Frequently Asked Questions about Sanitation Service:

• I'm a new resident, how do I start sanitation service?

The Lake Park Public Works Department provides sanitation service to residents.  When you buy a house or rent a single family home, the former occupants should have left behind a grey, wheeled container(s) and recycling bins which belong to the town.  If you do not have them, please call Public Works at 844-4644, and request the containers.  We will also provide you with a brochure with information on sanitation and recycling collection. Apartment or condo dwellers will already have a dumpster or grey cans and recycling bins in place. See your property manager or superintendent for the location of these bins.

• What is the residential sanitation schedule?

1. Monday: Grey garbage cans, bagged leaves & grass clippings, stacked yard trimmings
2. Wednesday: Recycling Only.  Blue Bin/Newspaper, cutup cardboard, magazines Yellow Bin/Plastic, glass & aluminum
3. Thursday: Grey garbage cans, bulk trash, appliances, furniture, carpeting, etc.
4. Special pickups can be arranged for Tuesdays & Fridays at an extra cost, by calling Public Works before putting it out.

• As a resident, where do I place the grey cans, bins and trash piles for pickup and what time?

All refuse must be placed out on the swale, close to the street, in front of your own property.  No refuse will be placed on any adjacent property or vacant lot.  Grey cans will be placed so chrome bar faces the street.  Refuse must be on the swale before 7:30 a.m. on the day of pickup or after 4:00 p.m the day before pickup. The sanitation trucks will not be able to return for refuse if resident has missed the truck.  Refuse placed out on the wrong day will be treated as a special pickup and there will be a charge for the pickup.

• What is a resident charged for sanitation service?

There is no monthly charge for residential service, unless the amount put out for collection exceeds

2 cubic yards of vegetation (a pile 3' x 3' x 6' - cost above this amount is $5.00 per cubic yard) or more than 1 bulk item of trash, (each additional item is $5.00) or a special pickup was made on a day other than regular pickup day (the special pickup charge is $25.00 plus any overage for the amount of trash).  If there is a charge for these items, the owner of the property will receive an invoice in the mail the following month.

• I have an old refrigerator, will the Town pick it up?

Yes, we pick up appliances.  Important note:  Refrigerators must have the door removed before being placed on the swale for pickup. Appliances or furniture with self locking devices can be deadly if a child gets inside and cannot get out.  Failure to do so may result in a Code Violation.

• I am a new resident in Florida.  What can I do to prepare for hurricane season?

It is never to early to prepare for hurricane season.  In fact, by the time there is a hurricane watch for our area, it is to late to prepare the yard and house. We can start now. Clean out yards, garages and carports by putting out the trash, a little each week.  Trim back trees overhanging the house, or that may topple in high winds.  Start in the spring and be ready for hurricane season.

• I am opening a business in Lake Park, how do I start sanitation service?

First, contact the property owner or manager to determine what service is available at the location of your business. If you are the property owner or the owner does not provide service, call Public Works at 844-4644 and we can set you up with the right size container and frequency of pickups for your type of business trash generation.  Commercial customers are billed monthly for the service provided. 

• Why wasn't my dumpster emptied?

Dumpsters should never be filled passed the �water level�. That means the lid must be able to be closed flush.  No trash should be higher than the top of the container.  When dumpsters are overflowing, trash will fall on the ground and on top of the truck cab when lifted. Also, there may be items in the dumpster which cannot be picked up.  Call Public Works at 844-4644 for details.

• I have more trash than fits in the dumpster, how do I get rid of it?

Call for a special pickup. There will be an extra charge for an additional dump.  Also, bulk items that do not fit in the dumpster (furniture, appliances, etc)  should be placed outside the dumpster for a special pickup.  Call Public Works to arrange for this service at 844-4644.

• What does the Town Not pick up?

Construction materials (concrete, asphalt, plaster, rock, roofing, etc.) If you are generating these types of materials you will need to have a construction dumpster placed. 

Trash containing household garbage.

Dead animals

Automotive parts

Hazardous materials (gasoline, motor oil, oil based paints, explosives)

• What do I do with hazardous waste?

Hazardous waste is accepted at the Solid Waste Authority.  The phone number is 687-1100.  The main number is 640-4000.

• I just changed the oil in my car, can this oil be recycled?

Yes. Public Works collects used motor oil.  This must be uncontaminated by any other liquids, including water.  Bring the oil to Public Works 650 Old Dixie Highway between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We will have it recycled.

• How do I get a construction dumpster?

The Town has a franchise agreement with Browning Ferris, Industries to provide these dumpsters which are greater than 8 cubic yards.  Their phone number is (561) 278-1717.

• When a holiday falls on a regular pickup day, when will refuse be collected?

The day following the holiday. Example: When a holiday falls on Monday, grey cans and vegetation will be collected on Tuesday. If a holiday falls on Tuesday, no change because Tuesday is not a pickup day. If a holiday falls on Wednesday, recycling will be picked up on Thursday, in addition to the grey cans.  Bulk trash items regularly picked up on Thursday  will be collected on Friday.  Holiday falling on Thursday, grey cans and bulk trash

• Why wasn't my cardboard picked up?

All cardboard must be flattened out and cut up into a size of 14� x 18� to be pickup up.  In the event you have too much cardboard to fit inside the blue recycling container, stack the balance of the cardboard folded between the blue and yellow containers.  Businesses with cardboard dumpsters do not have to cut up the cardboard but it must be flattened out.  Also, there is a Solid Waste Authority cardboard recycling container for public use located alongside the railroad tracks between Park Avenue and Foresteria Drive.

 Frequently Asked Questions about Utility Services:

• How do I get my water turned on?

Lake Park does not handle water or sewer service.  Call Seacoast Utility Authority for service. Their phone number is 627-2900. 

• How do I get electricity turned on?

Florida Power & Light Company is the electric company. Their phone number is 697-8000.

• The storm drain on my street is backed up, who do I call?

Lake Park maintains the storm water drainage system within the Town limits.  The storm drains are a system of pipes that collect rainwater and divert it off the streets and into the intracoastal waterway.

Crews regularly clear the drains of debris.  However, when there is heavy rainfall, vegetation and trash is often swept along with the rain into the grates and the water cannot drain off.  During these periods of heavy rain, Public Works crews are out removing any clogs that occur. Sometimes the storm drain pipes cannot handle the downpour and there is nothing to do until the water subsides.  This is especially true in low lying areas and at high tide.  Call Public Works at 844-4644 for any problems with storm drainage. We also replace worn out storm grates.

Important Note:  Never pour any oil, chemical or car wash liquids down the storm drain. Even grass and vegetation can cause putrefaction and stagnation. After cutting grass or trimming the yard, blow the debris into a pile and sweep up the cuttings into a plastic bag for disposal.  Whatever goes down the storm drains eventually drains to the Lake Worth Lagoon.

• My sidewalk is cracked, how can I get it repaired?

Call Public Works at 844-4644. Each year money is budgeted to repair sidewalks. The work is scheduled and contracted out. 

• There is a street sign or stop sign down, who maintains these traffic signs?

Call Public Works at 844-4644 and give us the location.  Our Facilities Maintenance division maintains traffic signs.

• Who maintains the swales in Town?

The swales are maintained by the property owners.  They cut the grass and provide sprinkler systems. Public Works recontours swales when needed to increase the swales ability to hold rainwater, as this is a part of the drainage system.  That is why swales are shaped lower in the middle, to hold water.

• There is a pothole on my street, who is responsible for filling it?

Public Works fills potholes. Call to report the location.