Lee County takes No. 2 recycling spot in state
Lee County residents and businesses recycled 76 percent of the waste generated countywide in 2020, earning second place in Florida. Charlotte and Pinellas counties tied for the top spot with 78 percent recycling rates.
Lee County received credit for recycling 1.6 million of the total 2.2 million tons of waste generated locally, according to numbers recently released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The amount of material Lee County residents recycled in 2020 would be enough to fill 152 football fields with material 70 feet high — as high as the tallest point of the Sanibel Causeway Bridge.
“Lee County has been in the top 10 recycling counties ever since Florida began tracking in 2000,” Solid Waste Director Doug Whitehead said. “And, we enjoy a healthy competition with Charlotte and Pinellas over who can recycle the most each year.”
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.
Overall, waste generation in the county decreased 63,000 tons, or 2.76 percent, from 2019 to 2020.
Center diverts paint back to community
Lee County’s Reuse Center — a free resource for residents — has diverted 93 tons of household chemicals away from final disposal and provided them free to local residents and businesses.
The Reuse Center, which opened in 2018, allows public access to still-useable paints and chemicals that have been turned in for responsible disposal.
Latex paint represents roughly half of the material that has passed through the center. Cleaning supplies and pesticides are the next most common materials. But, depending on the day, items such as pool chemicals, suntan lotion or Sterno may be found on the shelf.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle — that’s a phrase most people are familiar with,” Whitehead said. “The Reuse Center provides a double benefit in that it allows the county to reduce the amount of material that needs disposal and makes that material available for reuse.”
Some center stats:
• Total pounds of household chemicals diverted from disposal: 185,997
• Total pounds of latex paint diverted to the community: 95,468
• Total pounds of household chemicals diverted: 31,336
The Reuse Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one Saturday a month from 8 a.m. to noon. The center is at 6421 Topaz Court, Fort Myers.