The Snowbird Trash Problem
The typical Palm Beach County snowbird spends October through April in Florida and May through September up north. Municipal trash collection continues year-round on the same weekday schedule. Which means for roughly half the year, no one is home to move the bins to the curb, and — critically — no one is home to move them back within the HOA's evening deadline. The default workarounds — asking a neighbor, hiring a handyman ad-hoc, or leaving bins out illegally — all break down over a five- to seven-month absence. Can-to-curb is the professional solution.
What Happens When Bins Sit Out
In Florida heat, unattended trash bins attract raccoons, opossums, feral cats, and — near the coast — even the occasional iguana. Overturned bins spread waste across driveways and shared common areas. Neighbors complain. HOA boards issue notices. Code compliance officers photograph the property and mail formal fines. For a snowbird returning in October to a stack of accumulated fines and an angry HOA letter, the damage extends well beyond the money — it becomes a governance issue with the association. Can-to-curb prevents every step of that chain.
HOA Fines While You're Away
Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Boca Raton HOAs all fine bin violations. First offense is usually a notice. Repeat offenses run $50 to $100 or more per incident. For a snowbird away for six months with weekly bin duties, a single unmoved bin can compound into thousands of dollars in escalating fines by the time you return. Florida HOA statute permits fines up to $1,000 per continuing violation. Those fines attach to the property, appear on estoppel certificates at sale, and can — in extreme cases — become the basis for HOA liens.
How Can-to-Curb Solves It
Trash Caddy's can-to-curb crew handles both directions of the bin trip: staging at the curb during the compliant evening window before pickup, and returning to storage after the hauler completes its route. Photo confirmation is uploaded every visit — timestamped, geotagged, visible on your account. You can be in Massachusetts, Michigan, or Ohio and see that Tuesday night in Wellington your bins went out, got emptied, and came back. Six months of that documentation eliminates every category of snowbird bin risk.
Setting Up Service Before You Leave
The easiest time to set up can-to-curb is the week before you head north. Call Trash Caddy, provide your Palm Beach County address, gate code (if any), and pickup day. Service typically begins on the next collection cycle. Confirm the storage location for your bins — inside garage, side yard, gated enclosure — and any HOA-specific rules about placement. Trash Caddy schedules a first-visit walkthrough to document storage, cans, and access. From that point forward, the service runs weekly with no involvement from you.
Photo Confirmation While Away
Every visit is documented with a timestamped photo showing your bins staged at the curb, and a second photo confirming return to storage. Photos are retained on file. If you receive an HOA notice while up north — extremely rare, but not impossible — the timestamped photo is your defense. In practice, snowbirds who use can-to-curb never receive HOA bin notices; the automated compliance is that reliable. Meanwhile you have a running visual log of every week's service, viewable at any time.
Which PBC Communities Have the Most Snowbirds
The highest-density snowbird communities in Palm Beach County are the Century Village campuses in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Deerfield Beach; the 55+ HOAs across Boynton Beach and Delray Beach including Valencia Reserve, Valencia Cove, Villages of Oriole, and Palm Beach Leisureville; the golf communities of Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens including Boca West, Woodfield, Broken Sound, Frenchmans Creek, and Mirasol; and the estate communities of Wellington and Jupiter including Olympia, Versailles, and Admirals Cove. Trash Caddy serves each of these communities directly.
How to Cancel or Pause for Summer
Can-to-curb service is month-to-month with no long-term contract. Snowbirds have two options for their summer months up north: (1) pause service with 14 days' notice — no billing during pause, service auto-resumes on return; or (2) continue service through summer for zero-effort return in fall. Most snowbirds choose to pause. To pause or cancel, call 561-913-2023 or submit the form on this site. Restart notifications are handled with a single email or phone call.
FAQ
Can I use can-to-curb while I'm away from Florida?+
Yes. Can-to-curb is designed for snowbirds. Photo confirmation documents every weekly visit while you are up north, and service continues without any involvement from you.
Can I pause service for the summer?+
Yes. Service is month-to-month with 14-day pause notice. No billing during pause, service auto-resumes on your return. Call 561-913-2023 to schedule.
What if the HOA sends a bin violation notice while I'm away?+
Timestamped photo confirmation of every weekly visit is your defense. In practice, snowbirds using can-to-curb do not receive bin violation notices because the service is compliant every week.
Which PBC communities have the most snowbirds?+
Century Village campuses, Valencia Reserve, Valencia Cove, Palm Beach Leisureville, Boca West, Woodfield, Frenchmans Creek, Mirasol, Olympia, Versailles, and Admirals Cove all have very high snowbird density.