Pinellas residents: Here's what happens to your trash

Once your trash hits the curb it is out of sight, out of mind. However, your garbage doesn’t simply disappear. 

For anyone who needs a reminder, the Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste offers free tours to residents of its processing facility. Guests age 7 and up are invited to see firsthand what happens to the thousands of tons of waste created by the county’s population. 

Tours begin with an overview of the facility from the comfort of a classroom. After that participants board a bus and head out into the hustle and bustle of this 24/7 operation. 

Sights include the scale house, tire shredding pile, mulch area, a stop inside of the Waste-to-Energy plant and its tipping floor, a trip to the top of the landfill, and the household electronics and chemical collection center.

There is no walking required for the tour as, for safety reasons, participants will not leave the bus. However, you won’t miss a thing with the giant windows. In fact, you may even be spared from the brunt of the smell that is a mountain of garbage and ash. 

Between the classroom and the bus, guests can expect to spend approximately 90 minutes at the facility.

For a list of upcoming tours and to register for them simply visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-tours-of-pinellas-county-solid-waste-management-facility-tickets-30967418382