Recycling

The City of Port St. Lucie understands the tremendous impact made in our environment when every resident joins in the effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. However, determining what items can be recycled is sometimes confusing. The city hopes the list below will help in eliminating that confusion.

Waste Pro is happy to supply any resident with free blue and green recycling bins. To receive yours, simply call Waste Pro at (772) 595-9390, and the bins will be delivered right to your door. While supplies last, Waste Pro will also provide a handy refrigerator magnet with the bins, containing all the information you need to make recycling easy.

Blue bins

Use the blue bins to recycle the following items:

Glass bottles and jars
Aluminum cans
Steel cans (tin cans)
Aerosol cans
Drink boxes

Milk and juice cartons
Aluminum pie plates
Aluminum foil
Rigid plastic containers

Green bins

Use the green bins, to recycle the following items:

Newspapers and inserts
Phone books
Magazines
Catalogs
Paperboard boxes (cereal, cookie boxes, tissue boxes, etc.)

Cardboard boxes (must be flattened and cut to fit into bin)
Brown paper grocery bags

Note: Do NOT place plastic foam such as Styrofoam in bins

Preparing your recyclables

Before placing recyclables in bins:

Empty and rinse containers, pie plates and aluminum foil; otherwise, these items will become breeding grounds for bacteria and cannot be recycled after pick-up
Remove and discard caps and straws (these are not recyclable)
No plastic bags, bulbs, ceramics or junk mail

Curbside tips

In stormy weather stack papers on the bottom of the bins
Place bins at the curbside no further than 6 feet from street
Only use recycling bins for recyclables
All items must be in the bin to be collected; items not in the bin will not be collected

Hazardous waste

The following is a list of common household hazardous waste:

Adhesives
Auto fluids and batteries
Degreasers
Electronics
Fertilizers
Fluorescent bulbs
Fungicides
Gasoline
Herbicides
Household chemicals

Household cleaners
Items containing mercury
Lead acid batteries
Oil-based paints, thinners*
Pesticides
Photographic chemicals
Pool chemicals
Propane tanks
Smoke detectors
X-rays

Household hazardous waste cannot be picked up with regular household garbage, but can be disposed of in two ways:

The Public Works Department hosts a free Hazardous Household Waste Drop-off Day once a year. The department also has free drop-off sites at city buildings for rechargeable batteries (cell phones, etc.). Call (772) 871-5100 for more information.
The St. Lucie County Bailing and Recycling Facility accepts many of these items. Call (772) 462-1768 for hours and for information about what will be accepted . This facility is located at 6120 Glades Cutoff Road, Ft. Pierce.

* Note: Latex (or water based) paint is not considered hazardous waste but it can cause hazardous conditions to the public if not properly dried out before disposal. All latex paint must be solidified prior to collection by Waste Pro so that the paint does not leak from the garbage trucks onto our roads and ultimately other vehicles. We recommend using cat litter to dry up any unwanted latex paint. Another option is to air dry in sunny conditions for several days before setting out for disposal. If you have additional questions about latex paint disposal, please contact Waste Pro.

E-Waste

The following is a list of common E-Waste items:

Televisions
Computers
Printers
Fluorescent light bulbs

Copiers
Fax machines
VCRs
Stereo equipment

Electronic Waste (E-Waste) can be scheduled for a special pickup by Waste Pro and delivered to the landfill as hazardous waste. Residential customers within the city and county are eligible for this service. Commercial businesses must be within the city limits.

Call (772) 595-9390 for more information.

Other resources

There are many great sources of information on the Web for recycling information. We have gathered some of these recycling resources together for you.

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