Miami Might Ditch Citywide Recycling—And People Have Thoughts 🗑️♻️

February 19, 2025

Miami, we need to talk. Citywide recycling might be getting the boot, and the reason? People aren’t recycling right.(Be so fr.)

The city is blaming sky-high contamination rates—aka, too many people tossing the wrong stuff in the bin. According to city spokesperson Kenia Fallat, audits showed that more than 70% of what’s in recycling bins is actually trash.That means entire truckloads of recyclables are getting scrapped instead of saved.

Why Is This Happening?

Apparently, the main culprits are:
🚫 Plastic bags (big no-no)
🚫 Food waste (also, ew)
🚫 Random non-recyclables (y’all, not everything can go in the blue bin)

On top of that, the city’s recycling system is literally falling apart. The trucks are old, the machines need upgrading, and fixing everything isn’t cheap.

What If They Cut Recycling?

If this plan goes through, curbside recycling pickup is out. Instead, residents would have to drop off their recyclables at specific locations—which, let’s be real, means fewer people will actually do it.

Oh, and bulky waste pickup is getting cut back too. The city says contractors & landscapers are abusing the system, dumping their debris instead of taking it to a proper landfill. So instead of weekly pickups for things like old furniture and tree branches, Miami might switch to an “as-needed” schedule.

The Money Side of Things 💰

The city claims these changes will save residents money by avoiding an increase in trash fees. Miami’s household trash fee has been stuck at $380 per year since 2010, but the City Commission has raised the cap to $440, meaning a price hike could be coming anyway.

What Now?

The city is still deciding, but if this goes through, Miami’s recycling game could take a major hit. So, if you do recycle, double-check what actually belongs in that bin—or we might lose the service altogether.

Written by: MJ