Fort Lauderdale Landfill, Dump & Recycling — Hours, Fees & What They Take

Disposal sites in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale landfill hours

The Broward County Landfill is open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed Sunday. The Saturday opening matters here — it's the only weekend gate in the county, and it's the reason Saturday mornings are the busiest time at the scale.

The Residential Drop-Off Centers run the opposite schedule: Saturdays only, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. So if you need household hazardous waste or electronics gone, Saturday is your single window in Broward County — and the landfill won't take either of them.

What it costs to dump in Fort Lauderdale

$100 a ton is one of the highest gate rates in Florida, well above Lee County's $69.83 (Miami-Dade's public rate, $115.80, is higher still). South Florida land is expensive and it shows at the scale house.

But the rate card has a door most people drive straight past. Waste delivered by a residential customer in a passenger vehicle is $10.00 per vehicle, flat. Not weighed. Not per ton. Ten dollars, whatever you managed to fit in the car.

That creates the single biggest spread in Florida:

• Car, trunk and back seat loaded — $10, flat.
• The same volume in a pickup — charged per ton at $100, because pickups are explicitly billed by weight. A half-ton load is $50; a full ton is $100.

Two or three car trips can genuinely cost less than one truck trip here. It's worth thinking about before you borrow a friend's F-150.

The other fees to keep in mind: yard trash is cheaper at $75/ton, so separating branches and palm fronds out of a mixed load is money back. Tires run $130/ton. And the $50 scale bypass fee is the avoidable one — follow the signs and cross the scale both ways.

See how that compares across the state in our guide to what it costs to dump in Florida.

Fort Lauderdale curbside pickup — and what it won't take

For most households the curb is the answer and the landfill is the exception. The City of Fort Lauderdale collects bulk trash once a month on your scheduled service day, and yard waste weekly, both included in the service you already pay for.

The set-out rules are specific, and they're enforced:

• Out by 7 a.m. on your pickup day, but no earlier than 24 hours in advance. Items left at the curb more than 24 hours after pickup can draw a citation.
• The pile must be no larger than 10 cubic yards.
• Keep it clear of parked cars, fences, trees and power lines so the grapple truck can reach it.
• Yard waste: tree trimmings and hedge cuttings up to 12 feet long and 12 inches in diameter. Don't bag yard waste — except leaves, which must be bagged.

Here's where the two services meet: the city will not take dirt, sod, sand, pavers, concrete or tile at the curb — and those are exactly what the Broward County Landfill does accept, as construction debris at $100/ton. Rip out a patio and the curb is closed to you; that load has to go to SW 205th Avenue. Household garbage is the mirror image: the curb takes it, the landfill refuses it.

The City also picks up up to four passenger or light-truck tires a year (rims up to 20 inches): put up to two next to your black cart on garbage day. Questions on collection go to the Neighbor Support Center on (954) 828-8000.

Haul it yourself, or hire junk removal? — Fort Lauderdale

With $100/ton at the gate and a monthly bulk pickup that excludes anything heavy, Fort Lauderdale is a market where paying someone else often pencils out. Two ways people handle the big stuff:

• Haul it yourself — cheapest by a long way if you have a vehicle and can lift it. The gate rates above are the whole cost.
• Junk-removal crew — a crew carries it out and hauls it off in one trip. Usually the better call for a condo, a second-floor unit, an estate cleanout, or anything on a closing deadline.

Not sure which is cheaper for your load? Check an upfront junk-removal price and weigh it against the gate fee — no obligation either way.