Muscle Shoals wants your cart at the curb by 6:00 a.m. and back off it by 6:00 p.m. the same day, and the city code puts the cart’s care and routine maintenance on you. TidyCan cleans your bin on the day it is emptied, long before the 6:00 p.m. deadline. Service starts at $30 every 4 weeks for up to two bins.
Muscle Shoals gives your cart twelve hours at the curb
Section 94-6 of the city code spells it out: “Garbage collection begins at 6:00 a.m. and all mobile containers must be at the curb at 6:00 a.m. on the day of collection.” A cart that is not out when the truck passes waits until the next scheduled pickup. The same section closes the window: “Mobile containers shall be removed from the curb no later than 6:00 p.m. on the day they are serviced.”
Twelve hours, curb to garage. For most households that means the cart comes back in the same evening it was emptied, still wet and still coated, and then sits beside the house for another week.
| Muscle Shoals cart rule | What the code says |
|---|---|
| At the curb by | 6:00 a.m. on collection day (§ 94-6) |
| Missed the truck | Not collected until the next scheduled pickup (§ 94-6) |
| Off the curb by | 6:00 p.m. the same day (§ 94-6) |
| Cart size | 80 to 90 gallons (§ 94-4) |
| Extra refuse | Next to the cart in throw-away containers or tied bundles, 50 pounds or less (§ 94-6) |
| Monthly fee | $17.75 for one cart (§ 94-7) |
The code makes cart care your job
“The customer at the residence… shall assume responsibility for the care and routine maintenance of the container and shall be liable for the replacement of the container if damage is not covered under the warranty.”
Muscle Shoals Code of Ordinances § 94-3
The city furnishes the first cart free. A replacement that is not covered by warranty is sold to the household at the same price the city pays for it. Collection is once a week. Routine maintenance of the cart, in the code’s own words, is on the customer.
Muscle Shoals Sanitation, for reference: Public Works, 214 Industrial Drive, 256-386-9250. Brush and bagged grass or leaves are collected weekly for residents and go within six feet of the roadway by 6:00 a.m.
No curbside recycling means one cart takes the sticky stuff
The Muscle Shoals code does not set up a curbside recycling program. The city contracts with the regional solid waste authority for drop-off bins instead. Unless you haul recycling yourself, the soda cans, bottles and food containers all end up in the same green cart as everything else.
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.
Every street, same deadline
Muscle Shoals had 17,409 residents in 2024, according to the Census Bureau, up from 16,304 in 2020, across the 35661, 35674 and 35646 ZIP codes. From the streets around Gattman Park and Webster Park to the Stenson Hollow area, every household is on the same weekly schedule and the same 6:00 p.m. deadline.
What we do about it in Muscle Shoals
We run Muscle Shoals routes on the same day the city empties your cart.
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Self-contained truckOur truck carries its own water and power, so nothing is connected to your house.
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200°F washWashed inside and out with high pressure water heated to 200°F.
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Sanitized and deodorizedThen set back where it belongs, ready for the week.
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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 Muscle Shoals is $30 and covers up to two bins. Request a quote or call 256-320-8042.
