The City of Port St. Lucie has a contract with a private company, Waste Pro, to haul all household garbage, recyclables, yard clippings, bulk items and other trash from every property in the city. Waste Pro services are available for all residential and commercial properties.

Waste Pro payments
Trash removal services are paid for directly by property owners on the annual property tax bills that are sent in November.  Each bill clearly indicates the amount due for the Waste Pro services, which are accounted for separately from city property taxes.  This method of collection is less expensive than making payments directly to Waste Pro.

The Waste Pro rates for Oct. 1, 2008 through Sept. 30, 2009 are:

• $253.70 per year for residential properties.
• $19.30 per cubic yard of trash hauled for business properties.

Residential properties cannot opt out of payment for the service, regardless of whether the home is occupied or not, or if trash is put out or not.  Seasonal residents who stay in Port St. Lucie for temporary periods are held responsible for the full year of pick-up rates.  One reason for this is that Waste Pro truck drivers do not keep track of which properties leave trash by the curb and which don’t.  They simply pick up any trash left outside.

For more details on services and costs, contact Waste Pro directly at (772) 595-9390 or visit their Web site at www.wasteprousa.com.  Waste Pro's office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

Customer service

(772) 595-9390

Holiday schedule  
No collection on July 4th, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Other holidays will have collection.  Garbage, yard waste and recycling will be collected on the next regularly scheduled day.

Household garbage collection

1. Place containers at the curbside by 7 a.m. on regular collection days.
2. Garbage must be in a tied bag or covered can.
3. Do not mix garbage and yard waste - they must be in separate containers.
4. Cans should be no larger than 32 gallons and weigh no more than 50 pounds.
5. No auto parts, boat parts, or empty gasoline cans (see hazardous waste requirements below).

Garbage containers: Garbage cans are not provided by Waste Pro.  They must be no larger than 32-gallon capacity and weigh less than 50 pounds each.

Yard waste
Yard waste in all areas will be collected on scheduled pick-up days. Composting of yard waste is welcome, but not required.  Waste Pro recommends leaving grass clippings on the ground after mowing, but they will be picked up if left curbside.  Follow these guidelines when preparing yard waste for collection:

1. Don’t mix garbage and yard waste.
2. Loose yard waste, i.e. grass clippings, leaves and small twigs must be containerized.
3. Neatly stack limbs, branches, palm fronds, etc. at the curb.
4. Stack branches and limbs neatly to be lifted by worker.  Limbs must not exceed 4 feet.
5. Separate stumps from other yard waste. No single piece of a tree should exceed 50 pounds

Box it or bag it: Any container can weigh no more than 50 pounds

Stack it: In neat, manageable piles. Limbs not to exceed 4 feet, except palm fronds. No piece to exceed 50 pounds

Can it: No larger than 32-gallon capacity. Less than 50 pounds each.

Recycling
For recycling bins, please call (772) 595-9390. There is no charge.

Use the blue bins, to recycle the following items:

1. Glass bottles and jars
2. Aluminum cans
3. Steel cans (tin cans)
4. Aerosol cans
5. Drink boxes
6. Milk and juice cartons
7. Aluminum pie plates
8. Aluminum foil
9. Rigid plastic containers

Use the green bins, to recycle the following items:

1. Newspapers and inserts.
2. Phone books.
3. Magazines.
4. Catalogs.
5. Paperboard boxes (cereal, cookie boxes, tissue boxes, etc.).
6. Cardboard boxes (must be flattened and cut to fit into bin).
7. Brown paper grocery bags.
8. No plastic foam such as Styrofoam.

Before placing recyclables in bins:

1. Empty and rinse containers, pie plates and aluminum foil.
2. Remove and discard caps and straws (these are not recyclable).
3. No plastic bags, bulbs, ceramics or junk mail.

Curbside tips

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

Bulk items
Waste Pro will pick up bulky items, such as mattresses and appliances. These items are picked up separately from household garbage. To arrange for the special pick up of bulk items, call Waste Pro at (772) 595-9390.

Hazardous waste
The following is a list of common household hazardous waste:

1. Auto fluids.
2. Lead acid batteries.
3. Household chemicals.
4. Household cleaners.
5. Oil based paints, thinners.
6. Herbicides.
7. Pesticides.
8. Pool chemicals.

These items cannot be picked up with regular household garbage, but can be disposed of two ways:

1. The Public Works Department hosts two free Hazardous Household Waste Drop-off Days yearly.  The department also has free drop-off sites at city buildings for rechargeable batteries (cell phones, etc.). Call (772) 871-5100. The Public Works Department is at 450 S.W. Thornhill Drive.
2. The St. Lucie County Bailing and Recycling Facility also accepts theses items.  Call (772) 462-1768 for hours and for information about what will be accepted.  They are at 6120 Glades Cutoff Road, Ft. Pierce.

The Port St. Lucie City Council thanks you for your assistance in helping keep Port St. Lucie beautiful.