Recycling is available to all Palm Beach County residents. With your help, the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County has made Palm Beach County's recycling program one of the best in the country and ranks 4th in the state. If you currently recycle, we thank you. If you don't, we urge you to start.
Recycling is easy, and it preserves our natural resources while increasing the life of our landfills. The SWA has adopted the state's 75% recycling goal, and, if we are going to achieve it, we need everyone to do their part.
As a dual-stream recycling program, the SWA offers 18-gallon blue and yellow recycle bins and 25-gallon blue recycle cans for residents with curbside collection. And offers are 96-gallon blue and yellow recycle carts for multifamily communities and businesses.
Here is what you should put in each:
Yellow Bin – gets your paper products
- Cardboard, flattened
- Newspapers and inserts, without the plastic bags
- Office and school paper
- Magazines
- Dry food boxes, with no food stains
- Paper bags
- Cardboard paper rolls
- Pizza boxes, with no food stains
Blue Bin – gets your food containers
- Plastic bottles and containers, lids on; 2 gallons or less
- Cans, food, and beverage
- Glass bottles and jars, lids off
- Cartons, milk, and juice, lids on
- Drink boxes, no pouches
These items should never go in your recycle bins:
- Plastic bags
- Foam products
- Aluminum foil or pans
- Shredded paper
- Plastic eating utensils or straws
- Paper plates
- Paper towels or napkins
- Coat hangers
- Light bulbs
- Needles
These items could endanger the safety of waste workers or damage the recycling facility.
When in doubt, throw it out!
But if you are wondering if something is recyclable, you can search the Disposal Database at https://swa.org/378/Is-This-Recyclable.
Unsure of where to bring recyclables?
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County has a listing of more than 200 locations where Palm Beach County residents can bring their oversized cardboard recyclables. You can find that list at https://swa.org/198/Recycling-Drop-Off-Locations. Most locations accept only paper and cardboard in yellow dumpsters.
But, the SWA does accept a number of other common recyclables placed in the blue and yellow recyclable bins at one of our seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. You can find your nearest location at www.SWA.org/HCRC.
Thank you for Recycling Right, Palm Beach County!
