Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Beam Furr
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO DISCUSS draft Interlocal Agreement for the creation of an independent Solid Waste and Recycling Materials Processing Authority to coordinate regional solid waste and recycling efforts across Broward County. (Commissioner Furr)
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Why Action is Necessary
Required to have a public discussion on this issue.
What Action Accomplishes
Permits a public discussion on this issue.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
The future of solid waste and recycling in Broward County will have a major impact on our environment and economy moving forward. Our countywide recycling rate is 30.94%, which is significantly lower than the state goal of 75%. Recycling reduces emissions and has the potential to create a circular economy. In addition, landfill capacity and identifying appropriate solid waste disposal destinations continues to present significant short-term and long-term concerns. That is why Broward County and all 31 municipalities have made addressing this a top priority.
After the dissolution of the Resource Recovery Board, Broward County and multiple cities agreed to explore the best use of the Alpha 250 property. This ultimately led to the hiring of a consultant, Arcadis, who created a report making recommendations to raise our recycling rate and create a comprehensive solid waste system. The final report was released in 2018.
In October 2019, Broward County and representatives from each city appointed delegates to make recommendations regarding solid waste and recycling, and formed the Solid Waste Working Group ("SWWG"). The SWWG consists of eight municipal representatives, sorted by population, as well as one County representative.
Since the formation of the SWWG, negotiations have produced some consensus and progress towards the possible creation o...
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