Educational Resources: Garbage and Recycling

Solid Waste follows the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover of managing waste. Use these resources to learn what happens when you throw things away, how to reduce waste, and how to help the environment.

Tours and Presentations

Tours

• The 90-minute tour includes a classroom presentation and driving tour of the Solid Waste Disposal Complex. Participants will see the Waste-to-Energy Facility, landfill and more.
• Tours are available to everyone at least eight years old and in third grade or above. For students in kindergarten through second grade, visit our activities and resources.

Monthly Tours

Register for a Monthly Tour of up to 40 attendees by selecting a date and time that works best for you at PinellasSolidWasteTour.eventbrite.com.

School Tours

Questions about tours?

Email recycle@pinellas.gov or call (727) 464-7500.

Virtual Tour

Take a stunning virtual tour of the Solid Waste Disposal Complex (SWDC) and learn about our mission of managing garbage as a resource to reach our vision of zero waste to landfill by 2050.

Who Should Take a Virtual Tour?

• Children who are younger than eight years old who are not old enough for the in-person tour, but are interested in learning about what happens to their garbage after they throw it away.
• Those who want to explore at their own pace while learning about how we convert garbage to fuel and why reducing, reusing and recycling is so important to Pinellas County.
• Those who took the in-person tour, but want a deeper dive into the SWDC (the virtual tour takes you behind the scenes to areas that you don’t get to see during the in-person tour).

You may need to contact your network administrator if you are having issues accessing the Virtual Tour.

Presentations

Presentations on garbage and recycling are available to schools, clubs, community and civic organizations, homeowners associations and more. 

The length and content level of the presentation can be suited to your group’s needs.

Email recycle@pinellas.gov or call (727) 464-7500 to request a presentation. Presentations are for those at least eight years old and in third grade or above.

Watch our Virtual Presentation: Recycling in Pinellas County recording on YouTube.

Publications

The County’s Recycle Guide and the STEAM Guide are created in partnership with the Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education program.

Reports

Reports about garbage and recycling composition and awareness prepared on behalf of Solid Waste, as well as other related reports, can be found by visiting the following links. All reports and surveys are PDF files. If you cannot view a file, click here for a free download of the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. All reports are listed from newest to oldest.

Garbage and Recycling Composition Studies

• 2021-22 Waste Composition Study
• 2020 Municipal Recyclable Materials Composition Study (for the countywide composition and contamination rate, see page 13, Table 3-2)
• 2020 County Recyclable Materials Composition Study
• 2014 Waste Characterization Study

Recycling Awareness Survey

• 2023 Commercial Recycling Awareness Survey
• 2021 Commercial Recycling Awareness Survey
• 2020 Residential Recycling Awareness Survey
• 2019 Commercial Recycling Awareness Survey
• 2018 Residential Recycling Awareness Survey

Christmas Bird Count

• 2023 Pinellas County Solid Waste Christmas Bird Count
• 2022 Pinellas County Solid Waste Christmas Bird Count
• 2018 Pinellas County Solid Waste Christmas Bird Count

Videos

View our video library webpage or view them on YouTube.

Pinellas Partners in Recycling

Resources for Students and Teachers

Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay

• Join the Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay campaign and its partners in supporting the worldwide movement to reduce waste from single-use plastics. You can be part of the Reduce Your Use Tampa Bay campaign by sharing how you are reducing pollution from disposable plastic products.

Tampa Bay Recycles

• Local governments across Tampa Bay have teamed up to improve recycling efforts in the region. Visit Tampa Bay Recycles (English and Spanish) to make sure you are recycling correctly and helping our region avoid the common challenge of contamination – attempting to recycle soiled items or materials our programs don’t accept.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)

• An organization of more than 10,000 public and private sector professionals committed to advancing from solid waste management to resource management through their shared emphasis on education, advocacy and research.  SWANA offers free membership for full-time students, a MentorMatch program, and scholarships.

Green School Designation

• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green School Designation Program’s environmental guidelines help Florida primary and secondary schools evaluate operations, set goals, and take specific actions to create a healthier environment, such as reducing water and energy use and reducing waste to lower operating costs.

Keep Pinellas Beautiful

• An organization dedicated to conserving and beautifying our natural environment through community engagement, like cleanups, and education. Students can participate in a variety of programs that offer leadership and volunteer opportunities in environmental stewardship.

Pinellas County Solid Waste Volunteer Internships

• Join us in educating residents about how to recycle and reduce waste. Students can gain job experience and build their resumes while creating important connections to professionals in the field of garbage and recycling. Learn more about volunteer internships.

Additional Resources

Questions?

Send an e-mail to recycle@pinellas.gov, click the Live Chat button below, or call (727) 464-7500.

Updated on Feb. 12, 2024.