Despite Polk County eliminating curbside recycling on Tuesday, most cities from Lakeland to Winter Haven will continue with their programs.
Unincorporated Polk County residents will see their trash collection and disposal fees nearly double over five years compared to what they paid last year. The solid waste fee has been near $200 since the 2017-18 fiscal year. This year, it will rise to $337.21, and after that, it will rise 5% per year until reaching $393.52 in fiscal year 2028-29.
And the county will officially end curbside recycling on Tuesday, when the new fees take effect.
In addition to Polk County, Auburndale also opted to stop curbside recycling collection and beefed up its drop off site.
The driving force behind counties and cities ending recycling programs across the country is a lack of profits from recovered materials. China, for example, no longer accepts plastic, glass or other less-valuable recoverable materials.
There are other changes to Polk County's trash collection program.
New solid waste guidelines in Polk
According to its website, the Polk County Solid Waste Division will be the department’s new name on Tuesday, although TRIM notices sent prior to the adoption of Polk County's 2024-25 budget have an older version of the department's name.
Changes are also in store for trash collection areas.
“FCC will continue waste collection in the western area of the county, GFL is our new hauler for the eastern area of the county and PCSW is expanding operations to include the entire southern area of the county,” the website said.
Guidelines for using the solid waste program have also been updated:
- Household waste should be placed inside garbage roll carts.
- Carts must be curbside from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on collection days.
- Position the garbage roll cart so the lid opens to the street.
- Recycling containers may be used for household waste.
- Garbage roll carts must be within 3 feet of the curb and 3 feet away from other objects.
If items won’t fit in a trash cart, residents can utilize the furniture and appliance collection guidelines.
Yard waste
Polk County’s Solid Waste Division has the same yard trash and bulk collection policies since June 2023.
- For yard waste, “branches should not exceed two inches in diameter, and they should be no longer than three feet,” according to the county’s website.
- All yard waste must be containerized in bins, bundles or bags, with a combination of four containers, each weighing 30 pounds or less, collected once per week.
- All items should be placed curbside by 6 a.m. on collection day.
And bulk yard waste? The county's guidelines do not offer periodic bulk yard waste options. Instead, the county says customers should use private haulers if they have too much yard waste for regular collection. It offers a list of private haulers on its website at https://www.polk-county.net/services/polk-county-solid-waste/residential-waste.
Bulk collection
- Bulk collection will be limited to furniture and appliances, the county said. That collection will be once monthly on the same day as scheduled trash collection. Generally, “household items that were not structurally attached to the house are acceptable.”
- Those items must be 3 feet from the curb or edge of the street, the website said. Items must also be at least 3 feet from other fixed objects, such as mailboxes.
- No construction debris or eviction move-outs items will be collected. All items should be curbside by 6 a.m. on collection day.
- If yard waste and bulk items are not in compliance, they will not be collected. Further, yard waste or bulk items left curbside could be subject to code enforcement violations.
What to do with your old recycle cart
After Tuesday, residents may use their old recycle carts for regular household trash until the carts are no longer serviceable, the solid waste division said.
Customers can also call the solid wasted division at 863-284-4319 to request that it be removed.
How to obtain an extra garbage roll cart
Customers who want to have another garbage roll cart should first complete a notarized lease agreement. It can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yuh9byz8. Notarized agreements should be hand delivered or mailed, with payment, to Solid Waste Administrative Office, Attn: Additional Garbage Cart, 10 Environmental Loop S., Winter Haven, FL 33880.
The cost is $67, plus a $52.50 annual disposal fee. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. Checks should be payable to Polk BoCC.
Municipalities Continue Curbside Recycling
The following cities were contacted to make sure they are continuing to offer curbside recycling:
- Lakeland: www.lakelandgov.net/departments/public-works/solid-waste/
- Winter Haven: www.mywinterhaven.com/200/Solid-Waste-Recycling
- Bartow
- Davenport
- Mulberry
Ahead of the county, Auburndale discontinued its curbside recycling program in October 2023. But the city also increasedcapacity at its drop-off recycling center for residents who wanted to continue recycling.
Mulberry collects recyclables every other week as of last year.
Further, Lakeland has not changed any elements of its comingled curbside recycling program, and continues to find buyers for recovered plastic, glass and carboard, said Lakeland's Director of Communications Kevin Cook.
"We have vendors that buy plastic, cardboard, metal, glass and aluminum," he said, and provided a list of 19 buyers from across the Eastern United States.
Nor has Winter Haven changed its curbside recycling program. Winter Haven accept: glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastic, which is comingled by residents and sent to a dedicated recycling facility. None of those items go to a landfill.
Private metal recyclers
In calls to two private recycling companies, two said they will take metals from households.
One said it only takes nonferrous metal, which cannot be picked up by a magnet, and includes such items as aluminum cans.
At Lake Wales-based Viking Recycling, general manager Tim Mattoon said they take all types of metal for recycling, from steel and aluminum cans to appliances and junk cars.
Viking also pays people who bring cans or old lead car batteries, he said. They pay 6.5 cents per pound for steel cans and 65 cents per pound for aluminum cans.
But there is no market for plastic or paper and carboard, so those materials are not accepted.
There are also private and county electronic waste drop offs. To dispose of a TV, for example, Polk has a hazardous household wastes section at the county landfill and hosts collection events at various sites across the county.
