Fort Wayne, IN Waste Collection Schedule

Complete waste management schedule including trash pickup, recycling, bulk waste, and special collections for Fort Wayne.

Population: 270,402
110.6 sq mi
Updated: January 19, 2025

Collection Zones & Pickup Days

Find your neighborhood to see your collection schedule

View Interactive Zone Map

Zone 1 - Northwest & Aboite Township

Trash:Monday
Recycling:Monday
Yard Waste:Monday

Neighborhoods:

  • Aboite Township
  • Sycamore Hills
  • West Autumn
  • Twin Eagles
  • Hawthorne Park
  • Whisper Rock
  • Northwest Allen County
  • Perry Township
  • Carroll Township
  • Jefferson Pointe area

Zone 2 - Northeast & Leo-Cedarville

Trash:Tuesday
Recycling:Tuesday
Yard Waste:Tuesday

Neighborhoods:

  • Leo-Cedarville
  • Grabill
  • Huntertown
  • North Highlands
  • Bittersweet Lakes
  • Covington Farms
  • Northcrest
  • Chapel Ridge
  • Eagle Crossing
  • Parkview North area

Zone 3 - Central & Downtown

Trash:Wednesday
Recycling:Wednesday
Yard Waste:Wednesday

Neighborhoods:

  • Downtown Fort Wayne
  • West Central
  • Williams Woodland Park
  • Historic West Central
  • Near Downtown
  • Lakeside
  • Foster Park
  • Southwood Park
  • Fort Wayne Country Club area
  • Embassy Theatre District

Zone 4 - Southeast & New Haven

Trash:Thursday
Recycling:Thursday
Yard Waste:Thursday

Neighborhoods:

  • New Haven
  • Woodburn
  • Southeast Fort Wayne
  • Waynedale
  • South Wayne
  • Waynedale Park
  • Tillman Park
  • Harmar
  • McMillen Park area
  • Franke Park area

Zone 5 - North Side & Georgetown

Trash:Friday
Recycling:Friday
Yard Waste:Friday

Neighborhoods:

  • Georgetown
  • Georgetowne Place
  • North Side
  • Lima Road Corridor
  • Kreager Park area
  • Georgetown Square area
  • Glenbrook area
  • Northrop High School area
  • Dupont Road Corridor
  • Village of Wal-Mart

Zone 6 - Southwest & Indiana Tech

Trash:Monday
Recycling:Monday
Yard Waste:Monday

Neighborhoods:

  • Southwest Fort Wayne
  • Indiana Tech area
  • South Side
  • St. Joseph Township
  • Waynedale South
  • Indian Village
  • Bloomingdale
  • McKinnie
  • Memorial Park area
  • Pontiac Street district

Service Provider

private

GFL Environmental Inc.

Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Bulk Waste Pickup

Frequency
Weekly by appointment
Registration
Required

Scheduling Method:

Call 311 or schedule online at cityoffortwayne.org - at least 2 days before regular pickup day

Accepted Items

  • Furniture (chairs, couches, tables, dressers)
  • Mattresses and box springs (must be wrapped in plastic)
  • Non-freon appliances (washers, dryers, stoves, hot water heaters, dishwashers)
  • Household furniture of all types
  • Spring boxes and bed frames
  • Tables and entertainment centers
  • Disassembled bicycles
  • Non-freon dehumidifiers
  • Metal items
  • Wood furniture
  • Office furniture
  • Carpet (rolled and tied, max 3 feet long)

Not Accepted

  • Freon appliances (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, water coolers)
  • Tires
  • Batteries (take to HHW facility)
  • Concrete
  • Construction debris
  • Hazardous materials
  • Business/commercial waste
  • Liquid waste
  • Electronics (take to recycling centers)

Residents can schedule bulk item pickup by calling 311 or going online. Schedule at least 2 days before your regular pickup day. Mattresses and box springs MUST be completely wrapped in plastic (bags available at retail stores). Freon appliances require private hauler at resident expense. Service is included in monthly solid waste fee. Place items at curb on scheduled collection day.

Recycling Program

Type
single-stream
Frequency
Bi-weekly (every other week)
Cart Color
Blue or designated recycling cart

Accepted Materials

  • Paper: Newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper, phone books
  • Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard (flattened, cut into 3-foot pieces or smaller), cereal boxes, paperboard, shipping boxes
  • Plastics: Plastic tubs, jugs, containers, and bottles numbered 1-7 (rinsed, lids removed)
  • Glass: Clear, brown, green, and blue glass bottles and jars (rinsed, lids removed)
  • Metal: Aluminum cans (rinsed), steel/tin cans (rinsed), aluminum foil (clean), aluminum tins and trays
  • Beverage cartons: Milk cartons, juice boxes, soy milk cartons
  • Food containers: Clean plastic containers, yogurt cups
  • Paper bags
  • Egg cartons
  • Greeting cards (no foil or glitter)
  • File folders
  • Paperback books

Not Accepted

  • Plastic bags (return to retail stores)
  • Styrofoam/polystyrene foam
  • Plastic wrap, bubble wrap
  • Shredded paper
  • Pizza boxes (if heavily soiled with grease)
  • Wax-coated cardboard
  • Clothes and textiles
  • Diapers
  • Food waste
  • Yard waste
  • Electronics
  • Batteries
  • Hazardous materials
  • Construction debris
  • Plastic hangers
  • Garden hoses
  • Tanglers (chains, wires, cords)
  • Motor oil containers
  • Paint cans
  • Propane tanks

One-Cart Recycling system - all recyclables go together in the same cart without sorting. Make sure items are empty, clean, and dry. Remove lids and caps from bottles and jars and place separately in cart. Flatten cardboard to save space. Do not bag recyclables - place them loose in the cart. Place cart at curbside by 7:00 AM on collection day. Recycling is collected every other week on the same day as trash. Neighborhoods are divided into A Week and B Week schedules. Check your schedule to know if you follow A Week (WHITE NUMBERS) or B Week (BLUE NUMBERS) on the recycling calendar.

Holiday Schedule

Fort Wayne observes major holidays with delayed collection schedules. Garbage and recycling collection will run one day behind for the week when holidays fall on a weekday. Observed holidays for 2025: New Year's Day (January 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20), Memorial Day (May 26), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (September 1), Thanksgiving Day (November 27), and Christmas Day (December 25). If your regular collection day is Monday and Monday is a holiday, your collection moves to Tuesday. All other days that week shift by one day (Tuesday to Wednesday, etc.). Contact 311 for specific holiday schedule updates.

Important Information

Fort Wayne contracts with GFL Environmental Inc. for residential solid waste collection citywide. Service began July 1, 2022, replacing previous contractor Red River Waste Solutions. GFL provides weekly garbage collection and bi-weekly recycling collection to approximately 82,000 homes. The city provides one 96-gallon or 48-gallon cart per household; carts remain city property. Collection begins at 7:00 AM - place carts at curb by 7:00 AM on collection day. To find your specific collection day and recycling week (A or B), visit cityoffortwayne.org/solid-waste or call 311 (260-427-8311 from outside Allen County). New collection routes went into effect December 2, 2024, which may have changed some neighborhoods' collection days. Allen County Department of Environmental Management (ACDEM) provides household hazardous waste disposal at 2260 Carroll Road - open every Tuesday and select Saturdays. Community recycling drop-off sites located throughout Allen County for residents who prefer drop-off to curbside. Fort Wayne emphasizes proper recycling through "One-Cart" single-stream system to reduce contamination.