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Recycling and waste disposal in Stuart, Florida
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Stuart, Florida

Stuart, FL Recycling Guide

Stuart recycling is simple once you separate blue-cart recyclables from electronics, hazardous waste, and self-haul materials. The city handles single-stream recycling and e-waste, while Martin County handles hazardous waste, HazMobile, and transfer-facility drop-offs.

8 min read

Fast take

Use the blue cart only for the city's accepted clean recyclables. Take electronics to Stuart's e-waste site, hazardous materials to HazMobile or Palm City, and self-haul items like tires or demolition debris to the transfer facility.

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1

How recycling works in Stuart

Recycling in Stuart is fairly simple once you separate curbside recyclables from electronics, hazardous waste, and self-haul materials. City residential customers use single-stream recycling, so accepted materials go into one blue cart instead of being sorted by type.

  • The City of Stuart says residential customers are provided a 65-gallon blue recycle cart.
  • The same page describes Stuart's system as single-stream recycling, meaning approved paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic items can go together in one container.
  • For sanitation, bulk-pickup, or yard-debris questions, the city directs residents to Customer Service / Sanitation at (772) 288-5317.
2

What goes in the blue cart

The easiest way to recycle correctly is to think in terms of clean household packaging and paper products. Stuart's published recycling graphic gives a fairly broad accepted list for ordinary household recyclables.

  • The city's recycling guide says the blue cart accepts plastics with recycling symbols one through seven.
  • It also accepts paper products such as colored and white office paper, junk mail and envelopes, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, phone books, shredded paper, cardboard, food boxes, paper egg cartons, and paper-towel or toilet-paper tubes.
  • The same graphic shows accepted metal and glass items including aluminum cans, aluminum foil, pie tins, steel or metal food containers, and glass food and beverage containers, plus non-waxed milk and juice cartons.
3

What should stay out of the blue cart

Contamination is where most recycling systems break down. Stuart's published do-not-recycle list is clear: soft plastics, dirty materials, and household problem waste should stay out of the cart.

  • The city's do-not-recycle graphic says to keep out plastic bags, un-numbered plastics, shrink wrap, flexible plastic wrap, and snack packaging.
  • It also says not to place food waste, liquids, waxed paper, Styrofoam, PVC, fabrics, wood, paper towels, used paper plates or cups, batteries, light bulbs, mirrors, ceramics, coat hangers, electric cords, Christmas lights, garden hoses, or cooking pans and toasters in the blue cart.
  • In practical terms, if the item is dirty, stretchy, hazardous, or made from mixed materials, it probably does not belong in Stuart's curbside recycling cart.
4

Electronics recycling is easy in Stuart

Electronics are one of the easiest specialty materials to handle correctly in Stuart because the city maintains a dedicated e-waste site. This is usually the first stop for old electronics from city households and businesses.

  • The City of Stuart says its E-Waste Recycling Center is at the City of Stuart Municipal Solid Waste Complex at the corner of 407 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Georgia Avenue, behind Stuart Middle School.
  • The city says the e-waste drop-off is open 24 hours for City of Stuart residents and businesses.
  • The FAQ lists accepted items including computers, monitors, televisions, printers, projectors, scanners, stereos, cell phones, toner and ink cartridges, and batteries except automotive batteries.
5

Hazardous waste belongs with Martin County, not in the cart

Household hazardous waste is where county services matter most. If the material is flammable, corrosive, toxic, or reactive, it should not be set out curbside in Stuart.

  • Martin County says residents can bring up to 100 pounds of household hazardous waste from a residence to the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Center at 9155 Busch Street in Palm City for free disposal.
  • The county lists accepted items there including aerosol cans, antifreeze, household, automotive, and marine batteries, cleaners, electronics, fluorescent bulbs, gasoline, propane tanks, paints, pesticides, fertilizers, and pool chemicals.
  • The Palm City facility is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
6

HazMobile is the easiest Stuart-area hazardous-waste option

If Palm City is inconvenient, the HazMobile is the simpler local answer. It gives Stuart residents a regular local drop-off option for many hazardous materials, though it does not accept everything the Palm City center does.

  • Martin County says the HazMobile stops at the City of Stuart Fire Station, 800 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, on the second Wednesday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • The county says HazMobile accepts aerosol cans, antifreeze, cleaners, fertilizers and herbicides, filters, fluorescent bulbs, household batteries, paints, pesticides, and used motor or cooking oil under five gallons.
  • It does not accept electronics, televisions, gasoline, propane tanks, tires, appliances, flares, or business waste, so those materials need a different disposal plan.
7

What to do with plastic bags, medications, sharps, tires, and debris

The items that trip people up most are usually not normal recyclables at all. Stuart and Martin County already have rules for them, but they belong in the right stream instead of the blue cart.

  • Martin County's recycling guide says plastic bags and small Styrofoam items should be taken back to local grocery stores for recycling, not placed in curbside recycling.
  • The county says prescription medications should go to the Martin County Sheriff's Office at (772) 220-7000 or a local pharmacy, and needles or sharps should be handled through the Martin County Health Department at (772) 221-4000.
  • For tires, vegetation, and construction or demolition debris, the county directs residents to the Solid Waste Transfer & Recycling Facility at 9101 SW Busch Street in Palm City, which operates on a self-haul, self-unload basis for a fee.

A simple home routine

Five buckets that keep Stuart recycling easy.

  • Blue cart: clean paper, cardboard, cans, glass food and beverage containers, and approved plastics.
  • Trash: food-soiled paper, plastic film, foam, mixed-material junk, and anything the city marks as prohibited.
  • E-waste: computers, TVs, printers, monitors, phones, and similar electronics at the Stuart e-waste center.
  • Hazardous waste: chemicals, batteries, paint, bulbs, oils, and similar materials at HazMobile or the Palm City disposal center.
  • Self-haul items: tires, construction debris, and oversized loads at the Palm City transfer facility.

Useful contacts

  • City of Stuart Customer Service / Sanitation: (772) 288-5317
  • City of Stuart Recycling and Conservation Coordinator: (772) 600-1206
  • City of Stuart customer service email: customerservice@ci.stuart.fl.us
  • Martin County Household Hazardous Waste / HazMobile: (772) 221-1416
  • Martin County Transfer Facility: (772) 221-1442
  • Martin County Sheriff's Office medication guidance: (772) 220-7000
  • Martin County Health Department for sharps: (772) 221-4000
  • City of Stuart Stormwater Pollution Hotline: (772) 600-1260

Sources

FAQ

Common questions about Stuart, FL Recycling Guide

What goes in Stuart's blue recycling cart?

Stuart uses single-stream recycling, so accepted paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and approved plastics can go into the blue cart as long as the materials are clean and fit the city's published rules.

Where should Stuart residents take electronics and hazardous waste?

Electronics can go to the city's e-waste drop-off, while hazardous materials should go through Martin County's household hazardous-waste system or the HazMobile program instead of curbside recycling.

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