Rubbish, Recycling & More

Rubbish Collection

Beachwood’s rubbish and recycling collection program is fully automated. The key to this program are large, easy to move, rolling carts. The City of Beachwood will deliver one free rubbish cart and one free recycling cart to each household. On your rubbish day, our mechanical-armed trucks will pick up and dump the carts curbside. Your rubbish disposal and recycling are part of an automated program, which increases the cleanliness and efficiency of rubbish collection in our city.

The benefits include:
o Easy to load and maneuver carts
o Enhancing the appearance of the City of Beachwood
o Keeping odors and rubbish contained
o No lost pieces; lids are permanently attached
o Providing a safe, convenient, and effective method of rubbish
   and recycling collection
o Providing faster collection
o Animals and insects are deterred

Keeping trash in its place is every one’s responsibility. With your help, we can continue to make Beachwood a great place to live. Please note, rubbish and recycling carts need to be placed three feet apart from each other or on either side of the driveway and away from any obstructions. Do not place under any low hanging tree branches. Note: Recyclables will only be picked up if they are contained within a city cart.

What Day is My Rubbish Pick Up (PDF)?

  1. Rubbish Rules

Beachwood City Ordinance 660.21 Rubbish Rules (PDF) states that no person shall:

o Place rubbish and recycling carts for collection before 6:00 PM the evening preceding the collection day scheduled by the Director of Public Works, or after 7:30 AM the day of your rubbish collection

o Allow empty containers or other non-collectible rubbish items to remain at the place of collection after 9:00 AM the day after your collection day

o Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of a fourth degree. Punishment shall be as provided in City Ordinance 698.02 Penalty (PDF)

Complete Rubbish Rules

  1. Additional Cans

Additional rubbish and recycling cans are available for purchase.


Cash and/or check only please:
o 96-Gallon Rubbish can: $80.00
o 64-Gallon Recycling can: $70.00

How/where to purchase: 
o In person: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
   Beachwood Public Works 
   23355 Mercantile Road
o Mail a *check or money order to: 
   Beachwood Public Works   
   23355 Mercantile Road
                                                                                                                      Beachwood, OH 44122
Once payment is made, Public Works will deliver the can.   

* Please be sure the check or enclosed note contains the address that will be receiving the can.





RECYCLING INFORMATION 

Service Parade Pic4(Garbage_Truck)
  1.  curbside Recycling 
  2. Special Item Recycling
  3. Unwanted Catalogs
  4. Condominium & Apartment Residents
  5. Business Recycling

Curbside Recycling - What Can I Recycle? 


Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District has advised that all residents need to modify types of items placed into the curbside collection carts. Unfortunately, placing items not included on the list of acceptable items could cause an entire truckload to be diverted to a landfill.
Three factors determine whether an item can be recycled or not:
Three Factors Determining Recyclability
Waste Problem Driven by Economics

We do accept the following items:
o Cans- Empty and Rinse
o Glass Bottles and Jars- Empty and Rinse
o Paper and Boxes- Flatten Cardboard
o Plastic Bottles and Jugs- Empty, Rinse and Replace Cap

We do not accept the following items:

o Aerosol cans**
o Aluminum siding
o Automotive parts
o Clothes hangers
o Drinking glasses and mason jars
o Light bulbs
o Metal cookware
o Motor oil**
o Non-alkaline batteries**
o Outdoor plastic furniture
o Paint (Latex)*
o Paint (Oil Base) **
o Pallets
o Plastic bags
o Plastic toys
o PVC piping
o Vinyl siding
o Wax coated boxes
o Window glass
o Wood

* Latex paint needs to be dried up (solid state) and placed next to rubbish cart with lid removed on collection day.
** Accepted at the Public Works Facility Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.



  1. Holiday collection Schedule
When the Public Works Department is closed on holidays, except on Thanksgiving, rubbish collection will be delayed one day after the respective holiday for that week only. For example, if a holiday falls on a Monday, Monday’s collection will be on Tuesday, Tuesday’s collection will be on Wednesday, and so on. 

The table below lists the official holidays recognized by the Public Works Department:

  • New Year’s Day 
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 
  • President’s Day 
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day 
  • Labor Day 
  • Thanksgiving Day - Rubbish will be picked up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Day
  1. scavenging

Effective June 13, 2017 rubbish scavenging is prohibited within the City of Beachwood. 

Scavenging Ordinance (PDF)

Leaves, Brush and Yard Debris

  1. curbside leaf removal
  2. Brush/ Log Collection 
Leaf Vac

For the Fall, loose leaf removal begins Monday, September 25, 2023 and runs through mid-December (weather permitting).  Spring loose removal is scheduled to run during the month of April. 

Loose Leaf Removal: Leaves need to be raked into piles on the tree lawn (not in streets or on sidewalks). Leaf piles need to be free of other debris such as grass, twigs or branches or they will not be removed as it will damage the collection equipment. Cars and/or other vehicles parked in the street will impede the City’s ability to collect leaf piles. 

Bagged Leaf  Removal (outside of the Fall & Spring dates listed at top): When the loose leaf pick up program is not operational, leaves need to be bagged. Leaf bags should be placed on the tree lawn on your rubbish day for pick up.




  1. Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Program
The following items will be accepted in the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Program. The City of Beachwood can only accept materials that originate from a household and not a commercial source. Beachwood residents may drop off their Household Hazardous Waste year round at Public Works Department, Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM.

Accepted Household Materials: 
  • Oil or solvent-based paint, sealers, primers or coatings (aerosol or liquids) 
  • Aerosol Cans with flammable/combustible warnings 
  • Varnishes, polyurethanes and shellacs 
  • Paint thinner, mineral spirits, turpentine, acetone  
  • Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers 
  • Caustic household cleaners 
  • Pool chemicals 
  • Automotive fluids, motor oil, car batteries
  • Adhesives, roof tar, driveway sealer 
  • Kerosene, gasoline, lighter fluid
  • Mercury/Mercury containing items (thermometers, thermostats, etc.) 
  • Any other household chemical marked Poisonous, Caustic, Flammable, Corrosive or Combustible
  • Long, Mercury, fluorescent bulbs (6 ft. length max) 
  • (Take all compact fluorescent bulbs to Lowe's, Home Depot, or Batteries plus Bulbs)
  • Lithium and Nickel Cadmium batteries (alkaline can be placed in with regular rubbish)
  • NOT ACCEPTED HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
  • Latex paint
  • Explosives, gun powder, ammunition, flares & fireworks
  • Smoke detectors
  • Medical waste, medicine, sharps 
  • Radioactive waste (i.e. smoke detectors) 
  • Tires (removed from the rim)
  • Business waste (residential waste only)
  • The following can be placed in with regular rubbish
  • Alkaline batteries (non-rechargeable) are non-hazardous and should be placed in the regular rubbish.
  • Latex paint is not a hazardous material (when it is in the dried out solid state) so it is not accepted in this program. Residents must dry out latex paint and dispose of it on the rubbish day. The cans must be placed next to the trash cart with the lids off so the collection crew can verify it is solid.  See the Solid Waste District’s instructional video about drying out latex paint: Cuyahoga Recycles: Dry out Latex Paint
  1. Unwanted Medicine: Proper Disposal
When medicines are flushed or rinsed down the drain, they flow to your septic tank or to your local waste water treatment plant, where they can harm the beneficial bacteria that break down wastes. Septic tanks and municipal treatment plants are not designed to remove these medicines, so they may pass through the waste water treatment plant unchanged. When the treated water is released into rivers and lakes, it can still contain these medicines.

  • There is a Medication Drop Box in the second floor lobby of the Beachwood Police Department at 2700 Richmond Road; this box is available between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. This Drop Box is only for pills: no liquids or sharps, please.
  • Until your medicine can be properly disposed of, keep it out of reach of children and animals.

    Steps to Safe and Proper Disposal of Unwanted Pills or Liquid Medicine  (if not taken to the Police Lobby Drop-box)
  • Remove all personal information from the packaging 
  • Make the medicine unusable (place pills or liquid in a zip lock bag with clumping cat litter or flour. Add water and knead the bag until well combined)
  • Secure zip lock bag with strong tape
  • Place in the rubbish can for disposal

    How to Safely Dispose of Sharps  (needles)
  • Place sharps in a thick plastic container with a lid such as a liquid detergent bottle
  • Once sharps are placed inside of the thick plastic container, the lid should be placed on securely then sealed with tape 
  • Place sealed container in rubbish can for disposal
  1. Special Collections - Batteries, Computers, tires etc.

Special Collections

WHAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN TIMES WHERE
Batteries - Lithium (non-alkaline) Year Round Mon. to Fri. 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM Public Works
Computers & Computer Equipment  Year Round Mon. to Fri. 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM Public Works
Campaign Sign Recycling See Event calendar for collection info      
Holiday Light Collection See Event calendar for collection info      
Scrap Tire collection
Removed from rim		 Year Round Mon. to Fri. 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM Public Works
Used Motor Oil  Year Round Mon. to Fri. 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM Public Works
Shred Day See Event calendar for days & times     Community Center