What are the trash, brush and heavy trash rules in Bellaire?

Carts, bags and bring-in time

Chapter 16 of the code talks about bags, not wheeled carts. The word "cart" does not appear in Chapter 16. We found no rule in the code that says when to bring a garbage container back in. For recycling, there is a rule: "All recyclable containers shall be removed from curbside by 12:00 midnight on the day of collection."

The city's own page asks residents to have their garbage, recycling and brush "set out the night before or no later than 7 a.m. on the day of your scheduled collection." The code is more exact, so follow the times below. Collection days depend on your service area, so check the city's collection schedule page.

When and where to set it out

• "No garbage shall be set out for collection before 6:00 p.m. the day before the collection date."
• "Garbage must be set out for collection by 7:00 a.m." Collection begins at 7:00 a.m.
• Collection is "at the front curb," and the garbage must be no more than three feet behind the curb.
• "No garbage shall be set out for collection on city holidays."
• Neighbors may not pool trash. The code says "Pooling for refuse for collection at one location by the occupants or tenants of more than one property is hereby prohibited."

Rule: City Code Secs. 16-2 and 16-11.

Bags

Garbage goes in plastic bags that are at least 1.5 mil thick and hold at least 20 gallons, or in approved paper bags. Paper bags must be made of "at least two sheets of 50 pound wet strength extensible paper." Bags must be tightly closed. "No more than six garbage bags will be collected per home. Each bag shall contain no more than 25 pounds of garbage." Glass must be "wrapped in cardboard and taped" before you set it out. Rule: City Code Sec. 16-2.

How much the city will haul

"Not more than 100 pounds of garbage and 200 pounds of brush shall be hauled away in any one day from any one residential establishment." If you have more than 100 pounds of garbage, you must haul the extra to a proper disposal place outside Bellaire, at your own expense, within 24 hours. Rule: City Code Sec. 16-4.

Recycling

• Only containers given out by the city are accepted. Each container may not weigh more than 25 pounds.
• Put recycling within three feet of the back of the curb, and not in the street gutter. Set it out no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening before. Have it out by 7:00 a.m. to be sure it is picked up.
• Cardboard set out on its own must be broken down, bundled and tied. Bundles can weigh up to 25 pounds and be up to four feet long.
• Breaking the time and place rules "may cause a fine to be rendered and/or confiscation by the City of Bellaire of such container," plus a charge for getting it back.

Rule: City Code Secs. 16-30 and 16-31.

Brush and tree trimmings

• Limbs and brush that you cut yourself, three inches thick or less: "cut in four-foot lengths and tied in a bundle not greater than two feet in diameter." Put them out with your household garbage. The limit is "three bundles per household per collection day."
• Limbs thicker than three inches that you cut yourself: no more than eight inches thick, no longer than four feet, stacked three feet behind the curb in piles not over four feet high. The weight limit is 200 pounds per collection per day. Keep the pile clear of overhead obstructions such as trees, streetlights and power lines, with 30 feet of vertical clearance from the ground.
• If a landscaper, tree service or handyman trims your trees, they must haul the trimmings away. The code says they must take them "to a point outside the city limits."

Rule: City Code Secs. 16-7 and 16-8.

Heavy trash

The code does not define "heavy trash" or set a pickup schedule for it. The city's collection page says, "Heavy trash can usually be accommodated for disposal by making an appointment with Public Works."

What the city won't pick up

• "automotive parts and related materials."
• "carpet or large appliances (i.e., refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, freezers) or electronic goods (i.e., televisions, computers)."
• Building material or remodeling material, "including remodeling or roofing debris or trash or fencing materials."

Rule: City Code Sec. 16-9. The city keeps a Non-Disposable Items page with more detail: https://www.bellairetx.gov/925/Non-Disposable-Items

Other rules

• Do not throw or leave garbage "in any street, alley, or storm sewer, or on any other public property." Rule: City Code Sec. 16-5.
• Do not "remove, handle, or otherwise disturb" a garbage container or its contents that has been placed on or near city streets for city collection. The property owner, occupant or tenant who places it is not covered by the ban. Rule: City Code Sec. 16-3.
• Do not bring trash from outside Bellaire to put out for city trucks. Rule: City Code Sec. 16-6.
• The owner or occupant of each residential property with an open, active city water account pays a monthly solid waste collection fee levied in the code. Rule: City Code Sec. 16-12.

What happens if you don't

Chapter 16 has no single penalty section for household garbage. The general penalty applies: a fine of up to $2,000, because solid waste rules are public health and sanitation rules, and each day counts as a new offense (Sec. 1-10). The legal basis is Texas Local Government Code Sec. 54.001, which sets a higher cap for dumping of refuse. The recycling rules also allow a fine and a charge to get a confiscated container back (Sec. 16-31).

Who to call

Public Works Department.

Sources

• City of Bellaire Code of Ordinances, Secs. 16-2 to 16-12 (solid waste), Secs. 16-29 to 16-31 (curbside recycling), Sec. 1-10 (general penalty). library.municode.com/tx/bellaire
• Texas Local Government Code, Sec. 54.001 (maximum fines for city ordinances). statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.54.htm
• City of Bellaire, Solid Waste: https://www.bellairetx.gov/641/Solid-Waste
• City of Bellaire, Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Schedules: https://www.bellairetx.gov/1241/Solid-Waste-and-Recycling-Collection-Sch

En español

Saque su basura no antes de las 6:00 p.m. del día anterior a la recolección y téngala afuera a más tardar a las 7:00 a.m. del día de recolección. Colóquela a no más de tres pies detrás de la acera, al frente de la propiedad. No se recoge basura en días festivos de la ciudad, y los vecinos no pueden juntar su basura en un solo lugar. El código habla de bolsas, no de carritos con ruedas: bolsas de plástico de al menos 1.5 mil de grosor y 20 galones, o bolsas de papel aprobadas, bien cerradas, con un máximo de seis bolsas por casa y 25 libras por bolsa. El vidrio debe ir envuelto en cartón y pegado con cinta. La ciudad recoge como máximo 100 libras de basura y 200 libras de ramas por día por residencia. Las ramas de tres pulgadas o menos que usted corte se atan en bultos de cuatro pies de largo y no más de dos pies de diámetro, con un límite de tres bultos por hogar. Las ramas más gruesas pueden medir hasta ocho pulgadas de grosor y cuatro pies de largo, en pilas de no más de cuatro pies de alto, con un límite de 200 libras. Los contenedores de reciclaje deben retirarse de la acera a más tardar a la medianoche del día de recolección. La ciudad no recoge piezas de automóviles, alfombras, electrodomésticos grandes, aparatos electrónicos ni materiales de construcción o remodelación. Para basura pesada, la ciudad indica hacer una cita con Obras Públicas. No hay un artículo de penalidad propio para la basura doméstica en el capítulo 16, así que se aplica la multa general de hasta $2,000, porque las reglas de residuos sólidos son reglas de salud pública y saneamiento, y cada día cuenta como una nueva infracción (Sec. 1-10; base legal: Sec. 54.001 del Código de Gobierno Local de Texas).