If you live in unincorporated Pinellas County (outside city limits), your trash service works differently than in the cities: with one exception, the county does not pick up your garbage. Instead, property owners choose and pay a private hauling company directly.
First, confirm you are actually unincorporated
Many Pinellas addresses with a St. Petersburg or Clearwater mailing address are actually unincorporated. Use the county's address lookup tool at pinellas.gov/my-neighborhood/ to confirm your jurisdiction before arranging service.
Choosing a hauler
The county lists licensed residential haulers that serve unincorporated areas. As of 2026-08-29 the list includes, among others: Waste Connections (727-572-6800), WM (727-572-8779), Waste Pro (727-452-5278), Coastal Waste and Recycling (727-561-0360), D and D Hauling-Sanitation (727-586-6416), Solar Sanitation (727-535-0447), Stinky's Waste Management (727-423-5555), and Tote Enterprises (727-422-0736). Each company sets its own prices, pickup days, recycling options, and bulk item policies, so your collection day comes from your hauler, not from the county. When comparing, ask about curbside recycling and bulk or yard waste pickup, since offerings differ.
The Lealman exception
Pinellas County Solid Waste directly provides trash and recycling service to the East Lealman community through a Municipal Services Benefit Unit (MSBU), with fees billed by the county. If you live in Lealman, check the county's Lealman collection page for your service details instead of hiring a hauler.
Bulk items, recycling drop-off, and self-haul
For large items, start with your hauler; most offer bulk pickup for a fee. Residents can also self haul waste to the county's Solid Waste Disposal Complex at 3095 114th Ave. N in St. Petersburg (see the separate article on disposal and household hazardous waste). Free recycling drop off centers are available around the county, and the county's Where Does It Go search tool at pinellas.gov/where-does-it-go-search-tool/ tells you how to recycle or dispose of almost any specific item.
Questions
Pinellas County Solid Waste: 727-464-7500 or [email protected]. The county's collection overview, including the licensed hauler list and every city's provider, is at pinellas.gov/collection-garbage-and-recycling/.