How do you encourage people to recycle more and keep more materials out of local landfills? Two Treasure Coast counties have found that making it easier does the trick and gets them closer to meeting the state’s recycling goals.
The Department of Environmental Protection sets goals for how much recyclable solid waste counties should divert from their landfills through recycling.
In 2014, Martin was the only Treasure Coast county meeting the state recycling target, at the time 50 percent. Martin County achieved a 62 percent recycling rate, putting it fourth-highest in Florida, almost twice that of Indian River’s 33 percent and St. Lucie’s 39 percent.
Since then, however, Indian River and St. Lucie counties have made drastic changes to improve their ratings as they aim for the statewide mandate of a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020.
In the latest state recycling statistics, released this summer, Indian River County jumped 20 percentage points to 53 percent, and St. Lucie jumped 19 percentage points to 58 percent.
One of the biggest changes both counties made was switching to single-stream recycling. That allows residents to toss aluminum cans, plastic bottles, glass jars and other materials into the same recycling cart. The recyclables are collected curbside each week by the counties’ waste haulers in the same way garbage is collected.
St. Lucie began in 2014 while Indian River made the switch in 2015.
Martin County’s success in recycling, meanwhile, has declined, now coming in at the state average of 56 percent.
Only Monroe, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties are exceeding the 75 percent goal. Palm Beach, Orange, Lee and Charlotte counties are close, with rates above 70 percent.
Martin has put together a team to research, discuss, recommend and implement new ways to increase recycling efforts, spokeswoman Martha Ann Kneiss said.
“The current discussions revolve around planning new community programs, including enhanced recycling at parks and youth sports recycle programs,” Kneiss said in an email.
The state also has asked the 12 counties that have reached 60 percent to help other counties with their plans, DEP spokeswoman Sarah Shellabarger said in an email. Counties at or below 60 percent are asked to submit a plan to the state to expand or improve their recycling programs, she said.
“(The state) is pleased to continue making progress increasing Florida’s recycling rate,” Shellabarger said. At 56 percent, the state’s average recycling rate has increased about 26 percentage points since 2011, she said.
Still, if a county fails to meet the state mandate, there’s no penalty. Treasure Coast recycling coordinators say they want to see the target continue to increase.
“We’re definitely going to keep striving toward (the goal) and get as close as we can,” said Indian River County recycling coordinator Stephanie Fonvielle.
To read the full story, visit http://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/2017/11/29/st-lucie-indian-river-counties-boost-recycling-rates-after-moving-single-stream-system/849620001/.