Clearwater Landfill, Dump & Recycling — Hours, Fees & What They Take

Disposal sites near Clearwater

Clearwater dump hours

The Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex runs Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Twelve hours on a weekday and a 5 p.m. Saturday close make this a generous schedule. Lee County, for comparison, shuts at noon on Saturdays. If your weekend clear-out runs long, Pinellas waits for you.

What it costs to dump in Pinellas County

Pinellas prices small loads by vehicle and big ones by weight. The per-ton, tire, out-of-county and protective-equipment fees rise on October 1, pending County approval. Car, pickup, contractor and special-handling fees stay the same:

From Pinellas County's published Solid Waste Disposal Complex fee information. Confirm on (727) 464-7500 before an unusual load.

$4.25 is about as cheap as a gate gets in Florida. Not per ton — per carload. For comparison, Broward charges $10 a passenger vehicle and Lee County $15. Filling a car trunk in Clearwater and driving to 114th Avenue North costs less than a sandwich.

The pickup rate is the one to think about. At $11.75 a load flat, a truck bed is still cheap — but you'd need roughly 370 to 400 lbs before the per-ton rate would have been better, so for anything dense, ask which way you're being charged.

Clearwater curbside — and why it beats the trip

For most Clearwater households the dump is the wrong answer, because the city already collects the awkward stuff.

Single-family residents get curbside yard waste and trash collection once a week, and for large items the rule is refreshingly simple: set furniture and other large items at the curb on your regular collection day and crews will pick them up. No appointment, no booking window, no separate fee mentioned. Plenty of cities make you schedule bulk collection. Clearwater just takes it on the day.

Two exceptions. Appliances and electronic equipment need a phone call first — ring (727) 562-4920 before you put them out. And rechargeable batteries, and small devices with batteries built in, don't go in the trash at all. Take those to the County's HHW North site on U.S. 19 or the HHW Center on 109th Avenue North.

Have it at the curb by the start of your collection day. Questions go to the Solid Waste Operations Line, (727) 562-4920.

The surcharges — who actually pays here

Pinellas keeps residential disposal cheap and puts the cost on two other groups:

• Furniture removal in Clearwater
• Out-of-county waste pays double. The surcharge equals the disposal rate: $58.86 a ton on top of $58.86 now, and $63.57 on top of $63.57 ($127.14 a ton) from October 1. Lee County, by contrast, refuses out-of-county waste outright. Pinellas will take it, at twice the price.
• A $100-per-load contractor surcharge applies to materials that need extra processing or preparation before disposal.
• Special handling is $110 per load (asbestos, soil, treated lumber, boats and similar, by appointment), and if you need protective equipment on site it's $20 a kit, $22.50 from October 1. Bring your own.

The practical read: as a Clearwater resident with a car, this is one of the cheapest counties in Florida. As anything else, it's one of the more expensive.

Haul it yourself, or hire junk removal? — Clearwater

With $4.25 carloads, twelve-hour weekdays and curbside bulk pickup on your regular day, Clearwater residents have less reason to pay for haul-off than almost anywhere. Where it still makes sense:

• Haul it yourself — cheapest by a long way if you have a vehicle and can lift it. The gate rates above are the whole cost.
• Junk-removal crew — condo and beach-rental turnovers, estate clearances, upper floors without an elevator. The lifting, not the tipping fee, is what you're paying for here.