Shoals, put the average July high at 91.6°F and the average July low at 71.4°F. The nights barely cool the cart off. A closed plastic container with food waste in the bottom sits in that for weeks at a time, and that is what turns a cart into something you hold your breath to open.
What we do about it in Killen
We run Killen and east Lauderdale County routes on your pickup day.
-
Self-contained truckOur truck carries its own water and power, so nothing is connected to your house.
-
200°F washWashed inside and out with high pressure water heated to 200°F.
-
Sanitized and deodorizedThen set back where it belongs, ready for the week.
-
Nothing down your drivewayNo harsh chemicals, and the wastewater leaves with us rather than running down your driveway.
Ready to stop dreading trash day? Monthly service in Killen is $30 and covers up to two bins. Request a quote or call 256-320-8042.
