Why didn't my trash get picked up?

There are several reasons why your trash may not be picked up – and Opelika Environmental Services wants to let you know about these reasons, so you can help us out.

  • Cut down trees and other wood was too large. The City of Opelika will only pick up limbs and tree parts that are less than 6 inches in diameter and 5 feet in length. If limbs are larger than this, call us at 334-705-5480 for a quote. Our equipment cannot handle larger wood, and we will not cut it to pick it up.
  • Trash (appliances) had no tags. The City of Opelika will pick up used appliances, but you must purchase a special tag for the city to do this. Non-hazardous appliance tags are $5 and hazardous appliance (i.e. refrigerators, freezers, and microwaves) tags are $15. You can purchase these at the Opelika Revenue Department, located in City Hall at 204 South 7th Street.
  • Trash was blocked by a vehicle. Please don’t place your trash behind regular parking spots. Place at least 5 feet from any obstruction.
  • Trash was placed on a vacant lot. We will not pick up trash off of vacant lots because there are no city services to rendered to vacant lots!
  • The trash was placed under power, cable or phone lines. Employees will not pick up trash under any type of power or communications lines. Our equipment has a hard time maneuvering under them, and it’s simply not safe for our employees.
  • The trash was too close to mailboxes, tree lines or power poles. Trash needs to be placed 4 to 5 feet from all of these to ensure that our equipment can safely pick up trash, without causing any damage to private property.

Show All Answers

1. How do I have household appliances picked up?
2. How do I get a refuse/garbage account started?
3. How do I get rid of recyclable items?
4. My garbage container is damaged. Who do I call?
5. Does Opelika have a curbside recycling program?
6. How do I find out what my pick up day is?
7. How do I know the difference between "garbage" and "trash"?
8. Why didn't my trash get picked up?
9. Are there some "trash" items the city will not pick up?