Frequently asked questions regarding trash and recycling fees

What are the residential fees?

You do not pay the fee for curbside collection of trash, recycling, and yard waste monthly. Instead, we assess it through a non-ad valorem fee on your property tax bill. We don't use property taxes to fund trash services and all rates are reviewed annually.

Compared to other cities and counties, our residential solid waste customers pay one of the lowest rates in the state.

What if I’m a renter and don’t have a property tax assessment?

You can dispose of materials at Hillsborough County facilities by paying the applicable fees for disposal, or contact Solid Waste at (813) 272-5680 to discuss your disposal options.

What if I am a commercial customer?

Commercial solid waste customers pay for disposal services through fees, called tipping fees, charged at the County’s processing and disposal facilities.

See All Solid Waste Rates & Notes (PDF)

Pickup service fees

Fees for curbside services

Disposal

Annual Disposal Assessment per Dwelling Unit (1)

  • Single family, regular (2) - $180.19
  • Single family, senior citizen (3) - $120.41
    • 28.736% of the single-family annual assessment rate. Brings the disposal rate cost from $152.63 to $108.77 for the annual bill
  • Condominium, regular (4) - $116.12
  • Condominium, senior citizen (3 & 4) - $75.92

Notes

  • (1) Additional annual assessment charges to customers who are added to the Collection and Disposal Assessment (CDA) Roll after the CDA Roll has been certified will receive prorated tax bill from the date of Certificate of Occupancy to the current calendar year. The disposal assessment includes an allowance of up to 2 tons per residential unit for bulky waste that does not qualify for curbside collection that may be self-hauled to the County’s landfill or community collection sites.
  • (2) Amount assessed annually upon owners of Improved Residential Real Property for the disposition of solid waste as prescribed in Section 130-56, Hillsborough County Code of Ordinances and Laws, Part B.
  • (3) Amount assessed to those owners of Improved Residential Real Property who qualified for a senior citizen discount as provided in Section 130-61, Hillsborough County Code of Ordinances and Laws, Part B. The discount has been calculated at 28.736% of the single-family annual assessment rate.
  • (4) Amount assessed annually upon owners of Condominium parcels. The rate has been calculated at 35.557% of the single-family annual assessment rate. Senior citizens receive an additional 30.279% discount on this rate.

Collection

Annual Collection Assessment per Dwelling Unit - Effective October. 1, 2023

  • Curbside (5) - $290.77
  • Collection service charge for use of CCCs - No Charge
  • Additional Backdoor Service - No Charge
  • Disability Backdoor - No Charge

Notes

  • (5) Amount assessed annually upon owners of Improved Residential Real Property and other qualified property owners for the collection of solid waste as prescribed in Chapter 130-57, Hillsborough County Code of Ordinances and Laws, Part B.

Cart fees

  • Additional cart service fee (6) - $65.00 per individual new cart delivered
  • Cart swap fee - $20.00 per customer requested change-out

Notes

  • (6) Additional Cart Service Request Fee shall be applicable to all existing residential unit(s) that requests to have an additional solid waste garbage or recycling collection cart delivered to the premise. The fee shall be charged for the additional cart delivered.

Special curbside pickup

You can request a special curbside pickup for a fee. Prices generally range from $30 to $50, based on the size and type of items., based on the size and number of items. Check out the Special Curbside Pickup for Bulky Items page for fees.


Drop-off information and fees

Fees to take solid waste materials to the various facilities.

Limits

Limits for residential customers dropping off solid waste materials

  • Residential customers are limited to delivering 10 cubic yards of solid waste material to CCCs per year, as part of their annual assessment. This is the equivalent to the material that can be put into a vehicle pulling a double-axle trailer or a loaded box/straight truck. For comparison, a loaded pickup truck generally only carries about two cubic yards. Once the 10 cubic yard limit per year has been reached deliver solid waste material to the Southeast County Landfill or one of the solid waste transfer stations. Pay standard commercial disposal charges, also called tipping fees
  • Residents may also dispose of up to 12 tires per year as part of their annual assessment. Tires in excess of 12 per year take to the Southeast County Landfill. Pay the tipping fee for tire processing.

Processable and non-processable

Disposal rates are per ton (7)

  • Municipalities (10)
    • Processable (8) - $110.00
    • Non-Processable (9) - $58.00
  • Commercial
    • Processable (8) - $119.00
    • Non-Processable (9) - $88.00
  • Non-profit Recycling Residue (11)
    • Non-Processable (9)- $58.00
  • Yard/wood waste processing (12)
    • Non-Processable (9) - $55.00

Notes

  • (7) Each transaction shall be based on the net weight times the rate per ton with a minimum charge of 10% of the appropriate rate if the transaction is 200 pounds or less.
  • (8) Processable solid waste is that solid waste which is capable of being processed through the Resource Recovery Facility including, but not limited to, household and other garbage, trash, rubbish, refuse, combustible agricultural, and commercial and light industrial wastes. If you have questions about whether your self-hauled waste is processable, contact a staff member at the facility or call Solid Waste at (813) 272-5680.
  • (9) Non-processable solid waste is that solid waste which is not able to be processed at the Resource Recovery Facility.
  • (10) The rate is applicable to Municipalities and agencies of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for processable waste delivered to the Resource Recovery Facility and Non-Processable waste delivered to the Southeast County Landfill.
  • (11) The rate is applicable to non-profit organizations that are registered with the State of Florida in accordance with Chapter 212 Florida Statutes and the Federal Government in accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 501c(3) and, except for recycling, the donation of surplus materials from residential units and businesses. This rate only applies to the residue generated from the recycling activities.
  • (12) Yard/Wood Waste delivered to the County for processing, including but not limited to delivery to the Yard/Wood Waste Facility at Northwest on Linebaugh Avenue, or the Yard/Wood Waste Facility on Falkenburg Road, or the Yard/Wood Waste Facility at South County on U.S. 41.

Tires

  • Passenger tires (13) - $211.00 per ton OR $10.00 each
  • Tires with rims (14) - $515.00 per ton OR $23.00 each
  • Semi-truck, oversized tire, and off-road tires (15) - $211 per ton OR $19.00 each

Notes

  • (13) Passenger tires without rims and less than 18” in diameter.
  • (14) Any tires with rims.
  • (15) Oversized tires, semi-truck or off-road tires that exceed 18” in diameter.

Other / miscellaneous fees

  • Mixed load surcharge (16) - 2 times the posted rate
  • Witness disposal (17) - $100 per event
  • After hours disposal (18) - $300 per hour
  • Recycling registration (19) - $50 each
  • Vehicle/trailer weight (20) - $10 each
  • Biosolids for composting (21) - $30.89 per ton
  • Asbestos (22) - $202.10 per ton
  • Load Search Fee (23) - $100 per event

Notes

  • (16) The Mixed Load Surcharge, designed to encourage separation, shall apply to customers who deliver mixed loads (as defined by the Public Works Department) to County facilities. The rate shall be two times the rate that would normally be charged for the predominate material.
  • (17) Disposal that requires a witness to be present during the disposal process.
  • (18) Disposal before or after the hours of 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Monday - Saturday or on Sunday, unless otherwise approved by the Solid Waste Director.
  • (19) Application fee to be paid by a vendor seeking a recycling registration.
  • (20) This charge is required when a customer requests a vehicle and/or trailer to be weighed solely to determine the weight.
  • (21) Biosolids from municipalities, approved quantities accepted are limited by operational and permitted capacity.
  • (22) Asbestos-containing material (friable and non-friable) is only accepted at the Southeast County Landfill after obtaining special waste approval in advance. There are also special packaging and notification requirements prior to being delivered.
  • (23) The rate is applicable to residential and commercial load searches. This permits customers to search processable or non-processable loads for personal belonging accidently disposed of in residential or commercial loads. A waiver of liability and proper personal protection equipment are required. The facility Manager has the right to refuse load search requests based on facility access or other health and safety concerns. The load search will be limited to 2 hours.

Scales inoperable

Disposal rates per ton are still in effect when the scales are inoperable for a non-Emergency Event. However, the weight of the load will be determined by cubic yards or average net tonnage from the tonnage tracking system, depending on the waste type, vehicle type, and customer.

Emergency events

  • Landfilling
    • Processable - $64.33
    • Non-Processable - $45.55
  • Yard/Wood Waste Processing
    • Non-Processable - $40.79
  • Incinerator
    • Processable - $55.73

Notes

  • Processable solid waste is that solid waste which is capable of being processed through the Resource Recovery Facility including, but not limited to, household and other garbage, trash, rubbish, refuse, combustible agricultural, and commercial and light industrial wastes. If you have questions about whether your self-hauled waste is processable, contact a staff member at the facility or call Solid Waste at (813) 272-5680.
  • Non-processable solid waste is that solid waste which is not able to be processed at the Resource Recovery Facility.

Deposits

  • The Florida State Constitution, Article VII, Section 10, prohibits a governmental agency from extending credit in the manner normally viewed as "credit". As a result, a payment system has been established in the following manner:
  • Franchisees are required to provide cash deposits, irrevocable letters of credit, or payment bonds to Hillsborough County as assurance for payment of monthly disposal fees. The amount of the letter of credit or payment bond shall be based on a 60-day disposal fee period (BOCC Policy, Section 09.08.01.00).
  • All other accounts are required to maintain a minimum deposit of $500, or the estimated largest amount expected to be used during any given month.

Help with your bill

We offer programs that can help eligible homeowners assistance with their annual bill. Eligibility for these programs depends on age, income, and/or disability status.

Hardship and affordability assistance credit

The Solid Waste Management Hardship/Affordability Credit is an assistance program that helps eligible homeowners cover their annual Solid Waste Management Disposal and/or Collection Assessment.

For more information on the program visit the Solid Waste Hardship & Affordability Credit page.

Residents who have been previously approved must reapply every year.

Senior discount and disability exemption

We offer a senior citizen (65+) discount for trash service for the annual solid waste disposal assessment on your property taxes. If your property is billed for an accessory dwelling, we also offer an exemption for additional collection/disposal charges for seniors and people over 18 with a disability.

Residents who have been previously approved do not need to reapply again unless you move to another home or condo within the County's solid waste area.

For more information visit the Senior & Disability Trash Bill Discounts page.

Last Modified: 9/30/2024, 2:44:19 PM

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