Port St. Lucie residents will vote in November on whether the city should increase residential curbside trash collection from one to two days per week per household, which will increase the cost.
The question will go before voters in the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election and is only for recommending purposes because it is non-binding.
The city will ask voters if they support the City of Port St. Lucie increasing the trash assessment by at least $131 in 2028 – with additional increases expected in later years – to provide twice-weekly residential trash pickup citywide starting in 2028.
Port St. Lucie eyes increasing trash pickup
If passed and then enacted by the city, the change would take nine to 15 months to implement, according to Mariana Feldpausch, director of the Office of Solid Waste for the city.
The changes would result in:
The Port St. Lucie City Council approved a first reading of the question on June 22 and will give a second reading on July 13.
Since FCC Environmental Services took over trash collection in 2022, there has been recurring debate and discussion as to whether the city should increase residential curbside trash collection.
The city’s newest garbage collection and disposal rate, approved by the City Council in August, is $467.33 per year per household, a $20.89 increase from the previous year.
In 2022 — amidst a garbage-collection crisis that left some Port St. Lucie residents without pickup for weeks — hauler WastePro terminated its contract with the city three years early. But the city’s new hauler, FCC Environmental Services, offered once-a-week pickup. The city agreed to it, calling it the cheapest option for residents and a way to put an end to the collection issues.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s St. Lucie watchdog, environment and fisheries reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida voters in Port St. Lucie to vote on adding more trash days
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Timothy O'Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
