Sunday, June 28, 2009

Recycling, or the Florida Keys' lack of it, has been a sticky wicket in recent years.

Monroe County's recycling rate hovers around 10 percent, dismal compared to the national average of about 30 percent. The five-year goal is to recycle 40 percent of its garbage, County Administrator Roman Gastesi said.

The county thinks it has found a way to help reach that goal by making recycling easier for residents.

Starting July 5, residents in unincorporated Monroe County and the cities of Marathon and Layton no longer have to sort their recyclables, Gastesi said Thursday.

Single-stream recycling means paper, glass, plastic and aluminum can go in the same bin. The recyclables will be taken to a Waste Management plant in Pembroke Pines, where workers will sort them.

"The motto is keep it simple," Gastesi said.