Dumpster Rentals in Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County FL uses single-stream recycling, which means you can put all recyclable materials into one bin and a sorting facility will take care of the rest. However, it is important to make sure recyclables are not contaminated with items not meant to be recycled.

Items allowed for recycling in Miami-Dade County are:

• Paper products: newspapers, magazines, catalogs, etc.

• Cardboard

• Cans

• Cartons, aseptic containers

• Plastic (narrow neck only) and glass bottles

For these items to be accepted for recycling, make sure you clean them free of food and beverage debris. To learn more about what to put in your recycling can check out the Simple 5 guide on the Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management.

Here are some items that are not allowed to be recycled in Miami-Dade County, yet often mistakenly end up in the recycling bins, contaminating the “good” recyclable materials:

• Plastic bags

• Pizza boxes

• Paper or cardboard soiled with liquid or food waste

• Batteries

• Medical waste and pharmaceutical

• Certain plastic products

• Electronic waste and accessories

Find out the complete list of unaccepted items for recycling in Miami-Dade County.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management outlines what to do with the hazardous waste that residents can't put into their trash bins or curbside recycling. In this case, the department suggests that residents take these items to the county's Home Chemical Collection Centers for safe disposal. Here are some examples of items that should go to the county's West Dade and South Dade Home Chemical Collection Centers to avoid compromising the environment:

• Aerosol cans

• Batteries: button cell, rechargeable, vehicle

• Bulbs, unbroken fluorescent bulbs, and ballasts

• Chemicals used in the home: paint, pesticides, etc.

• Empty oxygen tanks

• Electronics: computer monitors, televisions, printers, etc.

• Oil-based paints

You can find the complete list of hazardous waste with helpful tips on the county website. The West Dade Home Chemical Collection Center is located at 8801 NW 58 Street, Doral, FL 33178. The South Dade Home Chemical Collection Center is located at 23707 SW 97th Ave, Homestead, FL 33032.

• Motor oil: Used motor oil should not be dumped in your recycle cart or trash bin. You can recycle it at the county's Home Chemical Collection Centers or the Neighborhood Trash and Recycling Centers.

• Gas cans: You can dispose of empty gas cans in the trash. However, cans with gas should be taken to the county's Home Chemical Collection Centers, with a maximum of 10 gallons, or two containers with a maximum of 5 gallons each.

• Ink printer cartridges: These should not go to your recycling cart or trash bin because of the hazardous chemicals they contain. You can drop them off at the Home Chemical Collection Centers, recycle them at stores like Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc., or send them back to the manufacturer for safe disposal.

At Sourgum, we love working with counties and towns that go above and beyond in promoting sustainable practices. The Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management encourages and enables its residents to practice home composting and help the South Florida environment!

Common materials such as tea bags, paper coffee filters, and fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps can all be converted into useful compost and reused in gardens. If you want to learn how to make rich organic soil through composting, you can join the home composting workshops hosted by the department in collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension. Workshop participants can pick up their free compost bins at the Department of Solid Waste Management.

Please check out the department's website for more resources on home composting, including items that can be composted, the process, workshop dates, etc.