Garbage Cart Rules in the Shoals: What Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and Russellville Require

Shoals Garbage Pickup Rules, Town by Town

Quick Answer: Each Shoals town writes its own garbage rules. Florence wants the cart back in within 24 hours of pickup, Muscle Shoals by 6 p.m. the same day, and Tuscumbia sets no clock but fines an open lid. Russellville asks you to keep moisture off the can, and Lauderdale County says residents must keep their carts clean.

If you live anywhere from Florence to Russellville, your garbage truck empties the cart and drives off. Cleaning it was never part of the deal, and most of the local codes say so in writing. Below is each town’s actual rule, with the section numbers, so you know what applies at your curb.

Who Picks Up Your Garbage Depends on Where You Live

The first thing to know is who runs your service, because that decides which rules apply. Four of these towns run their own collection. Killen and Rogersville are on Lauderdale County’s trucks.

Town	Who collects	Monthly fee	The cart rule that matters
Florence	City Solid Waste Department	$22.50	Off the curb within 24 hours of pickup
Muscle Shoals	City Sanitation	$17.75 for one cart	Off the curb by 6:00 p.m. the same day
Tuscumbia	City Public Works	$16.00 (as codified in 2021)	Lid closed, nothing piled around it
Russellville	City Street Department	Set by the city fee schedule	Keep moisture off the can
Killen, Rogersville	Lauderdale County Solid Waste	$21.00	“Residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart”

Line them up and one thing holds everywhere: the truck empties the cart, and none of these services cleans it. The sections below cover each town’s rule in its own words.

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Florence: Out by 7 a.m., Back In Within 24 Hours

Florence has the most detailed placement rule in the Shoals. It tells you when, where and which way the cart faces.

Section 22-22 of the Florence Code of Ordinances says the cart must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day, within two feet of the curb and three feet from anything else, handle facing away from the street. It must be removed “no more than twenty-four (24) hours after” it has been emptied.

The city’s residential recycling page adds the part most people miss: “Residents are responsible for garbage and recycling cart care.” Garbage costs $22.50 a month under Section 22-71. If you live in Florence, our Florence trash can cleaning page covers the city’s rules in more detail.

Muscle Shoals: A Twelve-Hour Curb Window

Muscle Shoals gives you the shortest window of any town here. The cart goes out at dawn and comes back the same evening.

Section 94-6 of the Muscle Shoals Code of Ordinances says carts “must be at the curb at 6:00 a.m. on the day of collection” and “shall be removed from the curb no later than 6:00 p.m. on the day they are serviced.” A cart that misses the truck waits for the next scheduled pickup.

Section 94-3 is even more direct about who keeps it clean.

One cart runs $17.75 a month. The Muscle Shoals city page has the full rundown.

Tuscumbia: No Clock, but the Lid Has to Close

Tuscumbia takes the opposite approach from Muscle Shoals. Its code does not set a time for putting the cart out or bringing it back.

What the Tuscumbia Code of Ordinances sets instead is a standard for the container. Section 9-50 makes it unlawful “to allow or permit garbage or trash container to be open or uncovered,” or to let garbage and litter pile up around it. Under Section 9-52, that carries a fine of up to $500, and each day it continues counts as a separate offense.

A sour cart is the one that draws flies and dogs, and a ring of litter follows. Tuscumbia’s service is mandatory for every household, and the fee was $16.00 a month when the code was last updated in 2021. See our Tuscumbia trash can cleaning page for the local details.

Russellville: The Code Asks You to Keep Moisture Off the Can

Russellville rewrote its solid waste chapter in March 2023, and it goes further than any other town here on what goes into the can.

Section 54-35(a) of the Russellville Code of Ordinances says garbage “shall be drained free of water and wrapped” to keep its moisture from “coming in contact with the sides or bottom of the container.” The same chapter requires plastic bags in every container, and the city’s collection service is exclusive inside city limits.

Those rules help, but bags split and drips find the bottom. The Russellville trash can cleaning page covers the city rules and the Franklin County service outside town.

Killen and Rogersville: Lauderdale County’s Cleanliness Rule

Outside Florence and Lexington, garbage in Lauderdale County is a county job. That includes the Town of Killen, the Town of Rogersville, and the countryside around both.

Lauderdale County Solid Waste serves “all of Lauderdale County excluding Florence City Limits and Lexington City Limits” for $21.00 a month, with county-owned 95 gallon carts. Its residential pickup schedule puts it plainly:

Rogersville joined county service in 2020. The East Lauderdale News reported the town “switched from Waste Management to the Lauderdale County Solid Waste Department.” Our Killen and Rogersville pages cover both towns.

Why Every Shoals Rule Ends Up in the Same Place

Different deadlines, one shared problem. Once the cart is emptied, it goes back beside the house for another week with residue still inside.

The NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Muscle Shoals Regional Airport put the average July high at 91.6°F and the average July low at 71.4°F. A closed plastic cart with food residue in the bottom sits in that heat all summer.

That is why a rinse with the hose rarely lasts. Our guide to how often to clean your trash can in Alabama heat covers the schedule that holds up in July.

What Shoals Homeowners Ask About Garbage Cart Rules

These are the questions that come up most when Shoals households compare their town’s rules. Each answer comes from the city code or county page cited above.

What time does my garbage cart have to be out in the Shoals?

It depends on your town. Florence requires the cart at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on collection day, and Muscle Shoals by 6:00 a.m. Lauderdale County, which serves Killen and Rogersville, asks for it the night before. Tuscumbia’s code does not set a time, so check with the city.

How long can a garbage cart stay at the curb in Florence?

Florence’s code says the cart must be removed from the curb no more than 24 hours after the sanitation department empties it. The city also says carts cannot be stored curbside. That is a longer window than Muscle Shoals, which requires carts off the curb by 6:00 p.m. on pickup day.

Who is responsible for cleaning my garbage cart?

You are. Florence says residents are responsible for cart care, Muscle Shoals puts “care and routine maintenance” on the customer, and Lauderdale County says residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart. Tuscumbia and Russellville regulate the container itself. None of these services cleans the cart for you.

Can I get fined for a dirty or open garbage can in Tuscumbia?

Yes. Tuscumbia’s code makes it unlawful to leave a garbage container open or uncovered, or to let garbage and litter build up around it. A violation is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500, and each day it continues counts as a separate offense under Section 9-52.

Who picks up garbage in Killen and Rogersville?

Lauderdale County Solid Waste. The county serves everything outside Florence and Lexington city limits for $21.00 a month, using county-owned 95 gallon carts. Rogersville moved from Waste Management to county service in 2020. The county routes by district, so call 256-760-5878 to confirm your pickup day.

How often should I clean my garbage cart in a Shoals summer?

Monthly is the practical answer for most households from June through September. With July highs averaging 91.6°F at Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, residue in a closed cart turns fast. A monthly clean on your pickup day keeps odor, flies and maggots from getting a foothold between collections.