Miami Florida Recycles Too
Welcome to the Solid Waste Department
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KEEP MIAMI BEAUTIFUL
The Keep Miami Beautiful campaign is a municipal maintenance program geared at more effectively addressing general issues of street litter, illegal dumping, and maintenance of sidewalks and alley ways. Additionally code violations such as graffiti, illegal signs, and other issues of neighborhood blight are addressed in order to improve our community’s environment. This a coordinated program that involves the City’s Department of Solid Waste, Neighborhood Enhancement Team, Code Compliance, and Public Works with the support of the Miami Police Department and the Office Communications. The general strategy and approach involves weekly events at various areas organized in consultation with Home Owner and Business and Associations and other civic groups. This campaign to clean up our streets and neighborhoods and ensure code compliance is being publicized through various means that include social media, radio and television, as well as the use of promotional and educational materials directly handed out to businesses and residents. As part of Keep Miami Beautiful , City elected officials are scheduled to visit educational institutions to promote public health and safety through an enhanced environmental cleanup of public streets, alleys, canals, shorelines, and other public spaces. The program sustains City efforts in reducing waste, increasing recycling, protecting natural areas of our neighborhoods, and community beautification through a cleaner environment. Moreover, there are several public benefits to the program among which are clean and safe sidewalks alley ways and public spaces. On cleanup event days participants visit businesses and residents to educate them to take advantage of City services such as the biweekly recycling collections, nightly street sweeping, and the availability of mini dump facility at 1290 NW 20th street. Based on feedback received additional litter containers have been installed in high demand areas to prevent unsanitary conditions of major street corridors and public places. The Keep Miami Beautiful efforts have improved the operational performance of our street drainage system as we prevent litter from getting into storm outfalls that discharge into Biscayne Bay, Miami River, and local canals. This a permanent program in which the City has committed to its success. We encourage the public to support this worthwhile effort by taking advantage of Keep Miami Beautiful. If there are any questions, concerns, or comments please contact the Department of Solid Waste at 305-960-2801. Si tiene alguna pregunta o comentario por favor llame al Departamento de Desechos Solidos al 305-960-2801. |
NEW FULLY AUTOMATED RECYCLING PROGRAM
The City of Miami, Department of Solid Waste launched its Fully Automated Recycling Collection Program on October 1, 2012. Recycling helps save the Earth by preserving the environment, saving energy, mitigating global warming, reducing pollution, litter, illegal dumping and reducing waste products in our landfills.
The Blue 96 Gallon Recycle Cart allows you to recycle more products than ever before and is fast, easy and convenient to wheel your recycle cart out for collection.
WHAT IS AUTOMATED RECYCLING COLLECTION?
Fully automated recycling collection is a technologically advanced system of collection and disposal. The system is called “automated” because a special truck equipped with a mechanical/robotic arm automatically lifts and empties the recycling cart without the driver ever leaving the cab of the truck. This system is designed to be more cost-efficient, improve collection performance, reduce job related injuries and enhance the quality of services for our residents. This system is similar to our existing automated garbage collection system which was introduced to 68,000 residents in the Winter of 2002.
RECYCLE PICK UP SCHEDULE
As of October 1, 2012, your recyclables are collected once every other week (biweekly) and does not coincide with your garbage collection days. Along with your delivered recycle cart, you will find your new recycle collection calendar that will show you what your “every other week” recycling day is. Your pick up days will be highlighted.
To determine your new recycle pick up day, please refer to the New Recycle Route Map and find your new recycle route based on your geographical location.
WHAT ITEMS ARE RECYCLABLE?
Please refer below for a list of items that we recycle. For additional information, please refer to our printable recycle literature below:
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ALLOWABLE RECYCLE ITEMS |
ITEMS NOT ALLOWED |
| PAPER PRODUCTS ex. newspapers, magazines, catalogs, telephone books, printer paper, copier paper, mail, all other office paper without wax liners |
Electronic Waste and Accessories ex. PCs, monitors, televisions, printer cartridges, keyboards, cell phones, home telephones, radios, speakers, CDs and DVDs, and CD and DVD players |
| CARDBOARD ex. packing boxes, cereal boxes, gift boxes, corrugated cardboard; flatten all boxes prior to placing them in your cart |
Home Chemicals ex. paints, pesticides, aerosol cans, engine/motor/ oil Batteries ex. dry cell batteries, lead acid batteries |
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PLASTIC CONTAINERS |
Garbage or Other Non-Recyclable Waste ex. household garbage (food), cylinders, propane and oxygen tanks, rocks, dirt, construction debris, flammables, yard and tree trimmings/clippings, bulky trash |
| ASEPTIC CONTAINERS ex. polycoated drink boxes, juice cartons, milk cartons |
Unnumbered Plastics ex. plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, plates and food containers, meat packing trays, Styrofoam egg cartons, plastic silverware |
| GLASS ex. glass food & beverage containers (clear, brown and green) |
Certain Glass Products ex. window or auto glass, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, mirrors, glass cookware or bakeware, ceramic |
| METALS ex. aluminum & steel food and beverage containers |
Medical Waste and Pharmaceuticals ex. prescriptions, syringes, biohazard/medical containers Other Non-Recyclables ex. coat hangers, small appliances, microwave trays, cooking pots and pans |
WHAT IF MY RECYCLABLES WERE MISSED?
To report any recycle misses, please contact 311 and your recyclables will be collected within the next business day.
WHERE CAN I DISPOSE OF ITEMS THAT ARE NOT RECYCLABLE?
Electronic Waste and Accessories
Please clink on the links below for locations that recycle your electronics:
Solid Waste Mini Dump Facility
Free Electronics Recycling in Miami | greenerMiami
Cell Phone Recycling Program
Home Chemicals, Batteries and Certain Glass Products
Paints, pesticides, aerosol cans, engine/motor/ oil, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, cylinders, flammable products, propane and oxygen tanks, button and nickel cadmium batteries, dry cell and lead acid batteries can be recycled at the following location:
Home Chemical Collection Center
8831 NW 58th Street West Dade
OR
23707 SW 97th Avenue Gate -B South Dade
Open Wednesday – Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Contact 311
Garbage or Other Non-Recyclable Waste
Household garbage or food must be placed inside your green garbage cart and placed out for collection. Please refer to the Garbage tab for more information or contact 311.
Construction and demolition debris can be disposed at several Miami Dade County locations for a fee. Please contact 311 for a location near you.
Yard and tree trimmings/clippings and bulky trash can be placed out in front of your residence on your scheduled pick up day. Please refer to the Trash tab for more information or contact 311.
Unnumbered Plastics
Styrofoam cups, plates and food containers, meat packing trays, Styrofoam egg cartons and plastic silverware may be placed inside your green garbage cart and placed out for collection. Many supermarkets like Publix will accept Styrofoam egg crates for recycling. Please refer to the Garbage tab for more information or contact 311.
Plastic bags can be recycled at the grocery store such as Publix,Winn Dixie and Target.
Medical Waste and Pharmaceuticals
Miami Dade County has various locations to dispose of syringes and sharp medical waste. Please contact 311 for a location near you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What should I do with my old small recycle bin?
A: You may keep it for personal use such as storage or you may dispose of it at one of the local NET Offices in your area. Contact 311 for your local NET Office.
Q: Do I need to remove the caps or lids from plastic containers?
A: YES. Plastic containers without caps or lids allow for it to be compressed in the recycle truck more efficiently, thus enabling more recyclables to be collected at one time. This effort saves time, fuel, energy and reduces our carbon footprint.
Q: Do I have to remove wrappers from aluminum cans and glass bottles and jars?
A: No, but please empty all remaining food and liquid from them. This will help keep your cart clean while aiding in the recycling process.
Q: What should I do with fluorescent light bulbs?
A: Residents wishing to dispose of fluorescent light bulbs are asked to contact the Home Chemical Collection Center at 311.
Q: Can paper or Styrofoam food containers and Styrofoam egg crates be recycled?
A: No, paper or Styrofoam food containers should go in the garbage. Many supermarkets like Publix will accept Styrofoam egg crates for recycling. They can also be reused for painting projects or other craft projects.
Q: What should I do with a large quantity of cardboard that does not fit inside the blue recycle cart?
A: Any small flatten cardboard boxes can fit inside your blue recycle cart. If you have a large quantity of cardboard, you can take it to a local paper recycler. Check the phone listings for one nearby.
Q: Can I recycle yogurt and cottage cheese containers?
A: No. Please recycle narrow neck plastic bottles only such as soda and water bottles, cleaning products such as window cleaner, bathroom products such as shampoo and other food items such as ketchup etc.
Q. Can I recycle aerosol and other steel cans?
A: No. Aerosol cans can be placed in your green garbage cart. Since aerosol cans are made of steel, it is automatically recycled at Miami Dade County’s waste to energy facility. It is collected there by a large magnet and then sold to a metals recycler.
Q: Where do the recyclables collected at the curb go?
A: We are fortunate in the south to have reasonably good markets for recyclables. All materials go through an intermediate processor who prepares the materials for markets and ships them to the various paper mills, plastic, glass or aluminum plants. The City does receive some revenue for most of the materials, which is put towards the overall program cost. Revenues generate less than 10% of the overall program cost.
Q: What if I live in an apartment complex? Will the City provide recycling at our condo/apartment complex?
A: Yes, we provide blue carts for residents to recycle if they have a single family residence or an apartment complex of three or less units and if they wish to recycle. More than three units require private service with a commercial hauler. Call the Solid Waste Customer Service line at 311 for further assistance.
Q: How is the success of the recycling program measured?
A: One determinate of success is participation. Placing your blue cart out for a minimum of once a month for collection is considered participating.
Q: What about yard waste? Where can it be recycled?
A: The Solid Waste Department provides yard trash collection once a week to residential homes in the city. Green yard trash is collected and processed at the Waste Management Facility where it is recycled.
Q: Who can I call with questions?
A: For general questions about recycling, please call 311.
RECYCLING TIPS….
- Rinse and step on plastic containers to provide more space in recycling carts and throw tops in with your garbage.
- Missed recycling, please call 311
- Blue carts must be placed on the right of way and 5 feet away from any visual obstruction (i.e. garbage container, trash pile, vehicle, etc.)
- Blue carts stay with property, please leave them if you move
- Old telephone books can be recycled.
Interesting Recycling Facts:
- Hotels will create 1.5 pounds of solid waste per day per room
- 1 ton of solid waste is equal to 3.5 cubic yards of solid waste
- Each person produces 3.5 pounds of solid waste per day
- One three foot stack of newspapers is equal to one tree, approximately 30 feet tall
- One three foot stack of newspaper weighs 100 pounds
- To make one ton of virgin paper uses 17 trees (3 2/3 acres of forest)
- 62,860 trees must be cut to provide pulp for a single edition of the Sunday New York Times.
- Recycling one aluminum can saves the energy equivalent to one cup of gasoline.
- A steel mill can reduce its water pollution 76% and mining wastes 97% using scrap metal, such as steel cans, instead of iron ore.
- In the summer, nearly one third of all summer waste handled by garbage haulers consists of grass clippings.
- In the fall, leaves comprise as much as half of all waste generated by residents.
- One dollar out of every $11 spent on groceries goes to pay for packaging
- 32% of all municipal waste is from packaging.
Each Year We Throw Away:
- Enough aluminum to rebuild the entire American Airlines air fleet 71 times.
- Enough steel to reconstruct Manhattan
- Enough wood and paper to heat 5 million homes for 200 years.
- One third of all of the food we buy