Curbside recycling pickup returns

MILTON — Residential waste haulers will begin curbside recycling again on Oct. 3 for the unincorporated areas of Santa Rosa County and the town of Jay.

Recyclable items with the greatest impact are bottles, cans and paper. Non-recyclable garbage placed in recycling bins increases the cost of the recycling process and in turn will increase the cost of garbage and recycling collection service.

These items are not accepted for recycling at this time:

  • Plastic grocery bags 
  • Wax-coated items like ice cream containers, milk cartons and juice boxes
  • Aerosol cans
  • Food waste
  • Garbage or yard waste
  • Garden hoses
  • Window blinds
  • Bubblewrap
  • Tarps
  • Bedding or linens
  • Carpeting or rugs
  • Construction materials

These clean and dry items are accepted for recycling:

  • Glass 
  • Newspaper and inserts
  • Magazines and catalogs
  • Junk mail and envelopes
  • Cardboard
  • Phone books
  • Office and school papers (colored paper)
  • Paper grocery bags
  • Boxboard (cereal, cake and cracker boxes, for instance)
  • Pizza boxes
  • Plastic produce clamshells
  • Plastics Nos. 1 through 7
  • Plastic milk jugs, bottles, and containers
  • Aluminum cans and lids
  • Pet food cans and dry pet food bags
  • Aluminum foil baking pans
  • Balls of aluminum foil; foil pie tins
  • Tin and steel cans and lids
  • Metal pots, pans and cookie sheets
  • Cardboard egg cartons

In addition to curbside recycling, Santa Rosa residents can dispose of household hazardous waste year-round, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the HHW center at the entrance to the Central Landfill, 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton.

According to the EPA, recycling benefits the environment by reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill, conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.

"We are glad to see the recycling service available again and want to remind residents to refresh themselves with what can and cannot be recycled," said Andrew Hill, environmental supervisor with Santa Rosa County.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Curbside recycling pickup returns