Gearing up for spring cleaning and keeping clutter out of trash

With spring just weeks away, residents might be planning a major home cleaning or purging project. Before starting, the City of Port St. Lucie encourages residents to think sustainably and make a thoughtful disposal plan.

Here are some tips to avoid an interruption in solid waste collection:

• Place your debris and carts out the night before or by 7 a.m. the day of service, making sure to remove carts from the curb the night of service.

• Make sure all debris piles and carts are 3 feet away from each other and other obstructions.

• Make sure to stay within the limits: 4 cubic yards of vegetation weekly and 2 cubic yards of bulk monthly.

• Make sure there are no garbage bags outside of your cart or on top of it.

• Make sure all recyclables are loose, clean, dry and inside the recycle cart for service.

When clearing out unwanted items, picking up yard waste and filling garbage bags, here are some tips to properly disposing of waste:

Inside the home

Cardboard boxes, bottles, cans and paper are all recyclable, while other common household items like old clothes, cleaning supplies, paint and electronics can be given a second life. When considering what to donate or throw away, remember: if it has no value to you or anyone else, then tossing it in the trash is your best bet.

Toss out items like furniture that's in bad shape or beyond repair, broken appliances and large plastic toys. When disposing of these bulk items, don't just leave your furniture on the side of the road in the hopes that someone will pick it up. There are four disposal options:

1. Neatly pile bulk curbside on your scheduled pickup day. To learn your bulk pickup day, visit www.CityofPSL.com/SolidWaste. The limit is 2 cubic yards per month, which is equivalent to a standard-size refrigerator.

2. Schedule a pickup. To get a quote for a scheduled bulk waste pickup, call 1PSL at 772-871-1775 and press 5.

3. Haul the bulk waste. Residents can voluntarily drop off yard and bulk waste seven days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or dusk), at the City drop-off center at the corner of Cameo Boulevard and Crosstown Parkway.

4. Hire a contractor. Residents can use a hauler of their choice and schedule a pickup at their convenience. When negotiating the contract, ensure your debris won't be curbside too long to avoid a violation.

Garage/Shed

When clearing out the nooks and crannies of a garage or shed, you may find hazardous materials like automotive fuel, rechargeable batteries, oil-based paints and pool chemicals. These types of materials are dangerous and not only contaminate ground water but also could start fires and cause an explosion. Drop them off year round at the Solid Waste Baling & Recycling Facility, 6120 Glades Cut-Off Road in Fort Pierce. Call 772-462-1768 for hours and for information about what will be accepted. The City also hosts a free Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day twice a year. For more information, call 772-871-5100.

Outside the home

A day of cutting grass, pruning shrubs and pulling weeds can leave quite a pile. Try one these four disposal methods:

1. Neatly pile vegetation curbside on your scheduled pickup day. There is a yard waste limit of up to 4 cubic yards collected weekly, which is about the size of two standard-size refrigerators. When disposing of yard waste, cut tree limbs and branches to a manageable size, not exceeding 4 feet (excluding palm fronds), 6 inches in diameter and 50 pounds per piece. Place loose debris (leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, etc.) in a can or bag yard waste by using paper bags instead of plastic. Paper bags can be mulched along with debris, plastic cannot. Make sure the bag is less than 50 pounds when filled.

2. Schedule a pickup. To get a quote for a scheduled bulk waste pickup, call 1PSL at 772-871-1775 and press 5.

3. Haul the yard waste. Residents can voluntarily drop off yard and bulk waste seven days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or dusk), at the City Drop-off Center at the corner of Cameo Boulevard and Crosstown Parkway.

4. Hire a contractor. Residents can use a hauler of their choice and schedule a pickup at their convenience. When negotiating the contract, ensure the vendor hauls away the debris or adheres to the 4 cubic yard curbside limit.

Donating your unwanted items is a very noble thing to do. It might not be valuable anymore to you but it might be exactly what someone else is looking for.

For more spring cleaning tips, visit www.cityofpsl.com/solidwaste.

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