Trash rules are set by your city or trash company, so they differ by place. Learn yours in the first week, because wrong sorting can bring fines or bins left unemptied.
Find your city's trash and recycling page (search "[city] trash pickup day"). Many cities have an app with reminders.
You usually have a large wheeled trash cart and a separate recycling cart (often blue). Some places have a third for yard waste or food scraps.
Put the carts at the curb (edge of the street) the night before or early on pickup day, lids closed, handles facing the house.
Bring them back the same day. Many HOAs and cities fine carts left out.
Holidays can move pickup by one day.
Use the dumpsters or trash rooms. Close bags tightly.
Some complexes offer valet trash: you leave a bag outside your door on certain nights, and a worker collects it. Follow the times exactly.
Do not leave bags in hallways or next to a full dumpster.
Common recyclables in many places:
Paper, cardboard (flattened), mail.
Plastic bottles and containers (check the numbers your city takes).
Glass bottles and jars, in some cities.
Usually not in the recycling cart: plastic bags, food-dirty items, foam, hoses, batteries, electronics. Rinse containers. "When in doubt, throw it out" is what many cities ask.
Plastic bags can often be returned to bins at grocery stores.
Bulk items are big things like furniture, mattresses and appliances.
Many cities collect them on certain days or by appointment. Mattresses may need a plastic cover.
Fridges and air conditioners often need special handling.
In apartments, ask the office. There may be a fee.
Leaving furniture on the street without a pickup can bring a fine (called illegal dumping).
Batteries, paint, chemicals, oil, light bulbs with mercury and electronics often go to a household hazardous waste drop-off or store take-back programs. Lithium batteries in normal trash can cause fires.
Putting recycling in plastic bags.
Throwing cooking grease down the drain instead of letting it cool in a can and putting it in the trash.