The Public Utilities Department provides drinking water, wastewater treatment and disposal, solid waste (trash) collection and disposal, and recycling programs in service areas that are primarily in unincorporated Hillsborough County.

The department operates four major water treatment plants, seven wastewater treatment plants, a biosolids facility, a Resource Recovery Facility which turns processed waste into electricity, the Southeast County landfill, community collection centers, household electronics and chemical collections sites, and a number of administrative and field support facilities.