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Trash & Recycle

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Overview

Waste Services Highlights

Waste pickup inside the city limits of the City of Alachua is a part of your utilities.  So, when you turn on your electricity, your waste service will also be activated and your monthly charge will be on your Utility bill. There should already be a garbage cart and recycle cart assigned to your residence.

Residential trash and garbage, recycling, and yard wastes are collected once weekly. Bulk items (furniture, appliances, etc. are collected twice monthly.

In the event your refuse is not collected at the regularly scheduled time or if you have any immediate concerns, please contact the WastePro Dispatcher at (386) 462-2500.  If WastePro is unable to assist you please contact the City of Alachua Public Services solid waste division at (386) 418-6142 Be sure to provide the representative that you speak with your name, street address, subdivision name (if applicable) and a telephone number that you wish to be contacted to verify that your service request was completed to your satisfaction.

Holiday Schedule

There will be no collection on the following holidays or on any Sunday.

  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King’s Birthday (observed)
  • Memorial Day
  • Independence Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas Day

All residential collection (garbage, trash, recycling, yard waste, and bulk items) scheduled on or after a holiday will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week (to include Saturday for schedule Friday collection).  Residential collection will return to the normal schedule the following week. Holidays that fall on weekends (Saturday or Sunday) will not impact the collection schedule.

Trash and Garbage Service

Waste Carts

Please keep the following in mind:

  • Garbage containers should be placed street side within 5 ft of the street driving surface and 3 ft away from recycling bins.
  • Place your garbage containers and recycling bins street side by 7 am of your collection day and no earlier than 5 pm on the day before.
  • Remove your garbage containers and recycling bins from street side by 9 pm of the collection day.

Mixed Recycling

Everyone who receives the City of Alachua residential curbside garbage collection uses mixed recycling.  Mixed recycling allows for just one collection cart for all your recyclable items.  The recycling cart is collected with a mechanical arm similar to the arm on the garbage collection vehicles.  Items will be separated at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). A MRF is a state-of-the-art facility that uses sorting screens, magnets, air blowers, conveyor belts, and manual workers to help separate material by type.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are there any new materials accepted in the program?

Colored glass, plastic containers #3 through #7, steel cans, paper milk and juice cartons will now be accepted. This is in addition to the material previously accepted including: mixed paper, flattened cardboard, aluminum cans, newspaper, and plastic bottles.

Can I recycle empty motor oil, anti-freeze or hazardous chemical containers?

Motor oil, antifreeze and other hazardous materials contain hazardous residue even when the containers have been emptied.

Can I put my recycling in a plastic bag in the recycle cart?

Grocery bags, trash bags, plastic wrap and food bags should not be included in your recycling cart. These bags get tangled in recycling sorting equipment and slow down the recycling process. Look for plastic bag recycling at local grocery stores.

Can I recycle shredded paper?

Yes. Shredded paper may be recycled. However, to prevent paper litter on your street, it must be placed in a paper (no plastic bags) bag prior to being placed in your recycle bin

Where can I get more information about recycling?

Contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 for additional information.

Yard Waste Service

Waste Pro Steps

Yard waste includes leaves, grass clippings and small tree limbs. Yard wastes do not include boards, lumber, construction materials, or remodeling demolition debris. Yard waste must be placed street side (within 10 ft of the street driving surface) by 7am of the collection day. Yard wastes placed adjacent to commercial properties or vacant lots will not be collected by the City’s waste collection contractor.

Residents are permitted to dispose of a maximum yard waste volume of 4 cubic yards each week (total pile size must not exceed 4 ft high by 3 ft wide by 12 ft long). Limbs must be less than five feet in length, smaller than six inches in diameter, and weigh less than 40 lbs. Loose yard waste must be containerized in a biodegradable bag (PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR YARD WASTE)

Yard waste generated by tree surgeons, landscape maintenance contractors, or other commercial enterprises will not be collected by the City’s residential refuse collection contractor. Residents may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation to remove yard wastes that exceed the criteria outlined above or that was generated by a tree surgeon, landscape maintenance contractor, or other commercial enterprise.

Remember, the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of the yard waste material you generate is to recycle it at your home. For free information and backyard compost bins, contact Alachua County’s Waste Management Division at (352) 374-5213.
Before attempting to burn yard waste, please contact the Florida Division of Forestry at (352) 955-2010.

Bulk Item Service

The City of Alachua offers street side pickup of bulk items for residents at no additional charge. Bulk items include furniture and appliances such as couches, tables, chairs, desks, washers and dryers.

Bulk items are collected by Waste Pro the same day of the week as your trash, garbage, and recycle wastes are collected. You may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 if you have questions about bulk item service. Bulk item(s) must be kept separate from any other trash or debris. Bulk items should be placed street side no earlier than 5 pm on the day before the scheduled collection day.

Construction Materials and Remodeling Demolition Debris

Construction materials and remodeling demolition debris are not considered bulk item waste and will not be collected by the City’s residential waste contractor. Residents with construction materials and remodeling demolition debris may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation to remove the material or properly dispose of it at either of the following sites.

  • Florence Recycling
    3222 SE Hawthorne Road
    Gainesville, Florida  32641
    352-375-5189
    www.florencerecycling.com
    Operating Hours: 8-5 Monday through Friday, closed Saturday & Sunday

  • Watson Construction & Demolition Material (C&D) Landfill
    20103 SW Archer Road (just before the Levy County line)
    Newberry, FL 32669
    (352) 495-9520
    www.watsonconstruct.com

Disposal of Items that are Reusable

Residents are encouraged to donate gently used items to charity. Residents may also post unwanted items on Alachua Exchange, www.alachuaexchange.com, Alachua County's free online exchange service. Also, many area charities will come to your home and collect your large items. Some local charities include:

  • Christians Concerned for the Community: (352) 371-1768
  • Goodwill: (352) 377-9798
  • Habitat for Humanity: (352) 378-4663
  • The Salvation Army: (352) 376-1743

Excluded Items

The following items are excluded from the City’s residential refuse collection program. However, Waste Pro may be willing to collect these items for an additional fee. Please contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 if you wish to obtain a price quotation.

  • Commercial wastes
  • Yard wastes generated by tree surgeons, landscape maintenance contractors, or other commercial enterprises
  • Construction wastes and remodeling demolition debris.
  • In addition, the following items are excluded from the City’s residential refuse collection program. Residents are responsible for proper disposal of these items.
  • Tires
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Lead-acid (automotive type) batteries
  • Pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, and over the counter drugs
  • Hazardous materials, paints, solvents, or flammable liquids
  • Dead animals

The City of Alachua periodically schedules community roundup days for disposal of tires, hazardous materials, paints, solvents, and flammable liquids. Announcements for these community roundups will appear in the Alachua County Today newspaper and on the City’s website, http://www.cityofalachua.com. Some of these items are accepted at Alachua County’s Rural Collection Centers. Residents are encouraged to contact Alachua County’s Waste Management Division at (352) 374-5213 or visit their website at http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/PW/Waste/wasteCollection/Pages/WasteCollection.aspx to learn more about the materials that are accepted at these facilities and their hours of operation. The locations of Alachua’s County Rural Collection Centers are shown on the map provide above which shows the collection schedule days in Alachua.

You can obtain more information regarding the City of Alachua’s Residential Refuse Collection Program by contacting the City of Alachua Public Services Department at (386) 418-6140.

Customer Service for Those with Special Needs

Customers requiring assistance can receive backdoor pick-up for their designated pick-up days.  Residents who are physically unable to take garbage containers and recycling bins to the street side collection location are eligible to receive backdoor service.  This service is provided at no additional charge.

To obtain this backdoor service, a customer must:

  • Complete a Special Needs waiver form for backdoor collection service
  • Furnish a physician's statement verifying that he/she is physically unable to take the receptacles to the street side collection location
  • Attest that there is no one residing in the home that is able to take the receptacles to the street side collection location.

Waivers, if approved, will be kept on file in the City’s Utility Billing Department.

Special Needs Waiver

Yard waste is not included in this service program.  Residents may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation for this service.