WELCOME to Solid Waste and Resource Recovery

The main goals of the Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Department are:

• To provide an integrated and comprehensive solid waste management system for the citizens of Pasco County.
• To address hazardous waste levels generated in order that citizens and small businesses of Pasco County may dispose of hazardous waste in an environmentally-safe manner and remove such materials from the municipal solid waste stream.
• To apply industry-acceptable methods of preventing marketable raw materials from entering the waste stream.

We strive to reach these goals by completing the following:

• Providing leadership and direction in the employment of available resources to comply with County policies, County ordinances, and state and federal regulations regarding solid waste management.
• Supervising the Resource Recovery assessment program, the Hazardous Waste program, and the Solid Waste Recycling program; to maintain continued involvement in the operation of the Resource Recovery Facility and associated landfill expansion and development; to oversee capital projects as funded by bond issues.
• Operating the County's household hazardous waste collection and storage facilities and to manage the statemandated Small Quantity Generators Inspection Program to address business and hazardous waste generators.

Solid Waste Assessment

The solid waste disposal assessment is a non-ad valorem assessment billed annually since 1989 to all owners of real property in Pasco County. This assessment is the method of generating revenue to cover costs for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the solid waste system which is comprised of the waste-to-energy facility, the Ridge Road Landfill (closed), the West Pasco Class III Landfill (open), the West Pasco Class I Landfill (open), the East Pasco Class I Landfill (open), the East Pasco Transfer Station, and the Household Hazardous and Recycling Programs. Please note that the solid waste assessment does not cover the cost of collection of the solid waste. The money that is paid to the waste haulers is for collection and transport to our facilities. The solid waste assessment pays for the proper disposal of this solid waste.

Residential parcels are billed a flat fee annually, which is included on property tax bills issued by the Pasco County Tax Collector.

Parcels which are designated as commercial (office buildings, churches, warehouses, RV parks, stores, medical facilities, etc) receive a separate, annual bill each year generated by the Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Section of the Utilities Services Branch. Unlike residential assessments, they are billed based on the square footage of the building, multiplied by a generator factor according to the use of the structure as identified by the Property Appraiser's Office. Actual hauler records, as either supplied by the hauler or owner of the real property, may be substitued in lieu of the square footage assessment. In some cases, assessment may be based on a combination of both.

An appeal form is included with the August mailing of commercial Notice of Proposed Annual Solid Waste Disposal Assessments and the November mailing of the actual bills. Low volume generators, such as businesses who use curbside pickup instead of dumpsters, may be eligible for a reduction on their assessment(s). Appeals should be filed as quickly as possible to allow time for processing of adjustments to be made prior to the actual bill. For 2007 assessments, the final filing deadline is January 31, 2008.

ATTENTION: TITLE COMPANIES/CLOSING AGENTS

The solid waste assessment is levied against the parcel and is subject to penalties and lien activity if the assessment is unpaid. It is extremely important to know that all title searches are not complete without checking for unpaid assessments with the Solid Waste Customer Service Office.

At present, solid waste assessments are not available on-line. In order to assure that there are no outstanding assessments on a parcel, a call to the Solid Waste Customer Service Office should be made to check for outstanding assessments/liens prior to closing. Current assessment information and payoffs for outstanding liens are available by calling the Solid Waste Customer Service Office at (727) 847-8123, or may be faxed to 727-847-8972. Office hours are Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.