Environmental Services:  Solid Waste Disposal and Residential Curbside Collection Assessments - General

In January 1993, the Clay County Board of County Commissioners implemented the Solid Waste Disposal Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) encompassing the unincorporated area of the County to provide funding for solid waste disposal services and facilities. The County must, by law, provide solid waste disposal facilities and services for all residents, and it is only fair that all residents share the associated costs. These requirements include exceptionally expensive costs associated with landfill closures and the long-term monitoring and remediation activities required by the state and federal governments to protect groundwater supplies. In the past, some County residents have disposed of their solid waste through unapproved or illegal methods and, therefore, did not pay their share of these disposal costs. Disposing solid waste into someone else’s container or dumpster is just as illegal as dumping it on the County’s roadways. These types of activities not only harm the environment, but also increase the cost of disposal for those residents who do comply with the law.

In January 2007, the Clay County Board of County Commissioners implemented the Solid Waste Collection Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) to provide funding for solid waste and recovered materials curbside collection services in the unincorporated areas of the County.  Solid Waste and Recovered Materials collection services, facilities and programs furnished by the County possess a logical relationship to the use and enjoyment of Residential Property by providing:

·       Solid waste and Recovered Materials collection services, facilities and programs to the Owners and occupants of Residential Property for proper, safe, and cost effective disposal of Solid Waste and Recovered Materials generated on such property

·        Better service to Owners and tenants

·        The enhancement of environmentally responsible use and enjoyment of Residential Property

·       The protection of property values and the health and safety of the Owners and occupants of Residential property resulting from uniform delivery and availability of such services, facilities and programs.

The Clay County Solid Waste Disposal and Collection Assessments are levied against all residential property in the unincorporated areas of the County each fiscal year (the City of Green Cove Springs is also included in the Solid Waste Disposal Assessment). The Disposal Assessment is formulated by a monthly base rate of $7.00. The Collection Assessment is formulated at a monthly base rate of $12.50. Each year the Assessment is levied through the annual Ad Valorem Tax bill as a Non Ad Valorem Special Assessment. A new dwelling is not yet on the Tax Roll; therefore, it will be charged a Disposal and Collection Assessment at the time of the final inspection for electricity. The amount is equal to the sum of the rates listed above per month, per dwelling, times the number of months remaining until the dwelling is listed and certified on the annual Tax Roll. Depending upon the date of the final inspection, a payment will be required for the months remaining in the current fiscal year (ending September 30 each year) together with the 12 months of the following fiscal year. At this time, the dwelling will have been added to the Tax Roll and will be assessed through the Tax bill method. Attached is an example illustration of assessment charges due for each particular month during the calendar year:

Table of Contents

1.       What is the purpose of the assessments?

2.       When will the assessments be payable?

3.       Why use the assessment method?

4.       Who does the assessments apply to?

5.       What are the benefits to landowners?

6.       Where can I get more information?

What is the purpose of the assessment?

The assessments are used to provide funding for the cost of solid waste disposal and solid waste and recyclables collection services to residential properties in the Solid Waste MSBU. 

What period of time do the assessments cover and when will the assessments be payable?

The assessments occur annually, on a fiscal year basis, and is collected with your ad valorem taxes between November and March of every year.

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Why use the assessment method?

The assessment method is the best way for the County to minimize each resident's solid waste and recyclables materials collection cost and to ensure every resident participates in the funding of the cost of providing solid waste and recycling services.  The assessment program provides a method that ensures that all County residents pay their share for services the County must provide.

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Do the assessments apply to all residential property owners in Clay County?

These assessments apply to residential property located in the MSBU.  Residential property owners in the remaining incorporated areas (Except within the City of Green Cove Springs) pay equivalent disposal costs through collection fees charged by their solid waste haulers.

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What benefits will the program provide to landowners in Clay County?

The assessment program provides a cost effective and financially stable means of funding mandated solid waste and recyclables collection and disposal services and facilities. 

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Where can I get more information?

If you have other questions regarding the solid waste and recyclable materials collection and disposal assessments, you may contact the Clay County Department of Environmental Services, 3545 Rosemary Hill Road, Green Cove Springs, FL  32043-8562, or call:
(904) 529-4796
(352) 473-3711, Ext. 4796
(904) 278-4796
(904) 533-2111, Ext. 4796

If you have had one of the following situations occur on your property during the past year, please contact the Department of Environmental Services, at one of the above telephone numbers, for the necessary forms:

• Dwelling removal
• Replacement of dwelling
• Joined mobile homes
• Reclassification of property (property is serviced by a County franchised commercial hauler)
• Incorrect number of dwellings assessed
• Vacant dwelling unit – assessments must be previously paid before a refund will be made. Any request for an annual vacancy credit shall be filed with the County before the end of the current fiscal year (September 30). Failure to file such request within the time permitted shall constitute a waiver of such right.

Be sure to have the property’s parcel number handy when requesting assistance!!