Keeping a Single Garbage Cart Fresh Without Curbside Recycling
Quick Answer: Without a recycling cart, sugary cans, bottles and food containers ride in your garbage cart, and their sticky residue sours fast in Shoals heat. Rinse and drain containers before they go in, bag everything, keep the lid shut, haul recyclables to Florence’s free 24/7 drop-off on Terrace Street, and wash the cart before the film builds up.
TLDR:
- Florence has weekly curbside recycling. Lauderdale County and Muscle Shoals list one garbage cart and no blue bin.
- With one cart, soda cans, milk jugs and takeout trays all ride with the trash.
- Unrinsed drink containers are a textbook fruit fly breeding site.
- July highs at Muscle Shoals average 91.6°F, so residue turns quickly.
- Rinse, drain and bag before anything goes in the cart.
- Florence’s recycling drop-off on Terrace Street is open to anyone, 24 hours a day.
- Both the county and the city say keeping the cart clean is your job.
If you live in Killen, Rogersville or Muscle Shoals, you probably know the routine. There is one cart at the curb, and everything goes in it. The trash, the pizza box, the milk jug, the twelve-pack of empties.
That works fine in January. In July, it is a different story. A can with a sip of soda left in it does not stay quiet in a closed plastic cart sitting in the sun for a week.
One cart doing the work of two? TidyCan cleans and deodorizes your garbage cart at the curb on your trash day with 200°F water and no harsh chemicals.
Who Has Curbside Recycling in the Shoals
This depends on who collects your garbage, not on your mailing address. We only list what each collector’s own official page says, and where we could not confirm it, we say so.
Florence (inside city limits). The City of Florence residential recycling page says the city “offers weekly curbside recycling pick-up within city limits,” collected on the same day as garbage. The $22.50 monthly fee covers both carts.
Lauderdale County service (Killen, Rogersville and county roads). Lauderdale County Solid Waste collects garbage everywhere in the county outside Florence and Lexington city limits, for $21.00 a month. Neither of its two solid waste pages mentions a recycling cart.
Muscle Shoals. The City of Muscle Shoals garbage page describes one large green container furnished by the city for regular household waste. It does not mention a recycling cart.
Tuscumbia and Sheffield. We could not confirm curbside recycling for either city from an official city page, so we are not going to guess. Ask your city before you assume either way.
If you are on one cart, the rest of this guide is for you. Our breakdown of Shoals garbage cart rules by city covers set-out times and fees in more detail.
Why One Cart Sours Faster Than Two
A garbage cart that also holds the recycling is not just fuller. It is wetter and sweeter, and that is what bugs and odor need.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s guide to indoor flies and their control lists “recycling bins with unrinsed wine, beer, or soda containers” as a common fruit fly breeding site. With no recycling cart, those same containers end up in your garbage cart instead.
The University of Kentucky’s fruit fly fact sheet explains why so little residue is enough. It says fruit flies breed in empty bottles, cans and trash containers, and that “all that is needed for development is a moist film of fermenting material.”
Then add Shoals heat. NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals for Muscle Shoals Regional Airport put the average July high at 91.6°F and August at 91.2°F. A closed plastic cart in the sun holds that heat all week.
So the problem is not the trash itself. It is the sticky film the extra containers leave behind, cooking in a cart that only gets emptied once a week.
Six Habits That Keep One Cart From Turning
None of these take long. Together they keep the wet, sugary film out of the bottom of the cart, which is the part that sours.
1. Rinse and drain every drink container. A quick swish of water and a shake upside down takes away the sugar film fruit flies want. Down the road, Russellville’s city code, Section 54-35(a), even requires garbage to be “drained free of water and wrapped” before it goes in the container. It is good advice anywhere.
2. Bag everything, and tie it. The Lauderdale County pickup rules recommend that you “bag all waste to help maintain cleanliness.” Put loose cans in a tied grocery bag, so drips stay in the bag, not on the cart floor.
3. Keep liquids out entirely. The county’s main solid waste page says carts should not contain liquids. Pour out leftover drinks, broth and grease containers at home, not into the cart.
4. Double-bag the wet stuff. Meat trays, melon rinds and takeout containers are the leak risk. A second bag on anything soggy costs pennies and saves the cart floor.
5. Keep the lid shut. An overstuffed cart with a propped lid lets flies walk right in. If you fill the cart every week, flatten boxes and crush cans so the lid closes.
6. Store it in the shade if you can. A cart parked against a sunny wall heats up all afternoon. A shaded side yard or a spot out of the late sun slows things down.
Want the cart floor scrubbed without the hose? Our Monthly plan cleans, sanitizes and deodorizes up to two bins every 4 weeks for $30, right at the curb.
Use the Free Drop-Off Instead of the Cart
If you can save your recyclables and make a run every week or two, they never touch your garbage cart at all. That alone takes most of the sticky containers out of the picture.
The City of Florence says the recycling plant at 1200 Terrace Street “has bins located outside that are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day,” and that they are “available to anyone who wants to recycle.” The page labels it “City and Non-Residents,” so you do not need a Florence address.
A few tips to keep the trip from becoming its own smelly project:
- Rinse and air-dry containers before they go in the garage stash.
- Keep them in a lidded tote or a bag you can carry straight to the bins.
- Check Florence’s list of accepted materials before you go, and call the department at (256) 760-6495 if you are unsure about an item.
The Cart Is Yours to Keep Clean
Here is the part most people do not realize. Even though the city or county owns the cart, keeping it clean is on you.
The Lauderdale County schedule page says it plainly: “Residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart.” Florence says the same thing on its residential collection page: “Residents are responsible for garbage and recycling cart care.”
The carts also stay with the house. Both the county and Florence say the carts remain with the home if you move. So if you just moved in and the cart already smells, that film came with it. Our guide to what is really behind a trash can smell explains what that buildup is doing.
If flies have already found it, start with our breakdown of what actually stops flies and gnats at the bin.
How TidyCan Helps Shoals Households on One Cart
Rinsing and bagging slows the film down. It does not remove what is already baked onto the cart floor, and scrubbing a 95-gallon cart with a garden hose in August is nobody’s favorite chore.
TidyCan cleans the inside and outside of your carts at the curb with high-pressure, 200°F water, then sanitizes and deodorizes them. There are no harsh chemicals, and we come on your trash day, so the cart is already empty. Up to two bins are included on every plan.
We serve Florence, Muscle Shoals, Killen, Rogersville, Tuscumbia and Russellville. You can compare every cleaning plan and price before you sign up, from $30 every 4 weeks. If you have a blue cart too, we also offer recycling bin cleaning.
What Shoals Homeowners Ask About Living Without Curbside Recycling
These are the questions we hear from one-cart households across the Shoals. If yours is not here, call or text (256) 320-8042 and ask.
Does Lauderdale County offer curbside recycling?
Lauderdale County Solid Waste collects household garbage outside Florence and Lexington city limits for $21.00 a month. Its two solid waste pages describe the garbage cart only and do not mention a recycling cart. Call the department to confirm what is available on your road before you plan around it.
Can I put recyclables in my garbage cart?
Yes. If you do not have a recycling cart, cans, bottles and jugs go out with your household garbage. Rinse and drain them first, bag them, and keep liquids out of the cart. That keeps the sugary film off the cart floor, which is what turns sour and draws fruit flies.
Where can I recycle in the Shoals without a blue cart?
The City of Florence recycling plant at 1200 Terrace Street has drop-off bins outside that are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The city says they are available to anyone who wants to recycle, including non-residents. Check Florence’s list of accepted materials before you go.
Why does my garbage cart smell worse in summer?
Residue from food and drinks ferments faster in heat. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals put the average July high at Muscle Shoals at 91.6°F, and a closed cart in the sun gets warmer than the air. Without a recycling cart, more sugary containers end up in that heat.
Do I have to rinse cans before putting them in the trash?
There is no rule that you must in Lauderdale County or Muscle Shoals, but it helps a lot. Unrinsed soda and beer containers are a known fruit fly breeding site. Russellville’s code goes further and requires garbage to be drained and wrapped before it goes in the container.
Who is responsible for cleaning my garbage cart?
You are. Lauderdale County says residents must maintain the cleanliness of their cart, and Florence says residents are responsible for cart care. The cart belongs to the county or city and stays with the house if you move, but keeping it clean falls to the household.
Let us handle the cart floor. We clean, sanitize and deodorize your carts at the curb on trash day, so the film never gets a head start. Service is contactless, you do not need to be home, and every plan price is published up front.