Starting Oct. 1, there will be changes to the waste collection contract for residents living in unincorporated Palm Beach County, according to the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority.
Per this contract, yard waste placed at the curb will be limited to six cubic yards.
The limit of six cubic yards is being implemented 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.
The SWA yard waste assessment and collection service are 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.
According to the SWA, the six cubic yard limit balances cost and benefit for the majority of residents, ensures that waste collection routes can be completed more efficiently, and prevents massive yard waste piles from causing neighborhood problems.
Residents have options if they are going to have more than six cubic yards or if they received a tag on their pile. They can:
• Call SWA Customer Service at (561) 697-2700 or (866) SWA-INFO toll-free to request an estimate to have the pile removed,
• Contract with anyone they want to remove the material, or
• Haul it themselves to a permitted disposal facility.
Those residents who have hired a commercial landscaper should be sure to include removal in their quote.
To avoid service interruption, residents should:
• Keep yard waste separate from other debris and free of dirt or sand.
• Place loose vegetation like leaves, tree and hedge trimmings, pine needles, etc. in a container such as a paper bag or garbage can.
• Cut branches into pieces that are no more than six feet long, six inches in diameter, and weigh no more than 50 pounds each. Palm fronds can be any length.
• Neatly stack tree branches and palm fronds in a pile that does not exceed six cubic yards.
Details on the new SWA’s collection contract can be found at www.swa.org/contract.
