1. A Win-Win for the Environment and the
Economy: A History of and Update on
Recycling in Florida and the U.S.
Florida Keys GLEE
Green Living Expo
May 10, 2008
By Phil Bresee
Chair, Recycle Florida Today, Inc.
http://www.recyclefloridatoday.org/

2. About Recycle Florida Today, Inc. (RFT)
 Non-profit 501(c)(6) organization founded in 1991.
 RFT promotes resource conservation and environmental
stewardship in Florida through sustainable waste prevention,
reuse, recycling, composting and legislative advocacy
(includes support for Recycling Innovative Grants Programs
and the Recycling Grants to small Florida counties).
 Current membership of 325+ includes:
 Local and state government.
 Businesses and industry (recycling processors, end-users,
consultants, firms with commitment to environmental
issues, etc.).
 Institutions such as colleges and universities.
 Non-profit organizations.
 Annual conference and annual winter issues forum.

3. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation
and Management in the United States
M SW M anagement in US - 2005
 MSW = Regular household and
commercial garbage. Does not
include industrial wastes, mining 32%
wastes, medical wastes, etc.
 US Environmental Protection
Agency (US EPA) estimates that
245.7 million tons of MSW were 54%
generated in 2005.
 MSW managed through:
 Landfilling = 133.3 million tons.
 Combustion / Waste to Energy = 14%
33.4 million tons. Landfilling Combust/WTE Recycling
 Recycling / Recovery = 79 million
tons.

4. MSW Generation and Management in
Florida - 2005
M SW M anagement in Florida - 2005
 Florida generated 36.7
million tons of MSW in
25%
2005.
 MSW managed through:
 Landfilling = 23.7 million
tons.
 Recycling / Recovery = 9.2
11%
64% million tons.
 Combustion / WTE = 3.8
million tons.
Landfilling Combust/WTE Recycling
Source: Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection

5. MSW Generation and Management in
South Florida - 2005
MSW Management in S. Florida - 2005
MSW Management in S. Florida - 2005
20%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% 19% 61%
20%
10%
0%
Miami-Dade Broward Monroe
Landfilling Combust/WTE Recycling
Landfilled Combusted Recycled
Sources: Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection
 S. Florida MSW generation total of nearly 8.2 million tons in 2005 –
up 22% from 2001.
 Amount of MSW recycled decreased from 22% to 20%.

6. MSW Generation Trends in Florida and
South Florida
Florida MSW Generation vs. S. Florida MSW Generation vs.
Population Growth: 2001-2005 Population Growth: 2001-2005
40,000,000 9,000,000
35,000,000 8,000,000
30,000,000 7,000,000
25,000,000 6,000,000
20,000,000 5,000,000
4,000,000
15,000,000
3,000,000
10,000,000
2,000,000
5,000,000 1,000,000
0 0
01
02
03
4
5
01
02
03
04
05
0
0
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
MSW Generation Population MSW Generation Population
Data Source: Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection.
MSW per capita generation rates rose 20% statewide and 16% in South
Florida from 2001-2005.

7. MSW Generation Trends in Florida and
South Florida
 What’s behind the recent increases in MSW
generation?
 Florida’s MSW reporting methodology.
 Construction and demolition debris, or “C & D”, is
major component - and less frequently recycled - of
Florida and S. Florida’s MSW stream (many states
do not count C & D as solid waste).
 Hyper-active hurricane seasons in 2004-05.
 It’s the economy, stupid.
 MSW generation trends frequently mirror overall
economic trends.
 Manufactured wastes and packaging represent
75% of total MSW.
 C & D increased as part of State’s building boom
in early to mid 2000’s (up 87% in S. Florida from
2001-2005).
 Tourism-driven economy.

8. How Should MSW be Managed?
 US EPA developed solid waste
management hierarchy.
 Source, or waste reduction means
minimizing or not creating waste
in the first place. Source
reduction can be accomplished
through:
 Manufacturing efficiencies and
improved product design.
 Less product packaging.
 Less product toxicity.
 Using reusable products vs.
disposable products.
 Recycling is preferred way to
manage materials once they have
served their purpose.
Illustration courtesy of US EPA.

9. What are Recycling’s Benefits?
Environmental Benefits: Economic Benefits:
 Conservation of natural  Recycling can be a more cost-
resources including, timber, effective way to handle many
water, petroleum, mineral ores. solid wastes.
 Reduced energy consumption.  Is value-added, creating jobs
 Recycling prevents pollution and providing raw materials
caused by manufacturing from for industry.
virgin resources.
 Reduces our reliance on waste
to energy facilities and
landfills.

10. Environmental Benefits of Recycling &
Waste Reduction
Greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted
during raw materials’ life-cycles,
which include extraction,
manufacturing and disposal.
Recycling and waste reduction can
be effective tools for reducing
GHG by:
 Reducing / eliminating emissions
from raw materials extraction.
 Reducing emissions from energy
consumption during manufacturing.
 Reducing emissions from
incinerators and WTE plants.
 Reducing methane emissions from
landfills.
 Increases carbon sequestration
(paper recycling).
Illustration courtesy of US EPA

11. Environmental Benefits of Recycling &
Waste Reduction (cont.)
 EPA has developed modeling that Recycling 500 = GHG Equal to
allows communities to calculate GHG Tons Of… Reduction Of… Removing # of
Cars from Road
reduction benefits of recycling. for 1 Year
 Based on Nationwide recycling rate Paper 339 MTCE 259 cars
of 32% of MSW in 2005, estimated
benefits were:
 Avoided GHG emissions of 183 Aluminum 2,055 MTCE 1,569 cars
million metric tons of CO2e which is
equivalent to emissions from:
Glass 38 MTCE 29 cars
 930,000 railcars of coal burned, or
 Annual electricity usage by about 23.5
million households.
HDPE 192 MTCE 147 cars
 Energy conservation benefits equal to:
 Removing 17 million cars from the road for
1 year.
Corrugated 354 MTCE 270 cars
 Saving the use of 240 million barrels of oil. cardboard
Sources: US EPA; B. Dorn, RW Beck
Source: US EPA WasteWise Update, Global Warming is a Waste!

12. Economic Benefits of Recycling
 According to 2001 economic study by US EPA
and National Recycling Coalition, US
recycling and reuse industry accounted for:
 $236 billion in annual revenues.
 56,000+ recycling & reuse establishments.
 Employment of 1.1 million with annual payroll
of $37 billion.
 Similar study conducted for Florida
determined:
 $4.4 billion in annual revenues.
 3,700 recycling and reuse establishments.
 Employment base of 32,000 with payroll of
Illustration courtesy of US EPA. $765 million.
 Recyclables are commodities and end-
markets for them are at an all-time high.

13. Economic Benefits of Recycling (cont.)
 Recycling can also be most cost-effective way to
manage many wastes.
 Corporate retail giants like Target have long since
recognized value of recycling. According to Target,
revenues from sale of cardboard recycled through their
stores exceeds the costs of managing their solid waste.
 Broward County Public Schools saves $830,000 per year
through recycling through avoided disposal costs.
 Broward County has averaged more than $5 million
annually in recycling rebates back to partner cities during
the past few years.

14. A Brief History of Recycling in Florida
 Solid Waste Management Act of
 Act amended several times since
1988 established that all counties initial passage:
reduce MSW stream (by weight)  In 1996 30% goal amended to
by 30% by 1994. apply only to counties over
 Act also established “minimum 4” 75,000.
50% recycling goal for:  Innovative Grants established
 Aluminum cans in 1997 (replaced R&E
 Glass bottles
Grants); annual totals range
from $750K to $4.1 million -
 Plastic bottles
Legislature makes decisions.
 Newspaper  Goals modified in 2002 including
 Recycling & Education Grants “significant portion” of any 4
funded through SWM Trust Fund materials including aluminum
 $15-20 million annually cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles,
distributed to all counties newspaper, steel cans, cardboard,
based on population. office paper & yard trash.
 Requires counties must report
 30% goal applies to counties with
MSW and recycling information more than 100,000.
to FDEP on annual basis.

15. History of Recycling in Florida (cont.)
 Florida was early leader in recycling
with dedicated funding established by
1988 SWMA.
 By 2001 Florida’s Dept. of
Environmental Protection estimated
that curbside recycling programs were
available to 75% of State’s single-
family homes.
 DEP also estimated that about 70% of
State’s multi-family properties had
access to on-site recycling services.
 Recycling drop-off sites offered in
many smaller / rural counties.
 Florida one of pioneering states in
establishing electronics recycling
programs.
 Many Florida schools and institutions
developed recycling programs.

16. History of Recycling in Florida:
What Happened?
 As statistics illustrate, overall MSW generation is
up, MSW disposal is up, and recycling has either
plateaued or decreased in Florida.
 In many instances, recycling fell off of collective
radar screens of policy makers, local
governments, media and citizens.

17. Future of Recycling: It’s Bright!
 Driven in part by increasing
focus on global climate change Bills Addressing
and soaring energy prices, the “Recycling”
future is bright for recycling. Session Senate House
Recycling has become a
recognized tool in battle to
reduce emissions. 2008 18 13
 Governor’s 2007 Executive
Orders. 2007 15 10
 Increased Legislative activity,
including HB 7135 (Energy 2006 7 9
Bill) establishes 75% waste
reduction goal by 2020.

18. Future of Recycling (cont.)
 Recycling life-cycle studies are Map of cities who have signed on to US Mayors Climate
Protection Agreement (852 as of 5/6/2008):
key part of US Senate’s
Climate Security Act (Carper
Amendment).
 U.S. Mayors Climate
Protection Agreement
identifies recycling as action
signatories should take. U.S.
communities beginning to
identify – and quantify -
recycling and waste reduction
activities as part of their GHG
reduction strategies. Seventy-
two Florida cities have signed,
including all local
governments in Monroe
County.

19. Future of Recycling (cont.)
 Approaches to solid waste
and recycling once
considered new-age now
going conventional:
 Single-stream recycling
 Pay-as-You-Throw
 Zero-Waste goals.
 Solid waste management
is no longer just
downstream materials
management of a
liability…

20. Conclusions
 Recycling is a demonstrated
environmental protection success
story with environmental and
economic benefits.
 Is a “low-hanging fruit” for cities and
counties to use to help reduce their
carbon footprints.
 Many environmental goals can seem
abstract. However, recycling allows
for hands-on and visible opportunity
for citizens and businesses to help
their environment.
 Recycling is also seen as a “gateway”
to other positive environmental
behaviors.