Lee County tied for Florida’s top recycling spot
Lee County residents and businesses led recycling efforts statewide in 2018, tied only with Charlotte County with a 77 percent annual recycling rate.
The amount of material Lee County residents recycled in 2018 would be enough to fill 107 football fields with material 70 feet high – as high as the tallest point of the Sanibel Causeway.
Lee County received credit for recycling 1.5 million tons of the total 1.96 million tons of waste generated locally in 2018, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
“Florida has a recycling goal of 75 percent by 2020,” Public Utilities Director Pam Keyes said. “We are happy to report that strong participation by both residents and businesses has enabled Lee County to meet and exceed this goal.”
It is the fourth time Lee County has led the state in recycling since tracking began in 2000.
Recycling credits include curbside recycling by residents as well as business recycling of materials such as cardboard, yard waste, scrap metal and construction and demolition debris, among other items. Lee County also receives recycling credit for energy produced from garbage processed at the waste-to-energy plant in Buckingham.