Pasco County, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling frequency
- at least once per week
- Contamination threshold
- 20% non-conforming triggers hold
- Repeat offender trigger
- 3+ contamination occurrences
- Ownership of set-out recyclables
- belongs to the county
- Scavenging
- unlawful, citable under Sec. 1-6
Summary
Pasco County requires licensed haulers to collect recyclables in county-approved curbside containers and to inspect every load; a container running more than 20 percent contaminated with non-recyclable material gets tagged and left uncollected until the customer fixes it. Recyclables set at curbside become county property once collected.
Pursuant to subsection 90-47(3), collect all program materials placed at curbside in containers designated and approved by the county for the collection of recyclable materials. Inspect the contents of the each designated container placed at curbside for the purpose of determining whether non-conforming materials have been placed in the container. The licensed hauler shall place an educational notice provided by the county on the container if non-conforming materials are observed to exceed 20 percent of the contents in the container. In such cases, the curbside container shall not be collected until the nonconforming materials are removed by the customer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Section 90-50 of the Pasco County Code of Ordinances spells out how curbside recycling must run for unincorporated residents. Each licensed hauler must collect all program materials placed curbside in containers the county has designated and approved for recyclables, and must inspect the contents of each container for non-conforming materials. If a hauler observes that more than 20 percent of a container's contents is non-conforming, it must attach a county-supplied educational notice to the container, and the container is not collected until the resident removes the contaminating material.
The county tracks repeat offenders: a hauler must log any customer who places significant non-conforming quantities in their recycling container, and after three or more occurrences must send the county a notice and a compliance letter to the customer; continued noncompliance lets the hauler ask the county for authorization to stop collecting that customer's recycling. Section 90-47 sets the baseline frequency underlying this program, requiring curbside recycling collection at least once a week. Collected recyclables must be delivered only to county-approved drop-off or processing sites, and once set at curbside they become the property of Pasco County; scavenging or removing recyclables from curbside containers is unlawful and citable under Section 1-6.
Haulers must also submit an annual recycling education and promotion plan to the county by January 1 and distribute promotional materials to customers at least twice a year.
Violations & Fines
Scavenging recyclable materials from a curbside container is unlawful and subjects the violator to a warning and citation under Section 1-6 of the Code. A hauler that fails to inspect containers, tag contaminated loads, or file the required contamination and participation logs with the county is in violation of Chapter 90, and repeated failures factor into the monthly complaint totals that can support license revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I put too much trash in my recycling bin?
Can someone else take items out of my recycling bin?
How often is curbside recycling picked up in unincorporated Pasco County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pasco County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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