Tybee City government, residents, and business people are cooperative partners in a mutual goal - to provide complete and efficient sanitation services to the community so that the Island's native beauty is preserved, the natural environment is protected, and the Island's ecological heritage is perpetuated for future generations, while providing for the needs of our citizens and of the visiting public who come to enjoy our Island beaches.
Tybee's barrier island environment prevents use of a landfill. However, there is a collection dumpster at Public Works, and recycling and trash pickup is provided for residents according to the schedules below via a contract with WastePro.
Please review the information below for details on trash pick-up schedules, yard waste and recycling instructions, information about plastics recycling, and the waste dumpster kept in the DPW yard.
FOR THE SAFETY OF COLLECTION STAFF, please make sure that you do NOT use bungee cords, or stretch materials that may break and snap, to secure garbage lids, bundle yard waste, or otherwise hold your trash. Recently one of WastePro's staff was seriously injured when a bungee cord snapped and the end hit him in the eye! If your neighborhood has trouble with racoons, be aware the container lids are designed to be difficult for racoons to open. If dogs are your problem, they recommend splashing a bit of bleach on the sides and top to ward off the sniffers before they cause trouble. Use string or rope when necessary to secure or bundle materials. Thank you!
You can contact WastePro and City staff by calling one of the telephone numbers below or by clicking the appropriate item below:
Telephone numbers:
Waste Pro: 912.965.0777, or 912.786.4573 x131
City Hall extensions: 912.786.4573
City Manager: x109
Administrative Assistant: x137
Public Works: x120
City Marshall: x104
Police: 912.786.5600
Yard Trash:
• Leaves, yard clippings, paper, straw, and loose yard care items shall be placed in water tight bags or other suitable containers which, when full do not exceed fifty (50) pounds in weight. If paper recycling bags are used, please keep them dry until pickup!
• Palm fronds should be stacked and placed adjacent to the street, road or alley for collection.
• Heavy brush and tree branches no longer than three (3) feet in length and six (6) inches in diameter and consisting of a pile no larger than five (5) cubic yards.
• Special collection may be requested for those residents that have a pile larger than the above, by setting up a private contract with WastePro.
Other collection alternatives:
Tybee Island Public Works on Polk Street maintains a collection dumpster for dry trash. Dry trash is considered as any item normally accumulated in the care and maintenance of a residence including, but not limited to, yard trimmings, leaves, paper, cardboard, wood, metal, and rubber. Contractors are not allowed to use the dumpster service!
The Recycling Center, nearby on Polk Street, also has recycle containers for aluminum, newspapers, and cardboard, with an additional area in the yard for large metal items such as appliances. Note that new security gates at DPW have been put in place and the recycling bins are now only accessible during regular public works hours.
Public Works hours are Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:30pm, and Saturday - Sunday, 12:00n - 2:00pm.
County residents may also use the Wilmington Island Recycling and Collection Center on Wilmington Island for their dry trash and recyclables. Their hours are Monday - Saturday, 8am - 5:30 pm, and Sunday, 12:00n - 5:30pm.
eRecycling:
Electronic circuit boards contain an abundance of heavy metals - these are both poisonous in the groundwater and rare commodities for the manufacture of future electronic devices. To protect our health today and our economic competitiveness in the future, it is important that electronic waste does not get put into landfills. Older, but working, electronic items such as computers, printers, VCR and DVD players, radios... even analog televisions, can be donated to Goodwill for re-use in the community. Older cell phones should be returned to your service provider, where they can be distributed to members of battered families to protect their privacy. Non-functioning electronics can be take to the erecycling center on Eisenhower in Savannah, which is available with extended hours to take your discarded electronics! For more information about hours, materials accepted, and locations, visit the "Savannah Recycles" web pages by clicking
here. You can download a complete list of all sites, hours, materials accepted, and other useful information by clicking
this link. Although DPW has previously jointly sponsored erecycling days with Savannah, given the hours of the Eisenhower center, there is no need to wait! Take that old stuff in, and ask your neighbors if they have some old electronics they've been waiting to get rid of! If you still have questions, you can contact the
Recycling Coordinator Office at (912) 651-1967.
Recycling information:
Scheduled trash pickup:
Although regularly scheduled collection days are indicated in the map below, you can contact WastePro to schedule pick-up for large amounts of household trash, yard waste, or appliances which would not normally be taken during their regular visit.
The Seven Types of Plastic
Why are most plastics marked with a number inside a recycling symbol? The simple answer is that each number represents the type of resin made to produce the plastic.
Because each resin is different, these numbers affect how and where you can recycle plastics. You don’t have to remember the name. Plastics are identified by numbers 1-7.
Here’s some common products you’ll find of each type:
#1 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)*: soda bottles, oven-ready meal trays and water bottles
#2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene)*: milk bottles, detergent bottles (Note that while plastic grocery and shopping bags are made of HDPE, they will prevent the operation of recycling machinery, so plastic bags are usually NOT allowed in recycle bins. You must take them to your grocery or retail store to place in their recycling bins.)
#3 PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): plastic food wrap, loose-leaf binders, and plastic pipes
#4 LDPE (Low-density polyethylene): dry cleaning bags, produce bags, and squeezable bottles
#5 PP (Polypropylene): medicine bottles, aerosol caps, and drinking straws
#6 PS (Polystyrene): compact disc jackets, packaging Styrofoam peanuts, and plastic tableware
#7 Other: reusable water bottles, certain kinds of food containers, and Tupperware
*PET and HDPE are the most common forms of plastic, so they are the easiest for which recycling locations are found