Overview
The City of Alachua residential refuse collection program provides for the collection of trash and garbage, recycling, yard wastes, and bulk items for residential properties within our City boundaries. The City of Alachua contracts for its residential refuse collection service with Waste Pro of Florida, Inc.
Residential trash and garbage, recycling, and yard wastes are collected once weekly. Bulk items (furniture, appliances, etc. are collected twice monthly. 
The City charges most residents $20.74 per month for residential refuse service. Residents in the Turkey Creek subdivision pay $21.47 per month. The difference in costs for Turkey Creek residents is attributed to the additional labor required to empty the in-ground garbage receptacles that are used in the subdivision.
Disabled customers can receive backdoor pick-up for their designated pick-up days. For more information regarding backdoor service for disabled customers, please refer to the Disabled Resident Service section below.
In the event your refuse is not collected at the regularly scheduled time, please contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500. Be sure to provide the representative that you speak with your name, street address, subdivision name (if applicable) and a telephone number that you wish to be contacted to verify that your service request was completed to your satisfaction. Please contact the City of Alachua’s Public Services Department at (386) 418-6140 if you are not satisfied with your residential refuse collection service or the response you from our contractor.
Commercial waste generators in Alachua are not included in the City’s residential waste collection program. Alachua permits commercial waste collection service by non-exclusive franchise agreements. The list of franchisees authorized to collect commercial waste is listed under the commercial waste tab in the Solid Waste section of the City’s website.
Collection Days & Times
Residences located south of US Highway 441 receive street side garbage, trash, recycling, and bulk item service on Tuesdays. Residences located north of US Highway 441 receive street side garbage, trash, recycling, and bulk item service on Fridays.
All Alachua residences receive yard waste service on Wednesday.
Collection service is not permitted to begin before 7 am. Collection service typically ends before 7 pm.
Holiday Schedule
Five holidays affect the City of Alachua’s residential refuse collection service. They are:
• New Year’s Day,
• Martin Luther King’s Birthday (observed),
• Independence Day,
• Thanksgiving, and,
• Christmas.
There will be no waste collection on these holidays. All residential refuse collection (garbage, trash, recycling, yard wastes and bulk items) will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week in which these holidays fall. The following week, residential refuse collection will return to the normal schedule.
Disabled Resident Service
Residents who are physically unable to take garbage containers and recycling bins to the street side collection location are eligible to receive disabled backdoor service. This service is provided at no additional charge.
To obtain this disabled resident backdoor service a customer must:
• Complete a disabled waiver form for backdoor collection service
• Furnish a physician's statement verifying that he/she is physically unable to take the receptacles to the street side collection location
• Attest that there is no one residing in the home that is able to take the receptacles to the street side collection location.
Waivers, if approved, will be kept on file in the City’s Utility Billing Department. Waiver forms are available on-line at the City of Alachua’s website, www.cityofalachua.com, or by calling (386) 418-6100.
Yard waste is not included in the City’s disabled resident service program. Residents may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation for this service.
Trash and Garbage Service
Garbage containers must be used for the disposal of regular household trash and garbage (including dry cell batteries – AAA, AA, C, D, etc). Customers are responsible to provide their own garbage containers. Plastic containers are preferred. Residents can purchase garbage containers from a home improvement center or hardware store. Residents may opt to purchase garbage containers from Waste Pro by contacting them at (386) 462-2500. 
If you have more trash and garbage than will fit into your garbage container, it must be placed in a plastic trash bag and sealed. Please avoid “overflow” by ensuring that container lids are properly secured to prevent trash and garbage from blowing out of the container. Loose trash and garbage will not be collected for disposal.
Pet owners, please seal animal waste and cat littler in plastic bags. Also, please do not use your garbage container for dead animals, yard waste, recycling, hot ashes, solvents, paints, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids.
Please keep the following in mind:
• Garbage containers should be placed street side within 5 ft of the street driving surface and 5 ft away from recycling bins.
• Place your garbage containers and recycling bins street side by 7 am of your collection day and no earlier than 5 pm on the day before.
• Remove your garbage containers and recycling bins from street side by 9 pm of the collection day.
Turkey Creek Trash and Garbage Service
Residents in Turkey Creek utilize in-ground receptacles for garbage disposal. These receptacles are a covenant requirement of the subdivision. They are typically located adjacent to the driveway for each residential property.
Garbage collection personnel are directed to collect the removable bins from the in-ground receptacles, empty them into the garbage truck, and return them to the in-ground receptacle. Garbage collection personnel are also directed to ensure that the in-ground receptacle lids closed before moving on to the next residence.
Residents that have more garbage and trash for collection than will fit in the in-ground receptacles must place the excess garbage and trash street side (within 5 feet of the driving surface) and must utilize either sealed garbage bags or a sealed garbage container. Garbage collection personnel are not required to gather loose garbage that is not properly contained.
Turkey Creek residents should dispose of recycling materials, yard wastes, and bulk items by placing them street side on the proper collection day in the same manner that all other City residents do and as described within this information sheet.
Recycling Service
Recycle items include newspaper, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, aluminum & steel cans, glass bottles & jars (all colors), and plastic bottles (#1 or #2 label on bottom). Dry cell batteries (9V, AAA, AA, C, D, etc) are not included as recycle items and should be disposed of with your trash and garbage.
Recycling bins should be placed street side within 5 ft of the street driving surface and 5 ft away from trash and garbage collection containers. Be sure to secure lightweight items such as paper to prevent it from blowing out of the recycling bin.
Recycling bins are provided to residents upon request. Residents may obtain a recycling bin from City Hall located at 15100 NW 142 Terrace.
Yard Waste Service
Yard waste includes leaves, grass clippings and small tree limbs. Yard wastes do not include boards, lumber, construction materials, or remodeling demolition debris. Yard waste must be placed street side (within 10 ft of the street driving surface) by 7am of the collection day. Yard wastes placed adjacent to commercial properties or vacant lots will not be collected by the City’s waste collection contractor.
Residents are permitted to dispose of a maximum yard waste volume of 4 cubic yards each week (total pile size must not exceed 3 ft high by 3 ft wide by 12 ft long). Limbs must be less than five feet in length, smaller than six inches in diameter, and weigh less than 40 lbs. Loose yard waste must be containerized in a garbage container or in plastic trash bags. Yard waste collected in our community is recycled as a soil amendment and mulch. Please do not contaminate yard wastes with garbage.
Yard waste generated by tree surgeons, landscape maintenance contractors, or other commercial enterprises will not be collected by the City’s residential refuse collection contractor.
Residents may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation to remove yard wastes that exceed the criteria outlined above or that was generated by a tree surgeon, landscape maintenance contractor, or other commercial enterprise.
Remember, the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of the yard waste material you generate is to recycle it at your home. For free information and backyard compost bins, contact Alachua County’s Waste Management Division at (352) 374-5213.
Before attempting to burn yard waste, please contact the Florida Division of Forestry at (352) 955-2010.
Bulk Item Service
The City of Alachua offers street side pickup of bulk items for residents at no additional charge. Bulk items include furniture and appliances such as couches, tables, chairs, desks, washers and dryers.
Bulk items are collected by Waste Pro the same day of the week as your trash, garbage, and recycle wastes are collected. You may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 if you have questions about bulk item service. Bulk item(s) must be kept separate from any other trash or debris. Bulk items should be placed street side no earlier than 5 pm on the day before the scheduled collection day.
Construction Materials and Remodeling Demolition Debris
Construction materials and remodeling demolition debris are not considered bulk item waste and will not be collected by the City’s residential waste contractor as the waste material is not be accepted at the Alachua County Environmental Park. Residents with construction materials and remodeling demolition debris may contact Waste may contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 to obtain a price quotation to remove the material or properly dispose of it at either of the following sites.
1. Florence Recycling
3222 SE Hawthorne Road
Gainesville, Florida 32641
352-375-5189
www.florencerecycling.com
Operating Hours: 8-5 Monday through Friday, closed Saturday & Sunday
2. Watson Construction & Demolition Material (C&D) Landfill
20103 SW Archer Road (just before the Levy County line)
Newberry, FL 32669
(352) 495-9520
www.watsonconstruct.com
Disposal of Items that Are Reusable
Residents are encouraged to donate gently used items to charity. Residents may also post unwanted items on Alachua Exchange, www.alachuaexchange.com, Alachua County's free online exchange service. Also, many area charities will come to your home and collect your large items. Some local charities include:
• Christians Concerned for the Community: (352) 371-1768
• Goodwill: (352) 377-9798
• Habitat for Humanity: (352) 378-4663
• The Salvation Army: (352) 376-1743
Excluded Items
The following items are excluded from the City’s residential refuse collection program. However, Waste Pro may be willing to collect these items for an additional fee. Please contact Waste Pro at (386) 462-2500 if you wish to obtain a price quotation.
• Commercial wastes
• Yard wastes generated by tree surgeons, landscape maintenance contractors, or other commercial enterprises
• Construction wastes and remodeling demolition debris.
In addition, the following items are excluded from the City’s residential refuse collection program. Residents are responsible for proper disposal of these items.
• Tires
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Lead-acid (automotive type) batteries
• Pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, and over the counter drugs
• Hazardous materials, paints, solvents, or flammable liquids
• Dead animals
The City of Alachua periodically schedules community roundup days for disposal of tires, hazardous materials, paints, solvents, and flammable liquids. Announcements for these community roundups will appear in the Alachua County Today newspaper and on the City’s website, http://www.cityofalachua.com. Some of these items are accepted at Alachua County’s Rural Collection Centers. Residents are encouraged to contact Alachua County’s Waste Management Division at (352) 374-5213 or visit their website at http://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/PW/Waste/wasteCollection/Pages/WasteCollection.aspx to learn more about the materials that are accepted at these facilities and their hours of operation. The locations of Alachua’s County Rural Collection Centers are shown on the map provide above which shows the collection schedule days in Alachua.
You can obtain more information regarding the City of Alachua’s Residential Refuse Collection Program by contacting the Public Services Department at (386) 418-6140.
