You can help Okeechobee County stay clean and green by following these few easy environmental guidelines for garbage collection, recycling, vegetative waste and bulk pickups. For more information regarding your pickup please call Waste Management 863-357-0111 option #1.
- Set out time is 6:00 a.m., or the night before.
All household garbage must be placed in approved garbage can containers with secure lids, weighing no more than 40 pounds each and placed within 3 feet of the curb by 6:00a.m. on your garbage collection day (no plastic or metal drums).
DO NOT mix yard trash, hazardous waste, furniture, appliances, or construction and demolition debris such as fencing, floor tiles, lumber, concrete, etc. with household garbage.
NO tires, propane tanks, automotive parts, boat parts, oil or batteries
Yard Trash
All grass leaves, and small amounts of tree trimmings less than 4 feet
in length and no more than 5 inches in diameter, and weighing no more than
40 pounds must be bagged or container within waste cans, and placed within
3 feet of the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your yard trash collection day.
Large amounts of yard trash that cannot be placed in cans must be cut in 4 feet lengths and neatly stacked within 3 feet of the curb. These items are considered a "Bulk Item", which requires special handling and collection. These piles that are not collected on your regularly scheduled day will be "tagged" with an information card notifying you that the pile was too large and has already been scheduled for pick up.
DO NOT mix household garbage, hazardous waste, furniture, appliances, or construction and demolition debris such as fencing, floor tiles, lumber, concrete, etc. with household garbage.
Any yard waste generated by landscaping, lawn maintenance, or tree trimming
contractors must be disposed of by the contractor at a sanitary landfill,
as stated in the Okeechobee County Code of Ordinances. (Solid Waste Ordinance
Code, Section 49-32)
Bulk Trash Collection for Single Family Homes
What is bulk trash? Non vegetative items which cannot be containerized,
bagged or bundled; including, but not limited to, inoperative and discarded
refrigerators, ranges, toilets, washers, dryers, bath tubs, water heaters,
sinks, bicycles, and other similar appliances, household goods, and furniture.
The customer is required to remove all doors from refrigerators, freezers, ovens, ranges, washers, dryers and other similar appliances a s required by Florida Statutes Chapter 823.07, 823.08, and 823.09.
All bulky waste should be placed curbside on your regularly scheduled collection day. Bulky waste not collected will be "tagged" with an information card notifying you that it has already been scheduled for pickup.
All bulky waste shall be collected within 5 days of your regularly scheduled collection day.
This does not include cars, boats, or engines.
Construction and Demolition Debris is considered a Special Item, which requires additional fees and special handling. Residential Customer must make arrangements with Waste Management, Inc. for payment of any additional fees and the type of collection/disposal service required for Construction and Demolition Debris.
All Construction and Demolition Contractors, Companies or Handyman Services
must contact Waste Management, Inc. for collection and disposal requirement
pertaining to any Special Item, such as land clearing debris, construction
and demolition debris or and Contractor-Generated Waste as stated in the Okeechobee
County Solid Waste Contract.
The following rules and procedures are for the Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Day Collection Events, which are held twice a year in the months of April and November on specified dates that will be determined by the Solid Waste Department, and those dates will be published in the local newspapers. Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Day is held at the Okeechobee County Vehicle Maintenance Facility, 306 NW 9th Ave. Waste Amnesty Day is for Okeechobee County Residents that need to dispose of the following Household Hazardous Waste Items
Common Household Hazardous Waste:
| Paints/Stains |
Batteries | Mercury | Fluorescent Lamps |
| Latex paints | NiCad | Thermometers | Fluorescent tubes |
| Oil based paints | Lithium | Thermostats | Ballasts |
| Weather Sealers | Mercury | Neon Lights | |
| Wood preservers | Metal Hydride |
| Corrosives |
Flammables | Reactive Materials | Toxics |
| Pool chemicals |
Paint thinners | Aerosol cans | Pesticides |
| Battery acids |
Kerosene | Pool chlorine | Herbicides |
| Drain cleaners |
Lighter fluids | Fertilizers | Poisons |
| Acids and bases |
Propane cylinders | Cyanides | Paint strippers |
| Strong chemicals | Adhesives | Sulfides |
The following waste items are NOT collected:
-
Ammunition
-
Radioactive Material
-
Asbestos
-
Biomedical/Infections Waste
-
Fireworks/Explosives
-
Automobile or Marine Parts of any kind
Disposal of Waste Tires are limited to four (4) tires per resident in a one (1) year period and must be delivered to the Waste Management Landfill. Only D.O.T. approved Passenger Car and Pickup Truck tires will be allowed for disposal.
Tires will NOT be collected at residential curbside locations.
- You will be required to show identification for proof of address
- No Semi truck tires or off road tires of any kind
- No free disposal of commercial business waste tires.
Used Oil must be contained in clear plastic containers that are five (5) gallons or less with a sealed lid to prevent oil spills or leaks. Used Oil must not be contaminated with water, coolant, fuel, grease, paint, cooking oil, or any other liquid or material.
Automotive Batteries must be intact for disposal.
Note: Okeechobee County will only accept Used Oil and Batteries during Waste Amnesty Days.
No Commercial Business Used Oil or Battery Disposal.
Additional InformationItems from land clearing, cars, boats, tires, automobile parts, engines, explosives, radioactive materials, asbestos, biomedical or hazardous waste will not be picked up by Waste Management or the County.
Property Owners that are charged a Garbage Assessment Tax will receive collection service from Waste Management, Inc. for the disposal of Residential Garbage, Yard Trash, Appliances, and Household Furniture.
Vacant Property or Property Owners NOT being charged the Garbage Assessment Tax must arrange collection service and fees with Waste Management, Inc. for disposal of any waste items that are generated on the property.
Any waste generated by building contractors, landscaping, lawn maintenance,
or tree trimming contractors must be disposed of by the contractor at a sanitary
landfill.
Residents with curbside recycling collection must place their recycling bins at the curb by 6:00 a.m. for pick-up on their scheduled recycling collection day. Please recycle only what is listed below. Wrong materials cause recycling loads to be refused at the processing center, so all non-recyclable materials will be left in your recycling bin.
Use your green bin for newspaper and more
- Newspaper and newspaper inserts
- Magazines, catalogs and phone books
- Brown paper grocery bags
- Clean, flattened corrugated boxes, 3'x3' maximum (look for the wavy line between layers)
- Clear brown and green glass bottles and jars (no lids or caps, please)
- All plastic containers except Styrofoam
- Drink boxes (please remove straws)
- Aluminum cans, pie plates and foil
- Milk and juice cartons
Please rinse out all jars, bottles, and cans to help reduce odors, pests and contamination of recyclable materials.
Please flatten and fold all cardboard boxes to a size of 3' x 3' or less, and place in or between recycling bins for collection.
DO NOT recycle these plastic items: Container with automotive products,
pesticide and herbicide, paint, solvent and adhesive products, plastic shopping
bags and wrapping.
New customers with curbside recycling service available should call Waste
Management at 863-357-0111 option #1 for delivery of new bins and recycling
information. Customer without curbside recycling may deliver their recycling
material to the Recycling Drop-off Center located at 306 NW 9th Ave.
Only the following recyclable materials are accepted at public recycling
drop-off locations and curbside program:
- Newspaper
- Aluminum and metal cans
- Corrugated cardboard
- Glass jars and bottles
- Plastics # 1 thru #3
- No plastic shopping bags
- No Commercial business items of any kind
- No Tires
- No Appliances
- No Electronic devices of any kind
- No Yard trash
- No Household trash
- No Oil, gas, paint, or household hazardous waste of an kind
- No Batteries of any kind
Holiday Schedule
Residential waste, yard waste or recyclable collection does not occur on the following days:
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
When the holiday falls on a weekday, residential collection will be delayed one day for the remainder of the week. If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there will be NO delays.
