Administration & Engineering 21030 Cortez Blvd Brooksville, FL  34601 Fax (352) 754-4485 Customer Service Billing and Collections 7405 Forest Oaks Blvd. Spring Hill, FL 34606 (352)754-4037 Fax (352) 688-5012
	Emergency Service (352) 754-4037
	24 hrs. a day / 7 days a week
	Solid Waste & Recycling Div. 14450 Landfill Road Brooksville, Florida 34614 (352) 754-4112
	Wiscon Maintenance Compound 15400 Wiscon Rd Brooksville, FL 34601 (352)754-4490

Water Quality Reports

Curbside Recycling Frequently Asked Questions

What can be recycled ?

• Newspaper - Please remove paper from plastic bag before placing in recycle bin.  The bags are not recyclable with the newspaper but, they can be recycled with the plastic shopping bags at your local grocery store or Wal-Mart.

• Cardboard - Please flatten boxes. Remove any packing material inside the box. Large boxes must be cut down to the dimensions no larger than 3' x 3'.  Cereal, cracker, pizza (without food.) and similar boxes are also acceptable.

• Plastic # 1 and # 2 - (No Motor Oil containers.) Food containers such as cooking oil and salad dressing; personal care products such as shampoo or lotion; cleaning products such as window cleaner, laundry detergent, floor cleaner; and of course, soda, milk and water bottles.

• Aluminum Cans

• Steel Cans - Label does NOT have to be removed.

We do ask that all containers be rinsed.  For those concerned with using excess water, a simple solution to rinsing is to add containers to your dishwashing machine during your next load - No extra water expended.

Frequently Asked Questions About Curbside Recycling

Why is glass not one of the items collected in the program?  Employee safety (avoiding injury) and contamination issues (breakage within the collection vehicles can cause glass shards to end up in the other materials, which may cause rejection of loads).   Historically, glass has only been the smallest amount of recyclables collected, and there has been a significant decline in the last few years, as many bottlers have turned to plastic.  Also, the glass markets have been and continue to be depressed, so economics are a factor.

What are the two (2) colored bins for?  The recycling bins are used to separate the materials collected at the curb.  This benefits both the crew picking up the recyclables as well as the citizen. By using 2 colored bins, confusion is minimized regarding which materials will be separated and collected at the curb.

What materials are picked up at the curb?  The materials picked up in the curbside program are as follows:  Newspaper, Cardboard goes into the BLUE BIN.  Aluminum cans, Steel cans, and Plastics #1 & #2 goes into the GREEN BIN.

I already recycle at the drop-off locations, why do I have to recycle at the curb?  The program was established to divert more recyclables from the solid waste stream. We do appreciate those who take the time to recycle and use the county drop-off locations.  However, the majority of residents in the mandatory collection area find the curbside collection program more convenient, as is evidenced by the large increase in recyclables collected since the program’s inception.

I will not pay the recycling portion of my bill; I don’t believe it’s fair to make me have to participate? Participation is not mandatory, however we encourage everyone to participate. Recycling is an environmentally sound way to reduce the amount of garbage that is disposed of in the landfill.  So not only are natural resources conserved through recycling, landfill space is also saved.  If you choose not to participate, you should be made aware of the fact that you will still be invoiced for the service on your quarterly garbage statement.

It should be noted that due to the expansion of the curbside program, County staff was able to negotiate a rate freeze in both the garbage collection and curbside recycling collection rate until September 2005. 

The following guidelines will help you to understand what can and cannot be recycled :

Material	Can Be Recycled	Cannot Be Recycled
Newspaper Office Paper Cardboard (BLUE BIN)	Most paper and cardboard items - newspaper, magazines, office paper, envelopes, shredded paper, junk mail, and telephone books. Please flatten boxes. Remove any packing material inside the box. Large boxes must be cut down to the dimensions no larger than 3' x 3'.  Cereal, cracker, pizza (without food.) and similar boxes are also acceptable. REMOVE paper clips,  food residues, and other non-paper materials. STAPLES ARE OKAY.	Paper/cardboard items heavily contaminated with oil and grease. Toilet tissue or paper towels.
Plastic Containers (GREEN BIN)	Plastic #1 and #2 All plastic bottles can go into your green recycling bin, provided they are empty and that they have a #1 or #2 recycling symbol on the bottom: -Milk & Juice bottles -Soft drink bottles -Detergent bottles -Shampoo etc REMOVE food and liquid residues.	Plastic items that are not bottles are not recyclable!! Take away containers, margarine, ice cream and yogurt containers,  plastic toys and all varieties of plastic bags and wrapping cannot be recycled as they are not made out of the right type of plastic. Motor Oil Containers cannot be recycled.
Steel & Aluminum Cans (GREEN BIN)	Cans only. REMOVE food and liquid residues. Lids from tin cans can go in as well and are best placed inside the can.	Other non-packaging aluminum & steel products such as car parts, wire, scrap metal, knives, aluminum trays, pots and pans etc.

Please make sure you put only those items listed above in your recycling bins.

Publications


Convenience Center Information Guide

Hernando County Recycling Guide

Small Quantity Generator and Pollution Prevention Guide

Sprinkler Check Up!

Fix Household Leaks

Water Awareness Meetings & Seminars

Conservation - Watering Restrictions, Watering Tips, & Florida Friendly Landscaping