Florida Recycling Rate Rises to 49% But Business Must do More to Hit 75% Target

The official recycling rate in Florida, which includes waste diverted from landfill and into waste to energy facilities, has continued to grow, reaching 49% in 2013, according to the latest figures from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP said that this represents a substantial increase in the amount of solid waste recycled -- from 9.7 million tons (8.8 million tonnes) in 2012 to 11.8 million tons (10.7 million tonnes) in 2013. The total recycling rate represents a combination of traditional recycling practices and renewable energy credits, which the DEP explained are calculated based on the amount of renewable energy produced using solid waste as a fuel. Per Florida Statutes, the DEP said that each MWh of electricity produced by waste equals one ton (907 kg) of recycling. According to the DEP figures, in 2013 there were 3.4 million MWh of electricity produced from both waste to energy facilities and the use of landfill gas. Florida law pertaining to the recycling rate was amended by the legislature in 2012 to promote the production of renewable energy from waste. However, the department said that it is also important to recognise gains in the traditional recycling rate, which does not include renewable energy credits. The traditional recycling rate increased by 4% from 35% in 2012 to 38% in 2013. The overall amount of solid waste generated increased from 27.9 million tons (25.3 million tonne) in 2012 to 31.3 million tons (28.4 million tonnes) in 2013. A large portion of this increase was said to have come from construction and demolition waste. The increase was also said to be consistent with the overall increase in economic activity in the state. Good – But must work harder In 2008, the Florida Legislature first established a new statewide recycling goal of 75% to be achieved by 2020. “As we get closer to the 2020 deadline for the 75% recycling goal, we need all Florida residents to step up recycling efforts,” commented Division of Waste Management director Jorge Caspary. “While we have made modest improvements again this year, it is still critical for the commercial sector to increase its recycling efforts before the goal can be achieved,” he added. While the department said that it is urging all sectors to actively increase recycling efforts, commercial municipal solid waste accounts for approximately 55% of the total municipal solid waste in Florida. However, according to the DEP, only about half of the commercial solid waste in Florida is being recycled. Increasing commercial recycling would therefore have a substantial positive effect on the recycling numbers as a whole. The department also continued to promote its Recycling Recognition Program and said that it is working to raise awareness and interest, particularly for commercial recycling efforts throughout Florida. The DEP added that it has an easy tool for companies to input data and track their recycling efforts - the Florida DEP Business Recycling Tracking Tool. According to the 2013 report for total recycling rates, including renewable energy credits, Hillsborough and Lee Counties have the top two total recycling rates at 73% and 70%, respectively. At 58% Sarasota County topped the rankings for the traditional recycling rates in 2013. Top 10 Counties for Total Recycling Rates 1. Hillsborough, 73% 2. Lee, 70% 3. Hendry, 68% 4. Pasco, 67% 5. Pinellas, 63% 6. Collier, 60% 7. Sarasota, 58% 8. Martin, Palm Beach, 56% (tie) 10. Monroe, 55% Top 10 Counties for Traditional Recycling Rates 1. Sarasota, 58% 2. Alachua, Martin, Collier, 54% (three-way tie) 5. Brevard, 52% 6. Manatee, 48% 7. Orange, 47% 8. Lee, 46% 9. Duval, Leon, 45% (tie) Read More Progress in Pictures at 900,000 TPA Florida Waste to Energy Plant The huge 95MW waste to energy plant in West Palm Beach, Florida is starting to take shape, with technology supplier Babcock & Wilcox Vølund installing the DynaGrate combustion grate. Covanta Waste to Energy Plant in Florida Verified to Sell Voluntary Carbon Offsets Carbon offset credits generated by Covanta’s (NYSE: CVA) 46.5 MW Hillsborough County Resource Recovery Facility in Tampa, Florida have been verified and are now available for purchase on the voluntary market. Disney to Use Harvest Power's New 5.4 MW Food Waste to Energy Plant Waltham, Massachusetts based Harvest Power has opened a 5.4 MW anaerobic digestion facility that will process organic waste into biogas for energy generation in central Florida.