Trash, bulk and yard pickup in unincorporated Lee County

Who this covers

Everywhere outside Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel: Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers, Iona, San Carlos Park, Gateway, Alva, Pine Island, Captiva and the rest. The county’s collection-schedule maps split it into franchise areas: Areas 1 and 2 are WM (239-334-1224), Areas 3 and 5 are Waste Pro (239-337-0800), and Area 4 is Waste Pro (239-422-5660). The Recycle Coach app gives your pickup day and alerts.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: collection schedule maps (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: Recycle Coach (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: your garbage company by ZIP code (checked 2026-10-13)

Trash and recycling

Collection is once a week with no limit on the amount. Use a 40-gallon can with two handles and a tight lid, 50 pounds or less with the trash in it, unless the county issued you a cart; extra bags are fine at 50 pounds each. Set out by 5:30 a.m., within 6 feet of the road, not more than 24 hours early, and bring containers back within 48 hours. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the rest of the week slides a day.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: curbside service (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: containers (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: holiday schedule (checked 2026-10-13)

Bulky items and appliances

Large bulky items such as furniture and household appliances are picked up as needed. Set them out the way you set out garbage: by 5:30 a.m. on your collection day, within 6 feet of the road and not more than 24 hours early. The county’s current pages don’t give a size or count limit. For an appliance, call your hauler to request the special pickup before you set it out; the same number handles missed pickups. Up to two car tires a week can go at the curb; bigger tires go to the Buckingham facility.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: curbside service (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: missed and special pickups (checked 2026-10-13)

Yard waste

Weekly, in a container of 50 pounds or less or tied in bundles no heavier than 50 pounds and no longer than 6 feet; up to 50 pounds of loose palm fronds is fine. Don’t bag it, because it’s shredded for mulch. Fencing and wood borders aren’t yard waste; they go with household garbage. For a big yard job, the county says to call your hauler for a quote.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: yard waste (checked 2026-10-13)

Electronics, chemicals and doing it yourself

Computers, printers, scanners, TVs and monitors can go next to (not in) your garbage, or to the Topaz Court facility, 6441 Topaz Ct, which also takes household chemicals free (weekdays 7:30–4:30, first Saturday 8–noon). If you’d rather haul it yourself, the Resource Recovery Facility at 10500 Buckingham Rd has a citizen drop-off area that charges by weight, open weekdays 6–6 and Saturday 6–noon. Apartments and condos of five or more units get service through their property manager.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: electronics recycling (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: Topaz Court facility (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: Resource Recovery Facility (Buckingham) (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: Scale House (every load is weighed) (checked 2026-10-13); Lee County Solid Waste: multifamily (checked 2026-10-13)

When hiring a hauler makes sense

Unlimited weekly pickup covers a lot, as long as you can get everything to the curb in the right containers. People hire help when the items are inside, upstairs or across a big lot (common in Lehigh Acres and Alva), when there’s a whole house or mobile home to clear, when the yard job is bigger than bundles allow (yard debris removal), or when it’s renovation debris the curb won’t take (construction debris removal). Bulky items like a couch or mattress we carry out from wherever they sit.

Storm season

The county keeps collecting until sustained winds reach 39 mph. After a storm, debris goes in separate, unbagged piles in the right-of-way, and gated communities need a Right of Entry form on file each year. Our storm debris guide has the details.

Sources: Lee County Solid Waste: hurricane (checked 2026-10-13)

Renting a dumpster in Unincorporated Lee County

Planning a remodel, roof or other project that needs a roll-off? Dumpster rules in Unincorporated Lee County explains who can place one here and how to book.