CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Clay County officials are urging all residents with the exception of Orange Park residents, to only recycle "high-value items" moving forward in order to address unprecedented processing costs, according to a Facebook post, as costs have become a "local, state and nationwide problem."
In the post, the county says the recycling program is changing to focus on high-value items such as plastic bottles/jugs, metal cans and cardboard. Only No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles will be accepted, like water and soda bottles, milk and laundry jugs, and etc. Additionally, recycled cardboard should only be three by three feet in size, clean, flat, and should not be cereal or pizza boxes. Residents are not permitted to place any other items like glass, plastic bags, containers and wraps in recycling bins, the post states.
The county says residents should not recycle glass because in 2024, "many processors won’t accept glass any longer [and because] it breaks and contaminates the high-value items."
The county says in the past, they typically received $6 for every ton of recyclables processed, but now, due to "increased processing costs and weaker markets," the county is "forced to pay $85 per ton." The county must focus on high-value recyclable items to avoid a $232,489 annual cost increase, the post states. And if residents only recycle high-value items, recycling processors have estimated a rebate of up to $15 a ton.
"If we do not follow this method, the processor will charge a higher rate, and residents will have to pay those increased costs," the county's website states. "If crews come across a bin that has the wrong items, they’ll follow the current process and tag it with a notice, alerting the resident to make changes and leave the bin until the next week."
Clay County's recycling program is funded by the Solid Waste Fund, a statutorily driven enterprise fund that must pay for itself and balance, the post states. Furthermore, the county says that any increase in cost would be reflected by an increase to the annual Solid Waste Assessment.
"We all must change the way we recycle to focus on these high-value items to keep the program affordable, running, and without higher costs to residents," the county's post states.
For frequently asked questions with answers on the county's recycling program and new changes, click here. Other questions will be answered by emailing askclay@claycountygov.com.
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