As the holiday season approaches with its festive cheer and abundance of gift-giving, Hillsborough County brings attention to the need for proper recycling during these times of increased waste. According to a recent release on the county's website, residents have clear instructions on how to stay off the recycling "Naughty List" by placing the right items in their blue recycling carts.
The county urges that many items typically regarded as trash can, in fact, be recycled, from plastic bottles and containers to paper products and flattened cardboard boxes; while the release emphasizes the need for materials to be clean, empty, and dry before being recycled, suggesting residents avoid the common mistake of tossing unclean or wet recyclables into the blue carts. Items such as plastic films, foam products, and electronics are excluded from the blue cart program but can often find their second life in designated recycling locations at local supermarkets.
For those who find their blue carts at capacity, overflowing with the remnants of holiday cheer, several community collection centers throughout Hillsborough County remain open with free drop-off services for excess recyclables. Locations include Hillsborough Heights, Northwest County, South County, Alderman's Ford, and Wimauma with operational hours between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, excluding major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day; information obtained from the county's website underscores the importance of these centers as a resource for managing the holiday recycling surge.
In addition to recycling, the county's announcement includes changes to the trash collection schedule during the holiday season, advising that there will be no collection on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, with regular services resuming before and after these dates; furthermore, the county's "Holiday Recycling Naughty & Nice List" offers a convenient reference for residents looking to ensure their celebratory disposables are sorted accordingly, avoiding unnecessary waste.
For more details on acceptable recycling items during the holidays and further instructions, residents can visit the Hillsborough County website directly.
