DOCTORS INLET – Keith Madsen was happy, yet skeptical when he read the notice taped to the side of the collection bin at the Doctor’s Inlet Environmental Convenience Center that said curbside pickups would resume on Dec. 5 in the unincorporated areas of Clay County and Keystone Heights.

“I’m just surprised how long it took to get it back,” he said as he dumped a bin of bottles and cans into the oversized dumpsters. “We’ve had to do a lot of stuff on our own, but it would be worse if we didn’t do it.”

The county was forced to halt curbside pickup more than two years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. Waste Management, which has the contract to pick up trash for the county, struggled to find as many as 10 drivers since, forcing conscientious residents to bag up their bottles, cans, plastic, cardboard and paper and drive them to any of the five permanent dropoff sites or one of the seven temporary sites.

“Some people don’t think it’s worth it,” Madsen said. “I’ll be glad when they start picking it up, but I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Madsen said he drives from Orange Park to the Doctors Inlet transfer station about once a week.

County commissioners approved rebates from property taxes during the suspension of service.

Residents should start to request bins now, the county said. To get a recycling bin, residents should visit the county’s website homepage, www.claycountygov.com/, and on the Garbage and Recycling webpage here: www.claycountygov.com/community/garbage-and-recycling.

Residents can also request a bin on the free Clay Connected app, which is available for Android and Apple devices in the app store or by calling Environmental Services at (904) 284-6374. Residents in the City of Keystone Heights should call Waste Management at (904) 695-0500 to request bins. Waste Management already is delivering recycling bins.

The paper products bin is for clean, dry paper products such as newspapers, books, junk mail, shredded paper, and flattened corrugated cardboard cut into 2-foot by three-foot pieces.

The containers bin is for rinsed containers including plastic and glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, and cartons and juice boxes.

Please place only accepted recyclable items in the bins and keep containers and paper products separate.

Residents can expect their curbside recycling to be picked up on the same day their yard trash is picked up. 

Place recycling bins curbside by 6 a.m. on your collection day. Use the “Collection Day Lookup” to find your recycling collection pick-up dates here: www.claycountygov.com/community/garbage-and-recycling/residential-curbside-services-recycling, or select “Curbside Collection” from the Environmental Services home page at “Garbage and Recycling” under the “Community tab.”

Waste Management will continue to service the seven temporary recycling dropoff sites through Dec. 18.

Temporary drop-off locations:

• Fleming Island Library, 1895 Town Center Blvd., Fleming Island, open sunrise to sunset

• Oakleaf Community Park, 3979 Plantation Oaks Blvd, Orange Park, open sunrise to sunset

• Ronnie Van Zant Park, 2760 Sandridge Road, Green Cove Springs, open sunrise to sunset

• Sunrise Park, 7933 Sunrise Blvd, Keystone Heights, open sunrise to sunset

• Walter Odum Park, 450 Parkwood Dr., Orange Park, open sunrise to sunset

• Former Kingsley Lake Volunteer Fire Station, 6343 Seminole St., open sunrise to sunset

• Omega Park, 4317 County Road 218, Middleburg, open sunrise to sunset

 Residents can continue to bring recycling to the permanent drop-off sites.

Permanent drop-off sites:

• Clay Hill Environmental Convenience Center, 5869 CR 218, Middleburg, open Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Doctor’s Inlet Environmental Convenience Center, 288 Sleepy Hollow Rd, Middleburg, open Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Keystone Heights Environmental Convenience Center, 5505 CR 214, Keystone Heights, open Thursday through Saturday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Long Bay Environmental Convenience Center, 1589 Long Bay Road, Middleburg, open Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Management Facility, 3545 Rosemary Hill Road, Green Cove Springs, open Monday through Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Certain items should not be placed in recycling bins because they are considered hazardous or can damage sorting equipment, like medical sharps, plastic bags, Styrofoam, chemical containers, broken glass, window glass or mirrors, aluminum foil and clothes hangers.

There will be no collection on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The collection pickup will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. The collection service will return to its regular schedule the following week. Services will not be delayed if the holiday falls on a weekend.