Tampa Bay Recycles

A Regional Approach to Recycling

Together, we can make Tampa Bay Florida’s top recycling region.

Local governments across Tampa Bay have teamed up to improve recycling efforts in the region. No matter which Tampa Bay area community you call home, all residential recycling programs throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough counties recycle mostly the same items. We all also face the same challenge of contamination when we attempt to recycle soiled items or materials our programs don’t accept.

Whether you have been recycling for decades or just started, it’s worth taking a second look to make sure you are recycling correctly. Recycling technology and processes change over time, so recycling program rules change, too.

Keep Plastic Bags Out of Recycling

Remember to keep your recyclables clean, dry and un-bagged when depositing them into recycling carts or local drop-off centers. Bagged recyclables aren’t recycled because they can’t be sorted by the recycling equipment.

Using reusable bags is more eco-friendly than getting single-use plastic bags when shopping. Plastic bags can only be recycled at participating retailers. If you can’t return bags to store locations, it’s okay to throw them in the garbage because in Tampa Bay, Waste-to-Energy is used for trash disposal. This process turns garbage into renewable electricity.

Additional Resources