County ranks second statewide for recycling performance
Lee County reported that it ranked second among Florida’s 67 counties for recycling rates by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) last year.
The amount of material that residents and businesses recycled in 2025 would be enough to fill 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Lee County received credit for recycling more than 2.2 million tons of the 3 million total tons of waste generated locally, according to numbers that the FDEP recently released. It brings the county’s recycling rate to an adjusted rate of 87%. Strong participation by residents and businesses has enabled the county to meet and exceed the state’s 75% recycling goal.
Lee County earns FDEP recycling credits for items such as curbside recycling by residents, as well as business recycling of materials such as cardboard, yard waste, scrap metal, and construction and demolition debris. It also receives recycling credit for energy produced from garbage processed at the Waste-to-Energy plant in Buckingham.
To obtain curbside collection schedule, sign up for alerts and learn how to properly dispose of different waste materials, download the Recycle Coach app at www.leegov.com/solidwaste/recycle-coach.
For more information, visit www.leegov.com/solidwaste.