GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. — The curbside recycling program in Green Cove Springs is coming to an end. After a recent city council vote, the final pickup is scheduled for Friday, September 26.
Earlier this month, the Green Cove Springs City Council voted to officially end curbside recycling on September 29. According to the city’s website, the decision was driven by a combination of low participation, rising costs, and aging equipment.
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Running the recycling route costs around $55,000 annually, and replacing the city’s aging truck would add another $60,000 in yearly debt payments. Participation has also dropped significantly—only 10% of residents are still taking part in the program, and just 4% are recycling cardboard.
Action News Jax spoke with residents about why they’ve stopped participating.
A neighbor told us their recycling bin used to be filled with cans—now, it’s full of pipes. I asked why. They said, ‘Because it got too nitpicky.’
Jenny Yeaman shared, “If you had a milk jug, you had to rinse the milk jug out. He had to rinse the glass items out.”
Her sister, Carrie Yeaman, added, you put this in there, but it got to be rinsed out. It’s got to be down to this size.”
For many, the process simply became too much.
“It was too time-consuming to do every little thing that they wanted us to do. There are times that trash would be picked up—the recyclable—instead of recycling picking it up,” said Carrie Yeaman.
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Another factor in the decision was a dramatic increase in processing fees. In 2023, Clay County’s recycling processor raised rates from a $6 credit per ton to an $85 charge per ton. As a result, Clay County ended its own curbside recycling program on October 1, 2024.
Now, the only material accepted for recycling in the county is corrugated cardboard, which must be dropped off at designated locations.
Residents can drop off corrugated cardboard at one of six locations:
- Clay Hill Environmental Convenience Center, open Thursday to Saturday, 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Doctor’s Inlet Environmental Convenience Center, open Thursday to Saturday, 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Keystone Heights Environmental Convenience Center, open Thursday to Saturday, 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Long Bay Environmental Convenience Center, open Thursday to Saturday, 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Management Facility, open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Challenge Enterprises Residential Shred Program, every Tuesday from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M., also accepts paper products.
The city has confirmed that residents do not need to return their recycling bins. They can keep them for personal use.
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