2019 Collection Contract

Garbage Collection Ordinance

The Chair of the Board of County Commissioners of Palm Beach County executed a new garbage and collection ordinance on June 18, 2019. It was filed with the Secretary of State on June 21.

Read the ordinance»

Collection Bid

An audio recording of the Bid 19-402 and RFP 19-203 Protest Hearing held Jan. 23, 2019 is available on the SWA's Purchasing page»
The bids were opened Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. Watch this meeting on YouTube»

At their regular meeting on Feb. 13, the SWA Governing Board voted to:

award Service Area 1 to Waste Pro of Florida, Inc.
award Service Area 2 to Advanced Disposal Services
award Service Area 3 to FCC, SA
award Service Area 4 to FCC, SA
award Service Area 6 to Goode Companies of Florida, Inc. and directed staff to negotiate with them

Watch this meeting on YouTube»

The SWA Governing Board met March 12 to approve negotiated rates with Goode Companies of Florida, Inc. for Service Area 6. The minutes from that meeting are available in the April 10 Board Meeting Agenda (PDF)»

New service area map (PDF) - Effective Oct. 1, 2019

Changes to the collection of waste in unincorporated Palm Beach County will begin on Oct. 1, 2019.

New Residential Curbside Collection Guidelines

Palm Beach County is going Automated. Every residential curbside customer will receive a new 95 gallon cart that will be serviced by specialized trucks equipped with cart tipping equipment. The cart will be delivered to your home by the hauler prior to the new contract start date, most likely in the month of September. Some things you may wish to know about the carts:

All garbage must be placed inside the cart to be collected.
Garbage collection will be provided two (2) days a week.
Customers will receive a 95 gallon cart.
Some residents may find they need a second cart. Those residents will be able to purchase a second cart at a one-time cost of $65. The resident will not incur any additional collection or disposal charges and the hauler will be fully responsible for the repair and/or replacement of the cart.
Please do not use your new cart until Oct. 1, 2019.
Detailed cart and collection guidelines will be attached on your new cart for your review.

Bulk Service will be provided one day per week and limited to no more than three (3) items.

Bulk items include appliances, furniture and any other large household items that do not fit in your cart.
Bulk service will be provided on one (1) of your regular collection days.
Some residents may have more than three (3) items. Contact SWA Customer Service at 561-697-2700 for an estimate to have the additional items removed.

Debris from minor home repairs, called construction and demolition debris or C&D, will be limited to two (2) cubic yards per week.

C&D will be collected on your scheduled bulk service day.
C&D must be contained in cans or plastic bags weighing less than fifty (50) pounds.
Containerized C&D material exceeding two (2) cubic yards will be tagged and not removed.

For additional information, contact Customer Service at 561-697-2700.

New Residential Yard Waste Curbside Collection Guidelines

Debris other than palm fronds and tree branches, such as leaves, tree and hedge trimmings, pine needles, etc. should be containerized, preferably in a garbage can, paper lawn and refuse bags, or plastic bags.

Tree branches and palm fronds should be neatly stacked in a pile that does not exceed six (6) cubic yards. The yard waste collection limit continues to be six (6) cubic yards per week, but under the new collection contract the hauler will no longer be servicing piles that exceed this limit.

The six (6) cubic yards of yard waste at the curb is a requirement of the updated Ordinance for Palm Beach County. This updated Ordinance states that yard waste piles exceeding the maximum six (6) cubic yard weekly limit or those that are non-conforming will have no portion of the pile serviced and the property owner will be responsible for its removal. Such piles will be tagged and must be removed within 30 days of original tag to avoid further action or financial penalties. You can read Read Ordinance 2019-022 in its entirety»

Tree branches placed at the curb must be cut into pieces that are no more than six (6) feet in length and weigh no more than fifty (50) pounds each to facilitate manual loading. Palm fronds can be any length.

Piles that exceed this size will be tagged and photographed and the information forwarded to the SWA Customer Service Department. It will be the customer’s responsibility to arrange for the removal of the pile by either contacting the SWA Customer Service Department or making other arrangements to have the pile removed.

What if I know I am going to have more?
You can call SWA Customer Service at 561-697-2700 to request an estimate to have the pile removed. We have included in our contract an established rate of $8 per cubic yard for the service. Upon payment, the material will be removed within 72 hours.

Alternatively, you can contract with anyone you want to remove the material, or if you have hired a commercial landscaper, make sure they include removal in their quote.

Why is this change being made?
Your SWA yard waste assessment and collection service is intended for routine landscape maintenance, not debris generated by land clearing and tree removal activities. Piles that contain these materials, or that are excessively large, cannot be efficiently collected manually or mechanically and impede the ability of the waste hauler to provide quality, affordable service to the hundreds of other residential customers on the route. In short, this is being done to ensure that every residential customer receives a base level of service that meets the needs of the overwhelming majority of residents at the lowest possible cost.

For additional information, contact Customer Service at 561-697-2700.