Cardboard boxes, paperback books, magazines, newspaper, office paper, junk mail, cereal boxes, tin cans, aluminum cans, empty aerosol cans, glass bottles and jars of any color.
Recycling FAQs
Gene Ginn, Solid Waste & Recycling Manager
Cardboard boxes, paperback books, magazines, newspaper, office paper, junk mail, cereal boxes, tin cans, aluminum cans, empty aerosol cans, glass bottles and jars of any color.
Curbside recycling collection occurs once every week on the same day as your garbage collection. Please refer to our collection day map to identify your collection day.
These days, we have more cardboard boxes than ever. All cardboard should be flattened, cut smaller, or folded and must be put inside the recycling container for collection. You may lay flattened boxes across the top of your container with the lid covering them.
Any item(s) not inside your recycling container will not be collected by the recycling truck.
Your (green) trash and (blue) recycling containers are property of the City of Lakeland and are assigned to a specific customer address. Because every container has a serial number and is electronically tagged, containers are attached to your address. Container problems associated with normal wear and tear will be repaired by the City. However, containers that are stolen or damaged through neglect or misuse will be replaced at the property owners’ expense.
Residents are responsible for routine maintenance, including keeping the containers clean, removing the containers from the street after collection, and storing the containers in a safe place.
NOTE: If your containers are not green and blue, they are not serviced by the City of Lakeland. Contact Polk County Waste Resource Management Division at 863.284.4319 for more information.
There are six holidays that could impact your collection schedules: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
All recyclable material should be empty of all liquids, solid foods and should be placed in the cart as clean as possible.
Imagine if you had to store your recycling in your house for several weeks. If you didn’t rinse your containers, the food would attract bugs and vermin. Yuck! The same thing happens in a recycling facility when your leftover food and liquids are in the blue cart. If the food is too caked-on to remove easily, for everyone’s safety, throw it away in your green cart.
Some examples of items/materials that cannot be placed in recycling containers include:
Shredded paper can be recycled and should be placed in a paper bag and closed securely prior to placing in your recycling cart to prevent items from being blown into the street.
Recycling Events:
Each year, the City of Lakeland holds an annual ShredFest, a free shredding event for confidential documents to be shredded and recycled. Check the City Calendar of Events for latest date.
You may not place any plastic grocery bags or plastic wrap in your blue recycling cart.
Local grocery and retail stores have recycling containers located outside their stores for collecting and recycling plastic bags. In addition to plastic bags, Publix Super Markets will accept the following, clean and dry plastic materials in their recycling bins:
The City of Lakeland can no longer recycle any form of Styrofoam in the blue carts.
Household chemicals and electronics can cause great risk to collection staff and to our environment if not disposed of properly. These items are accepted free of charge at the Polk County North Central Landfill, located at 7399 Decastro Road, Winter Haven, Florida.
For more information, contact Polk County Waste Resource Management Division at 863.284.4319.
Assisted or "front door" service for both garbage and recycling collection can be provided to City residents that submit a completed medical waiver collection form.
Please call our office to talk to a customer service representative at 863.834.8773.
While the reasons for recycling are many (recycling can save you, and others, in the cost of providing trash collection service), consider that for every ton of garbage disposed of in the County landfill, it costs the City approximately $36. The City of Lakeland spends approximately $2.9 million in disposal fees annually to landfill the waste collected citywide. With mixed recycling by Lakeland residents, trash generation volumes have reduced significantly.
If you prefer to return the cart to the City of Lakeland, we will accommodate such request. However, the monthly service fee will remain on your bill.
Recycling FAQs
Gene Ginn, Solid Waste & Recycling Manager