Recycling In The State of Florida

All of the following agencies and organizations have an important role to play in Florida’s recycling programs:

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Program
• Household Hazardous Waste and Small Quantity Generator Information
• RecycleFlorida Today
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Florida Earth911

Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Program

In 1988, the Florida Legislature passed the Solid Waste Management Act. This legislation revised nearly all aspects of the state’s solid waste management program. It required each county to initiate a recycling program with the goal of achieving a 30 percent municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling rate by the end of 1994. The responsibilities of local programs are documented in Chapter 403.706 of Florida Statutes. You may view a full report, including local results, in the Florida Solid Waste Management Annual Report. By 2000, roughly 4 million tons of MSW a year was being recycled and Florida had achieved a:

• 28 percent recycling rate statewide
• 54 percent participation rate in curbside programs
• 50 percent recovery rate for yard waste recycling

This was achieved through implementation of:

• Curbside Recycling Programs
  • 229 curbside programs
  • 21 different materials collected
  • Curbside Programs available to over 8.5 million residents (3rd highest Nationally)
• Public Education Programs
• Waste Tire Abatement programs
  • 175,000 tons (14.3 million) of waste tires annually
  • 76 percent recycled or used as cement kiln fuel
• Market Development work by:
  • 56 Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF)
  • 158 Recovered Materials Processing Facilities (RMPF)
  • 8 Composting Facilities
  • Closing the loop to make and buy post-consumer recycled content products
  • 160 tires recycled for every ton of playground safety surfacing made
  • 15 million tires used for civil engineering projects or burned as fuel
  • All federally funded roads using recycled tire rubber modified asphalt (RMA)

Economic Benefits of Recycling In Florida Include:

• An estimated 32,000 Floridians are employed in recycling
• An estimated 51 percent are employed within private sector; 49 percent in “local” collection/processing
• Annual wage full time recycling employee = $28,000
• Annual wage full time reuse/remanufacturing = $16,000
• Industry investment in Florida since 1988 = over $2.7 Billion
• An estimated $60 million in tax revenue flows into the state as a direct result of the recycling industry

Environmental Benefits of Recycling In Florida Include:

• Less waste buried in landfills, therefore water resources are better protected
• Less Methane gas emissions
• No new landfills constructed
• Less air pollution from burning or incinerating waste
• Saves Natural Resources (raw materials) such as trees, water, sand and oil
• Saves extraction and transportation of raw materials energy
• By recycling one ton of paper, we save 17 trees, 6953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space and 4077 kilowatt hours of energy.

What Waste Streams Can be Reduced and Recycled in Florida

• Commercial
• Institutional (schools, universities, hospitals and correctional Facilities)
• Multi family dwellings (duplexes and apartments)
• Hotels and Motels
• Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris = 25 percent of waste stream. Learn more about recycling in the State of Florida and the work of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Program.

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Household Hazardous Waste

You may also wish to learn more about Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and about info for Small Quantity Generators (SQG) (commercial) in Florida: HHW & SQG Materials include the following:

• Batteries
• Fluorescent bulbs
• Oil
• Antifreeze
• Gasoline
• Break fluid
• Pool chemicals
• Flares, ammunition
• Electronics
• Mercury containing devices
• Paint
• Cleaners
• Acids
• Bases
• Solvents
• Auto repair chemicals
• Pesticides
• Fertilizers
• Adhesives
• Disinfectants.

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RecycleFlorida Today

In the State of Florida, RecycleFlorida Today (RFT) serves as the statewide professional recycling organization for recycling professionals and the recycling industry. RFT informs the public, law-making bodies and the business community of the economic significance and importance of recycling, and demonstrates the high professional standards of those involved in the business of recycling. This is accomplished through sponsorship of educational meetings, research and publication of articles, reports, statistics, and other material. Learn more about RecycleFlorida Today.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

US EPA Region 4

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 (EPA 4) Solid Waste program promotes waste prevention, reuse and recycling of non-hazardous solid waste. EPA 4 also works closely with its partners including State agencies, Indian Tribes, local governments, universities and citizen groups to solve municipal solid waste generation and management problems. Several priority commodities and/or issues that have been identified by partners include:

1. Public Education and Outreach
2. Recycling Market Development
3. Organics Management
4. Construction and Demolition Debris
5. Electronics
6. Landfill Issues
7. Tires

As part of the focus on Public Education and Outreach, EPA 4 provided funding to purchase three Recycle Guys PSAs for each of the eight Region 4 states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee) to utilize to promote recycling, reuse and buying recycled.

U.S. EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) goals for the nation are to recycle 35 percent of MSW generated by 2005; to reduce waste generation to 4.3 pounds per person per day; to empower state, local, and tribal governments to better manage solid waste; to provide leadership in source reduction and recycling; to build stronger public and private partnerships; and to ensure the environmental soundness of source reduction, recycling, combustion, and land disposal.

U.S. EPA has a wealth of recycling resources available:

• Green Building
• Construction and Demolition Debris
• Jobs Through Recycling (JTR) JTR Market Development Website
• WasteWise Program
• Pay As Your Throw
• Small Business Innovation Program
• Tires
• Illegal Dumping
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
• Medical Waste

Learn more about EPA Region 4, and the US Environmental Protection Agency Recycling Programs

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Florida Earth911

Earth911 is a Public and Private Sector Partnership that provides community-specific recycling and environmental information to citizens nationwide and in Canada at no charge. Earth911 has been working with the State of Florida since 1996, and continues to partner with state and local agencies to help connect residents with the recycling and environmental information they need and want to make a positive difference in their communities and the state.

Feedback:

If you have comments on the Recycle Guys campaign or need additional assistance, please click here. A representative from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Recycling Program will respond to your inquiry.