Florida Keys News
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sorting recyclables unnecessary
Monroe County, Marathon and Layton opt for single-stream method
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 t...
Another Opportunity Missed by the Citizen
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 10:08pm
It is sad that the Citizen did not jump on the opportunity to write a better article educating Monroe County residents about what “Single Stream” means. Single stream refers to the process by which all recyclable items, be it metal, plastic, glass or paper, are all processed at a recycling processing plant. Essentially, all the items go on one conveyer belt, or stream, and are sorted either automatically or manually at the plant. This frees up residents and businesses to place items in one designated bin rather than sorting the items themselves (or having the little Haitian and or Hispanic men sort them out for you when they pick up your bin at 6:00AM), avoiding a complicated system with different recycling rules and requirements for each item. This is great! I just hope that eventually we will see bigger bins.
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"Little Haitians and or Hispanics" ???
Submitted on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 1:15pm
It is nice that you are educated on recycling issues, but perhaps you should work on your cultural bias issues. I don't think that the country of origin or the size of the people picking up your bins is relevant here.
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documented counties with 30% recycling rate
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 8:31pm
Sarasota 50%, Brevard 41%, Manatee 41%, Collier 36%, St. Lucie 35%, Leon 33%, Monroe 9%.
If you need more information contact Florida DEP.
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Recycling In One Bin
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 8:07pm
Finally, the County is taking a step forward by making the recycling easier and actually letting residents know before it starts. Let's hope that the positive changes keep coming.
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Recycling Now Single Stream
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 7:54pm
Wonderful! Good move Mr. Gastesi and the Solid Waste staff! What a progressive and forward thinking group! Single stream is the simplest thing that every resident can do. Good job!!
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I wish more people knew about this..
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 1:36pm
While there has been a pilot in the lower keys, it is only now official that all areas of unincorporated Monroe now have single stream. That means that the pilot in the lower keys was deemed effective, and that the other haulers for Marathon, Layton, Key Colony Beach and above Islamorada are starting the process for the first time. I am very glad this got front page attention as many of the participating lower keys pilot folks still didn't know what single stream was and thought that since the garbage men were no longer sorting curbside, that it was being thrown away. Single stream is the most effective way to get people to recycle, to pick up recycling curbside and to sort recycling. I am very happy this is now a keyswide program for unincorporated Monroe.
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http://hnn.us/articles/59711.
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 9:59am
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Old Information
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 1:17pm by Laughing Out Loud
An article from Febuary does not reflect what is going on in the markets in July. Markets for raw materials have increased over the last few months.
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Useless story without any facts
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 8:15am
The county has always had one recycling bin per house. We have never separated paper from bottles, all into one bin. Also, please show me one Florida county or city that has a documented 30% recycle rate. O'hara still needs training wheels as a reporter.
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Not necessarily a good thing...
Submitted on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 7:31am
This isn't news. Except for the small proportion of people who take recyclables to the transfer stations, residents ALREADY don't have to sort their recyclables. And while "single stream" recycling may sound like an advancement, it just helps give Waste Management an excuse to not recycle the recyclables, and mix recyclables back in with all the other trash, to be burned in their waste-to-energy plant.
There's an ongoing shortage of education (and a total lack of commitment) by the city and county about what types of plastic can and cannot be recycled together. It DOES matter... and when recyclable plastics have enough of the "wrong" kinds (those other than "1" and "2", styrofoam, and unmarked plastics) mixed in with them, it's considered "contaminated", and is not recycled.
The move to "single stream" doesn't mark an improvement in the program... it just means "forget about recycling". It's a sham.
Yes, burning it in the waste-to-energy plant will be considered by some to be "recycling", but it's not at all efficient, and it does nothing to reduce the amount of petroleum needed to manufacture more plastic. It is not recycling.
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