Santa Rosa County Environmental staff have noticed an increase in recycling and recycling contamination in the form of holiday lights, electrical cords, inflatables, and garlands (also known as tanglers). Staff would like to encourage residents to "Know Your No's" when it comes to unacceptable recyclable materials.

The following should NEVER be placed in the recycle bin:

Tanglers - hoses (including garden hoses), cords, holiday lights, ropes, etc. tangle up recycling equipment. Place in regular household garbage.
Styrofoam - these products crumble in the machinery. Place in regular household garbage.
Scrap metal - take mixed metals and wires to the Central Landfill metal recycling bin or a local scrap recycling business.
Textiles - consider donating clothing and other textiles to a thrift store.
Aerosol cans - these can be fire hazards and should be disposed of at the household hazardous waste (HHW) center.
Hazardous or medical waste - these items should always be disposed of at the HHW center.

The household hazardous waste (HHW) center is located near the entrance before the weigh station of the Central Landfill, 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton. Service is provided free of charge to all Santa Rosa County Residents and is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Non-recyclable materials and garbage placed in recycling bins increase the cost of recycling and jeopardizes the recycling program for the entire county. Ensuring a quality product is delivered to ECUA’s processing facility is critical to the success of recycling.

Santa Rosa County residents are encouraged to focus on the basics and by ONLY placing the following items in their curbside recycling bin:

Clean and dry cardboard and paper
Empty, clean, and dry aluminum and steel cans (no pet food cans due to the plastic liner)
Empty, clean, and dry plastic bottles and jugs

Remember, when in doubt, throw it out! For more information and to check the full list of recycling do's and don'ts, visit: www.santarosa.fl.gov/recycling.