• Garbage collection is governed by cities, towns and counties.garbage man image by Seiberspace from Fotolia.com
  
  Each city or town has its own rules regarding garbage collection. Each of these programs is funded by local taxpayers and is subject to change based on changes within your community at any time (such as population growth, which may result in additional pickups during the week). While each location may have different rules and regulations, there are some very common themes among all of them.
  
  

Location of Garbage Pickup

• All municipalities request a common pickup location from all of their residents. It may be a location physically on the curb or just off the curb in the street. In no circumstances, though, will any of the garbage pickups occur if the garbage is placed on your physical property, such as your backyard or garage area. Garbage men/women are not permitted to go further than the pickup location on the person's property.
  
  

Specific Containers

• All municipalities also provide their residents with specific containers or recommendations for acceptable containers for you to purchase. If a specific container is provided for you, your particular municipality may not pick up garbage if it is in another type of garbage pail. In addition, if your location does not provide containers, they may be very specific in the size of the container they will accept--such as a certain height or weight.
  
  

Types of Items

• In many cases, you may be able to leave larger items that do not fit in the garbage pail outside next to it and in your pickup location. However, some larger items you may be throwing out, such as furniture or construction items, may be prohibited. You may need to contact your municipality for a special pickup to have those items properly collected. Check with your local department of sanitation on their rules and regulations.