Broward vs Palm Beach Commercial Recycling: What Each County Requires in 2026, What Broward Is Drafting, and the Worksheet to See If Recycling Pays

The short answer, as of October 9, 2026: neither Broward nor Palm Beach County has a countywide commercial recycling mandate like Miami-Dade’s. Palm Beach County’s Solid Waste Authority says in plain words that “recycling is not mandatory in Palm Beach County.” Broward is different: its Solid Waste Authority is drafting a commercial recycling ordinance, and the minutes of its September 18, 2026 Governing Board meeting show that work is still under way. So in both counties recycling is a business decision today, not a legal one, but a Broward business should plan as if a requirement is coming. Your city or your hauler contract can still add rules of its own, so check those too.

Broward vs Palm Beach vs Miami-Dade, side by side

If you also run sites south of the county line, the Miami-Dade rules are in our Miami-Dade standard vs modified program guide.

Palm Beach County: voluntary, with a free waste review

The SWA’s recycling page is direct about it. For condo and apartment complexes with dumpster service it says recycling is not mandatory, so an association that refuses to add recycling is within its rights. For businesses, the SWA will send a Field Service Representative for a free review of your garbage and recycling needs. It also warns that there is “usually a fee” for commercial recycling service, which may be offset by lower garbage fees because less garbage is collected. The SWA’s number for these requests is 866-NEW-BINS (866-639-2467).

So in Palm Beach the question is not “do I have to?” but “does it save money once I add the recycling fee and the liners?” The worksheet below answers that with your own numbers.

Broward County: what applies now, and what is being drafted

Today. In the Broward Municipal Services District (the former unincorporated Broward), the County’s business guide says every commercial establishment must keep an adequate level of garbage service through the exclusive franchise hauler, Coastal Waste and Recycling. For recycling, you may use Coastal or any other licensed recovered-materials hauler. Separate recycling is “encouraged”, and a recycling container does not replace the required garbage service. Inside a city, your city’s franchise and code apply instead, so ask city hall or your hauler.

Being drafted. The SWA published a draft “Broward County Commercial Recycling Ordinance” in January 2026. It is a discussion draft, not law, and the September 18, 2026 minutes say the subcommittee was still reviewing different program models, including Miami-Dade’s, along with collection requirements, limited space at commercial properties and the role of haulers. The January draft is still the best preview of the shape:

• It would cover non-residential property, multifamily property of three or more units, temporary events and venues.
• A small generator, averaging 70 gallons or less of solid waste a week, would be exempt.
• Everyone else would do an annual assessment and recycle at least one “primary” material, meaning any single recyclable produced at more than 96 gallons a month. The list: paper, cardboard, glass, plastic containers #1–7, aluminum and steel.
• Owners would provide enough containers and keep a hauler service agreement or self-haul receipts on file.
• Enforcement would start in month 13: six months of education, then six months of courtesy notices, then a written warning, $300, $500 and up to $100 a day for continuing violations.

Every number above could change before adoption. Treat it as a planning target, not a rule.

What Florida law allows either county to do

Section 403.7046(2) of the Florida Statutes lets a local government require that a commercial establishment’s recovered materials be source-separated on its premises. The same section bars it from forcing you to sell or deliver those materials to the government or a facility it designates, or from stopping you from contracting with a properly certified recovered-materials dealer. Section 403.706 gives each county recycling program a 75% goal. In practice: a county can tell you to separate, but you keep the choice of recycler.

The worksheet: are you a “small generator”, and does recycling pay?

Your liner purchases already measure your trash. Use them.

1. Weekly trash volume. Liners used per month ÷ 4.33 × liner size in gallons. Example: 260 liners of 33 gallons a month ÷ 4.33 × 33 ≈ 1,980 gallons a week. It runs high because it counts liners, not fill, but anything near 70 gallons a week (about two 33-gallon bags) means you would probably not be a small generator under the Broward draft.
2. Your biggest recyclable. Count for one week how many bags are mostly cardboard, paper, or bottles and cans. One 96-gallon cart a month of any one of them makes it a “primary” material under the draft. Most businesses that receive supplies by the case hit that with cardboard alone.
3. Does it pay? Monthly cost with recycling = smaller garbage service + recycling service + recycling liners. Compare that with your current garbage bill. The liner line is: stations × times emptied per week × 4.33. Ten stations emptied five times a week is about 217 clear liners a month, sized with our can liner sizing guide.

Get both quotes from your hauler. If pulling cardboard out lets you drop one garbage pickup a week or go down a container size, recycling often pays for itself in Palm Beach, and in Broward it puts you ahead of whatever is adopted.

Setting it up so it works

• Cardboard at receiving. Break it down; ask your hauler whether it goes in loose or bagged.
• Bottles and cans in the breakroom, in a bin with a cutout lid so trash stays out.
• Clear liners for recycling. The porter and the hauler can see contamination without opening the bag. The Broward draft would cap trash in a recycling container at 10%, so visible bags help. Our black vs clear vs white liner guide explains the colour system.

What to stock

Per station: a 23-gallon recycling bin with cutout lid, clear can liners sized to it, and a 55-gallon container at the dock for cardboard overflow. The rest is under trash liners and bags. We deliver across Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

FAQ

Is commercial recycling mandatory in Broward County?
Not countywide as of October 9, 2026. The Solid Waste Authority of Broward County is drafting a commercial recycling ordinance, and its September 2026 minutes show that work was still in progress. Your city or hauler contract may set its own rules.

Is recycling mandatory for businesses in Palm Beach County?
No. The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County says recycling is not mandatory in the county. It offers businesses a free waste review and notes there is usually a fee for recycling service, which lower garbage fees can offset.

Would a small business be exempt under the Broward draft?
The January 2026 draft exempts generators averaging 70 gallons or less of solid waste a week, about two 33-gallon bags. That threshold could change before any ordinance is adopted.

Can the county make me use a certain recycler?
No. Florida Statutes section 403.7046 lets a local government require source separation but bars it from forcing a business to deliver its recovered materials to a designated facility or from blocking contracts with certified recovered-materials dealers.