Palm Beach County, FL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- County Code §§ 25-3, 25-6
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Palm Beach County only
- Enforced by
- Code Enforcement Division, SWA inspectors
- Penalty
- Separate offense for each violation-day
Summary
Unincorporated Palm Beach County residents must use the Solid Waste Authority's franchised recycling collection: recyclables set out at the curb are legally reserved for the authorized hauler, and anyone else who scavenges or removes them is committing a code violation.
It shall be unlawful for any person to scavenge or to remove without written authorization from the county or solid waste authority, any recyclable material or recovered material set out by residents of the unincorporated areas of the county for collection under any county or solid waste authority recycling program.
Full Breakdown
Recycling collection in unincorporated Palm Beach County runs exclusively through franchised haulers authorized by the Solid Waste Authority. Code § 25-3 makes it unlawful for any person to carry on the business of collecting residential recyclable material without first obtaining a franchise. Once recyclables are set out at the curb for pickup under a county or Solid Waste Authority recycling program, § 25-6(c) makes it a separate offense for anyone, including scrappers and unauthorized haulers, to scavenge or remove that material without written authorization from the county or the Authority. Residents of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach, Jupiter and the county's other municipalities are on their own city-run recycling programs, not this one.
Violations & Fines
Removing curbside recyclables without written authorization from the county or Solid Waste Authority, or hauling residential recyclable material without a county franchise, is a code violation enforceable under F.S. § 162.01 et seq. and ULDC Article 10, and each day it continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a scrapper take the metal out of my recycling bin?
Does this rule apply in Boca Raton or West Palm Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Beach County to another location·View the Florida trash & recycling overview
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