Learn about our Solid Waste Master Plan to extend the life of the landfill and increase waste diversion for the County
The information on this page is for all Hillsborough County residents, including businesses and single-family and multi-family residents.
Since 2015, Hillsborough County has been generating waste faster than it can be burned at the Waste-to-Energy Facility. As a result, more waste is landfilled every year, taking up limited space. This Master Plan outlines strategies and infrastructure needed to meet population and waste growth through 2065, and increase waste diversion and the life of the landfill. Along with an evaluation of the current solid waste management system, the plan includes improvements to recycling and diversion, operations, programs, facilities, and technologies.
Goals
- Maintain low and predictable collection and disposal rates that cover the cost of services
- Decrease contamination in curbside recycling
- Maximize the efficiency, productivity, and useful life of the Waste-to-Energy Facility
- Minimize landfill disposal
- Collaborate with partners to increase recycling and diversion
- Increase commercial and multifamily sector recycling within the commercial and multifamily sectors
What’s in our trash?
In 2023, the Solid Waste Management department conducted a Waste Composition Study by studying samples of garbage to see what residents and businesses are throwing away. The department uses this data to make decisions about new programs and projects. For example, some items that are thrown away could be recycled or composted in the future. The results show:
- Recyclable Materials – 39% (paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and jugs, aluminum and steel cans, and glass bottles and jars that can be recycled)
- Compostable Materials – 28% (food waste, yard waste, and other organic items that could be composted)
- Construction and Demolition Debris – 4% (tiles, concrete, drywall, and other building materials)
- All Other Materials – 29% (items that cannot easily be recycled or composted, such as certain plastics, like plastic film and foam packaging, and household garbage)
Hillsborough County Waste Composition Study Report
Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan
Read the objectives the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners adopted in the Solid Waste section of the Comprehensive Plan to meet the County’s solid waste challenges, including adopting a waste management hierarchy that prioritizes waste reduction as the primary approach, followed in order by reuse, recycling/composting, and energy recovery. Landfill disposal is the last resort.