Miami Dade Recycles Too

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Residential Recycling

Miami-Dade County provides curbside recycling services to residents in the unincorporated areas of the County and residents in these 19 municipalities: Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, El Portal, Florida City, Medley, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Miami Springs, North Bay Village, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Virginia Gardens and West Miami.

Acceptable and unacceptable items for recycling

Items Allowed	Items Not Allowed
Paper Products ex. newspapers, magazines, catalogs, telephone books, printer paper, copier paper, mail, all other office paper without wax liners	Garbage or other non-recyclable waste ex. cylinders, tanks, rocks, dirt, building debris, flammables
Cardboard ex. packing boxes, cereal boxes, gift boxes, corrugated cardboard; flatten all boxes prior to placing them in your cart	Batteries ex. dry cell batteries, lead acid batteries
Plastic Containers (narrow-necks only) ex. bottles, milk, water, detergent, soda and shampoo containers (flatten and replace cap) *Only narrow-neck plastic containers (the opening of the container is smaller than the body)	Certain glass products ex. window or auto glass, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, mirrors, glass cookware or bakeware, ceramics
Aseptic Containers ex. polycoated drink boxes, juice cartons, milk cartons	Plastic bags, foam, trays and containers
Glass ex. glass food & beverage containers (clear, brown and green)	Home chemicals ex. paints, pesticides
Metals ex. aluminum & steel food and beverage containers	Medical waste and pharmaceuticals ex. syringes, plastic tubing, medicine bottles or containers
	Electronic waste and accessories ex. PCs, monitors, televisions, printer cartridges, keyboards, cell phones, CDs and DVDs
	Other non-recyclables ex. coat hangers, small appliances, microwave trays
	Empty propane or oxygen tanks
	Textiles Donate used clothing, shoes and other apparel.

Multifamily (Apartments & Condos) Recycling

There are over 10,000 apartment and condominium buildings in Miami-Dade County. The Public Works and Waste Management Management estimates that each year, these multi-family establishments produce 700,000 tons of solid waste — just under 25 percent of the total waste generated in the County. To maximize the amount of waste that is diverted from disposal, Miami-Dade County has a law (Chapter 15, Section 2  of the Code of Miami-Dade) that requires all rental property owners and condominium associations to provide recycling programs.

Read the multi-family brochures:

• English and Español 
• English and Kreyol 

All condo and rental units must recycle the following:

• Glass, food and beverage containers, such as soda, juice and salad dressing containers
• Aluminum cans
• Newspapers, without their plastic delivery bags
• Household plastic containers, such as soda, milk, juice and water containers, as well as dishwashing and laundry detergent bottles
• Steel cans

Contacting a permitted commercial waste hauler or recycler

As a landlord or condominium association, if you haven’t already done so, you should immediately contact a permitted commercial waste hauler or recycler for recycling services. You’ll find several recycling contractors to choose from in the phone book or search online for local vendors. Or you may want to check with your waste hauler; they may provide recycling service as well. Services and prices vary widely, so make sure you choose one that meets your particular needs.

When you hire a commercial hauler or recycler who hauls your material, then all reporting requirements for County compliance are their responsibility.

To help you make a decision, here are a few questions to ask of potential contractors:

• Can I reduce the size of my garbage container (and some of the cost of garbage collection) by establishing a recycling collection program?
• Will you remove and replace containers located in trash rooms or on the ground floor, or must the toters be located outside? (Toters should be placed in areas that are accessible to tenants, yet secure from vandalism or theft.)
• Do you provide any educational materials that can be distributed to tenants?
  What is considered a “contaminant” and how will a contaminated load affect the program?

• Read about creating modified recycling programs 

Grasscycling

Grass clippings comprise a significant amount of household waste produced each year. In South Florida, the lawn of an average single-family home can produce 1,500 pounds of grass clippings in a year! An easy alternative to bagging grass clippings is “grasscycling.” Grasscycling is a simple and natural approach to lawn care. Clippings are left on the lawn after mowing to decompose, releasing nutrients back into the soil.

Tips On How To Grasscycle Effectively

• Mow often and cut less than 1/3 of the grass growth when mowing
• Mow when conditions are dry and use a sharp mower blade
• Water early in the morning, as less water will be lost due to evaporation. Water your lawn less frequently, but for longer periods of time. Deep, infrequent watering produces a deeper, extensive root system which enables turf to resist disease and stress. Please note Miami-Dade County has permanent lawn watering restrictions in place; for more information visit the water restrictions page or call 3-1-1.

Benefits of Grasscycling

When practiced in conjunction with proper lawn management, grasscycling offers many benefits. It can shorten mowing time by eliminating the need for bagging. It can save money by reducing the amount of water and fertilizer needed. Properly mowed grass clippings settle quickly between growing blades of grass, conserving moisture and releasing valuable nutrients. Using an electric mulching mower is also environmentally responsible. It eliminates air emissions, the use of gasoline and oil, and potential spills associated with gas mowers.

About Solid Waste Management

Mission Statement

To provide vital infrastructure systems and services and an integrated waste collection, recycling and disposal program that promote the mobility, health, safety, comfort, sustainability and prosperity of our community.

Solid Waste Management services

• Providing our customers with exceptional waste collection, recycling and disposal services that protect, preserve and improve our environment and the quality of life in our community
• Offering waste collection and recycling services to over 300,000 households in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and nine municipalities, including Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and Sunny Isles Beach
• Operating the most technologically advanced waste-to-energy facility in the world
• Planning for the long-term future by evaluating what services and programs will be needed for the next 50 years

• Follow the progress of the Solid Waste Master Plan 

Want to hear more about recycling?

Are you part of a class or group interested in knowing more about recycling — such as creating a new business recycling program or learning about where your recyclables go? You can request a speaker to visit you! Send the department an email or call 3-1-1 for more.