Mission: To promote a clean, safe and esthetically pleasing environment for the citizens of West Palm Beach by collecting residential, commercial refuse and yard waste, throughout the city's streets in a timely manner.

Operations: The Sanitation Department is responsible for the removal of residential refuse, yard waste and commercial waste throughout the City. Our customers include those that reside in single-family units, multi-family units and in gated communities. Four code enforcement officers work to identify refuse code offenders and prevent illegal dumping. The Sanitation Department has taken it upon itself to clean up illegal dumping sites throughout the City.

Capacity: The growth rate of West Palm Beach continues at a rapid pace. Currently, the Sanitation Department is serving approximately 20,697 residential, 20,417 multi-family, and 2,146 commercial customers, but these numbers grow almost daily. To meet collection needs, the Sanitation Department operates 11 crane trucks for yard waste, 10 each, 3 man, rear loading refuse trucks for residential refuse and 10 each, 2 man, front loading refuse trucks for commercial waste.

The Sanitation Department permits private companies to collect commercial refuse, for a fee, when the needs of the customer require more capacity than an 8 cubic yard dumpster. Sub-contractors (Waste Management), collect recyclable materials for disposal.

Operations & Maintenance: Standard Northern and Southern collection routes exist throughout the City with Okeechobee Boulevard serving as the dividing line. Refuse is picked up on Northern routes on Mondays and Thursdays and on Southern routes on Tuesdays and Fridays. Communities West of I-95 are serviced on Mondays and Thursdays with the exception of Ironhorse and Ibis which are serviced on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Bulk items, to include furniture and appliances; freezers, AC units and refrigerators, etc, are picked up once a week, with yard waste. Leaves and small branches are collected and the collection points are left neat and clean.

The Sanitation Department is placing a renewed, heavy emphasis on cleaning up those neighborhoods that require special attention as a result of having deteriorated over time. Statistics are showing that crime rate is closely correlated with neighborhood appearance. Better appearance leads to better communities. Now, with three Sanitation Code Enforcement Officers on staff, neighborhood clean up efforts are producing enduring results.

Structure: The Sanitation Department operates three sanitation collection functions, a Street Sweeping unit and a Street Lighting unit.

The Utilities Operations & Maintenance Superintendent, supported by a secretary and an accounting clerk, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of Sanitation Department, budgeting and long range planning. The Department is structured in the following manner:.

Residential Refuse Collection: three person teams operating rear-loading collection vehicles collect refuse on both Northern and Southern routes. Collections often include furniture, appliances and other large items. These teams normally collect between 5 A.M and 1 P.M.

Commercial Refuse Collection: two person teams operating front loading collection vehicles collect commercial refuse on both Northern and Southern routes. These teams normally collect between 5 A.M. and 1 P.M.

Yard Waste Collection: crane collection trucks are operated by a single Sanitation Operator on both Northern and Southern routes. These trucks are operated between 6 A.M. and 2 P.M.

Street Sweeping: street sweeping Sanitation Operators team with Yard Waste Operators to remove all yard waste and ensure collection points are left neat and clean. Street sweeping normally occurs between 6 A.M and 2 P.M. Four street sweeping vehicles are assigned to the Sanitation Department.

Street Lighting: Several two man teams working out of bucket trucks replace burned-out bulbs on City street lights. The City of West Palm Beach owns most of our streetlights, however, Florida Power and Light does own some lighting equipment and is reimbursed for its use.

The placement of the Street Sweeping and Street Lighting units within the Sanitation Department is based on the overall environmental focus of the Department. Refuse Collectors and Sanitation Operators, working throughout the City in the early hours of the morning, are able to identify streetlights requiring attention and direct Street Lighting teams to the proper locations.

All residential and commercial refuse collected throughout the city is transported to the Solid Wasted Authority for reclamation. These materials are incinerated and the heat generated is used to produce electricity, which is consumed in our community.

Yard waste is mixed with sludge from the Waste Water Plant to produce mulch which is available free of cost to our citizens. A commercial grade of mulch produce at the Solid Waste Authority is also available for a nominal fee.

Sanitation Department teams take a great deal of pride in the contribution they make to the aesthetic appeal of the City and the cleanliness of our environment.