Polk County, near Hillsborough County is one of the uniquely enviable positioned and fastest-growing state locations in Florida, USA. Advanced Disposal Service and FCC Environmental are both responsible for providing residential curbside collection to the citizens of Polk County.
It is also your legal responsibility to ensure that you are contributing to reducing trash and disposing of waste without harming the environment of Polk County City.
Polk County Garbage Collection Schedule
If you are looking for your household trash, recycling trash, bulk, and yard trash collection schedule, click on the following link, or you can also call customer services of Polk City at (863) 284-4319 to get your collection information.
https://gis.polk-county.net/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b30528a7dda640c6849fa568e349c3e3
Household Waste Collection Guidelines
Place your garbage carts outside the night before or by 6 AM on your collection day in Polk County. Fill your trash cart properly and place only closed-lid carts outside to reduce litter.
Place your carts so that the lids of the carts open to the street. Furthermore, place your garbage cart at a distance of 3 feet from other carts and fixed objects as well.
Do not use any other container to place your household carts outside except verified trash carts provided by the waste management authority of the city.
Additional Garbage Trash Charges
If you have extra trash that could not fit in one trash cart, you can get an additional garbage cart. Each house may have only one additional trash cart. To request a cart, you have to follow two rules:
- Fill out the lease application form and bring it to the Waste and Recycling Administrative Office.
- Bring your application along with payment for the additional cart to the Waste and Recycling Administrative Office, or you can also mail them both to the following address:
The fee for the cart will be $67, accepted only in the form of cash, check, and credit cards. The annual fee will be adjusted based on the month in which you apply for additional cart service.
Recycling Schedule in Polk County
Starting May 1, 2024, the Waste Disposal Department is not giving out recycling carts anymore. This means if you want new carts to be moved to another place and need recycling carts, you would not be able to get them.
Your recycling trash will be picked up from the curb until the end of September 2023, so place your recyclable material at the curb as usual, and city services will come and collect it altogether.
Recyclable Material Collection
Recycling service will be provided once a week along with household garbage collection. The City of Polk County is using an automatic recyclable material collection mechanism with special vehicles equipped with an automatic lifting mechanism to pick trash carts.
Place all recyclable material outside by 6 AM on your scheduled collection day. Keep a distance of 3 feet from all other static objects while placing your recycling carts.
Acceptable recyclable materials include aluminum cans, steel cans and containers, cardboard, cereal boxes, egg cartons, newspaper, clear plastic, and milk, juice, and water jugs.
Place your carts outside with closed lids only and place only dry, clean, and empty recyclable material into carts to reduce litter and avoid odors.
Do not place any glass material in the cart because it breaks easily while collecting trash and embeds with other material, making them unlikely to recycle successfully.
Bulk Waste Collection in Polk County
Large items that could not fit in household trash carts are collected separately. Citizens of Polk County will be provided with bulk pickup once a month on a pre-set scheduled day.
Place your bulky trash outside by 6 AM on your collection day to ensure your bulk pickup. Place all materials within an area of three feet on the street edge. Similarly, keep a distance of 3 feet from all other objects while placing bulk items outside for collection.
Acceptable bulk items include furniture and home appliances; no construction debris will be collected. Do not place any unacceptable material along with bulk items to ensure collection.
Yard Waste Collection
Routine yard waste will be collected once a week along with household trash collection, so place yard waste outside by 6 AM on the curbside on your scheduled collection day. Pack all yard trash into bags or tie all sticks and branches into a bundle.
Only four containers of yard material will be collected per week. The weight of each container should be less than 30 pounds. Moreover, cut branches into a length of three feet, and they must be 2 inches in diameter; tie them into a bundle.
Routine yard trash includes shrubs, tree trimmings, grass clippings, palm fronds, and branches. Do not place any irrelevant material along with routine yard trash to ensure collection.
Non-routine yard trash includes whole trees, tree trunks, stumps, root systems, and land clearing debris. If you have these materials and want to dispose of them, contact the Waste and Recycling Division at (863) 284-4319 to schedule a special yard pickup.
North Central Landfill
Only commercial haulers are allowed to dispose of their large trash items in the north landfill. They are required to wear proper PPE to enter the North Landfill station.
3131 K-Ville Avenue Auburndale, FL 33823 Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
All materials coming to the North landfill are subject to a minimum fee of $10. Waste generated outside of Polk County will not be accepted.
If you are not a citizen of Polk County and want to receive facilities provided by the North landfill, you will have to show written approval from the Board of County Commissioners.
Polk County Trash Holidays Schedule
These are some holidays that may impact your household yard and recycling trash collection schedule:
| Holidays | Dates and Day | Change in Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Independence Day | Thursday (July 4, 2024) | Thursday customers will be collected on Friday, July 5, 2024. Friday customers will be collected on Saturday, July 6, 2024. |
| Labor Day | Monday (September 2, 2024) | Monday customers will be collected on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Tuesday customers will be collected on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Wednesday customers will be collected on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Thursday customers will be collected on Friday, September 6, 2024. Friday customers will be collected on Saturday, September 7, 2024. |
| Veterans Day | Monday (November 11, 2024) | Monday customers for yard waste and trash will be collected on the following Monday, November 18, 2024. No change to other collection days. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday (November 28, 2024) | Thursday customers for yard waste and trash will be collected on the following Thursday, December 5, 2024. No change to other collection days. |
| Christmas Day | Wednesday (December 25, 2024) | Wednesday for yard waste and trash will be collected on the following Wednesday, January 1, 2025. |
