Accessibility Public Records News Calendar Human Resources Hurricane Recovery

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in Pinellas County

Graphic depicting the words "reduce, reuse, recycle".

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Waste Management Hierarchy, reducing, reusing and recycling (the three Rs) are the best ways to get rid of something.

In Pinellas County, the three Rs are essential to achieving our vision of zero waste to landfill by 2050 and extending the life of our one and only landfill for future generations.

How can you help? Find helpful tips, tricks and reminders for how to practice the three Rs in Pinellas County below.

Reduce

Image of a person shopping for lettuce at a farmers market and using a reusable bag.
A shopper reducing plastic waste by buying loose produce and using a reusable bag.
Image of person refilling dishwashing detergent at a refill store.
A shopper refilling their glass jar with dishwashing detergent at a local refill store.

Waste reduction, or reducing, is the best way you can help. Reducing your use of single-use items will eliminate the need to throw those items away. Waste reduction can be achieved by making even the simplest swaps, such as replacing your single-use water bottles with a reusable one or bringing reusable shopping bags to the grocery store.

In Pinellas County, waste reduction plays an essential role in the County achieving its vision of zero waste to landfill by 2050. If we reduce what we need to throw in the trash, we can save valuable space in the landfill.

The best way to start your journey in waste reduction is to take a look around your home and office, noting the single-use items you use every day that could be reduced or swapped for something reusable. Items like:

  • Cutlery (forks, knives, spoons)

Tip: Skip the disposable cutlery! Many food delivery apps and online ordering systems, such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, include a default “include cutlery/straws/napkins” option, which you can manually uncheck to reduce waste. This small action helps minimize single-use plastics and packaging waste.

  • Dishes and cups
  • Water bottles
  • Coffee cups

Tip: Skip the disposable coffee cup! Bring your own reusable coffee mug to coffee shops and ask staff to put your drink in it instead of a disposable cup.

  • Grocery/shopping bags
  • Take-out boxes/containers

Tip: Skip the disposable takeout container! Rather than asking for a to-go box, bring your own. The most eco-friendly takeout container is the one you bring from home. You might encourage others to bring their own container, too!

  • Food storage bags
  • Straws
  • Napkins and paper towels

Start small, doing what works best for you and your household. Even small steps to reduce waste across Pinellas County can keep tons of material out of landfills each year. Visit the Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay website and take the pledge to reduce your use of single-use plastics.

Hosting an event? Find tips for reducing waste in the Tampa Bay Area Low-Waste Event Guide.

Reducing Food Waste

Wasting food not only costs money but also fills up our landfills and harms the environment. You can help by planning meals carefully, using what you already have at home, and saving leftovers to enjoy later. If you have extra food, consider sharing it with neighbors or donating to a local food pantry. You can use the Where Does It Go? Search Tool to find local food pantries that accept donations.

Visit the Save the Food website for helpful tips and tools to help you start reducing your food waste.

Reuse

Image of reusable items including water bottle, reusable grocery bag, jars, bamboo cutlery and glass takeout containers.
Examples of reusable items such as shopping bags, cutlery, food storage containers and water bottles.
Image of coffee mugs being reused as plant pots.
Example of reuse – turning old mugs into plant pots.

Reusing is the act of using an item multiple times, giving it a new purpose and extending its lifespan. When you reuse things you already have, you are decreasing the amount of things you throw in the trash. It could save you money, too!

You have probably heard the saying before: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure—this couldn’t be truer! If something no longer has a use for you, it could very well be what someone else is looking for.

Best practices for reuse include:

  • Buy quality products that are built to last.
  • Repair broken items.
  • Post your unwanted items on online marketplaces to give away.

Tip: Join a Buy Nothing group to find and give away free household items

Use your personal Facebook account to join your local Buy Nothing group. These groups allow you to post your unwanted items for other members who live near you to pick up for free.

Search “Buy Nothing Groups near me” and a list will appear with all of the different groups in your area. The groups have specific boundary lines that you must live in, so find the right one for where you live and request to join.

  • Donate your usable, unwanted items to a local charity.
  • Gift your usable, unwanted items to your family, friends or neighbors.

Recycle

Recycling is the process of turning something old into something new. This not only reduces waste sent to the landfill but also helps conserve natural resources, such as energy. Learn more about the benefits of recycling.

Image of the cover of the Recycle Guide depicting images of glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and jugs, empty metal cans, and cardboard, cartons and paper.
Click the image to access to Recycle Guide.

The most important thing to remember about recycling is to always check with your local recycling program to determine what can and cannot be recycled. Recycling programs can differ slightly, and what is accepted depends on what local facilities can process.

Pinellas County has 24 cities/towns, each with its own recycling collection program. To make it easier for residents to know what to recycle, Pinellas County developed the Recycle Guide, which lists all of the commonly accepted materials in all recycling programs. If you are following the guidelines in the Recycle Guide anywhere in Pinellas County, you are recycling correctly!

What to Recycle

The following items are accepted in every recycling program in Pinellas County:

  • Flattened cardboard, clean paper, junk mail, paperboard, cartons
  • Empty plastic bottles, jugs (no caps)
  • Empty metal cans (no lids)
  • Empty glass bottles, jars (no lids)
Resident placing recyclable material into a Pinellas County managed recycling drop-off container.
Click the image to find a recycling drop-off center near you.

Where to Recycle

If you live in a Pinellas County city/town, curbside recycling collection may be included with your trash service. If you live in an unincorporated area of the county, you can sign up for recycling collection directly with a licensed hauling company.

There are also more than 30 mixed recycling drop-off centers throughout the county available to residents free of charge. These centers are managed by Pinellas County and its municipalities. View this Google map of recycling drop-off centers to find the one closest to you.

Yard Waste-to-Mulch Programs

Tub grinder machine grinding yard waste into mulch.
A tub grinder grinding yard waste and turning it into usable mulch.

Yard waste-to-mulch programs take yard waste, such as tree and shrub trimmings, grass clippings, leaves, palm fronds, trees and tree stumps, and clean wood, and grind it into usable mulch. Mulch is used in gardens to help with moisture retention and weed suppression and adds helpful nutrients to the soil.

Pinellas County Solid Waste has a yard waste-to-mulch program where yard waste is ground up using a machine called a tub grinder, which is basically a giant food processor. After grinding, the mulch goes through a sanitization process using heat from the sun, which helps limit weed seeds and pests in the mulch. Once the sanitization process is complete, mulch is delivered to multiple pickup spots throughout the County for residents to use for free.

Check out this map to find the mulch pickup spot closest to you!

Composting Food Waste

Hands holding composted soil.
An example of soil created by composting food scraps.

Composting is the process of turning food scraps into a nutrient-rich soil that can be used in gardens and yards. It helps reduce the amount of food waste that is thrown away, instead turning it into something useful.

Some municipalities in Pinellas County have their own backyard composting programs. Visit this link for a list of municipalities with their own composting programs, food scrap drop-off centers, and resources to learn how to compost in your own backyard.

Where Does It Go? Search Tool

Have an item that you are unsure how to get rid of? Use the Where Does It Go? Search Tool, an online database that connects you to the right donation centers, recycling facilities, online takeback programs, safe disposal locations and more.

Holiday Waste Reduction and Recycling

For tips on reducing waste and recycling right during the holidays, visit our Holiday and Gift-Giving Guide.

What We’re Doing

Learn more about what Pinellas County is doing to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Questions?

Have questions about reducing, reusing and recycling in Pinellas County? Email us at recycle@pinellas.gov.

Additional Resources

Updated on Jan. 29, 2026.