Does the stuff in the bin, just go away!

Not keeping your recycling “clean” will result in your recyclables being rejected and those potential resources being lost. What does this mean… listen to the above audio clip and please recycle the right stuff, use the below guide for what is acceptable to recycle in your community Palm Beach County, Florida.

In 2008, the Florida Legislature enacted House Bill 7135 that established a new statewide recycling goal of 75% to be achieved by the year 2020.

Good news was the Department of Environmental Protection saying that Florida’s recycling rate in 2013 was 49%, well above the 40% target rate specified in Florida Statute. Palm Beach County was among the 14 counties that are leading the way with 2013 recycling rates between 51% and 73%.

Hillsborough – 73%
Lee – 70%
Hendry – 68%
Pasco – 67%
Pinellas – 62%
Broward – 60%
Collier – 60%
Palm Beach – 56% (Thank you achieving this)
Martin – 56%
Monroe – 55%
Alachua – 54%
Brevard – 54%
Manatee – 51%

But your help is needed! The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County offers dual stream recycling. This means each customer, no matter if they live in a municipality or in unincorporated parts of the county (with the exception of Lake Worth residents), has a blue bin for recyclable containers, like glass, plastic, and steel and aluminum cans; and a Yellow bin for paper products, like cardboard.

This dual stream process is different than in many other parts of the state. It helps produce a cleaner, recycled commodity that is demanded by those manufacturers that buy them. It also helps get the highest value for the materials recycled, while landfilling as little as possible. This financial benefit of your recycling efforts, go back into the community as a Revenue Share. Since the SWA started the Revenue Share program in 2010, local municipalities have received more than $7.5 million dollars due to your recycling efforts.

Palm Beach County Residential Recycling

Prohibited Items

Because contamination affects the marketability of the materials we collect, please be careful not to place the following in your bins:

• Plastic Wrap
• Plastic Bags
• Needles or Sharps
• Styrofoam
• Light Bulbs, Mirrors, Glass Plates, or Vases
• Containers larger than 5 gallons
• Plastic Furniture
• Ceramics
• Food Waste

Allowed Items

Yellow Bin

Paper products go in your yellow bin. Palm Beach County recycles:

• Newspapers
• Magazines and Catalogs
• Unwanted Mail
• School and Office Papers
• Phone Books
• Paper Bags
• All Cardboard Boxes: includes beverage cartons, tissue boxes, dryfood boxes, corrugated cardboard. Boxes must be flattened and cut to 3’ x 3’ maximum.
• Please place shredded paper in a brown paper bag, fold the top down to secure, and place in your Yellow Bin.

Blue Bins

• Plastic Containers #1 – #7
• Steel Cans
• Aluminum Cans
• Drink Boxes
• Milk and Juice Cartons
• Glass Bottles and Jars

No plastic bags please! While plastic bags do not go in either your yellow or blue recycling bin, many local grocery stores accept them for recycling.