Lake County, Florida, recycling rates increase

An article in the Daily Commercial has reported that recycling rates in Lake County, Florida, have increased more than 10 percent since 2014. The county’s Solid Waste Division processed 13,000 tons of recyclables, which raised the county recycling rate to 22 percent.

“Our recycling rate is the highest in the eight-county region,” Lake County Commission Chairman Sean Parks told the newspaper. “The more recycling we do, the lower the cost to provide collection.” 

According to Jim Stivender, the county’s public works director, recycling rates increased as a result of the implementation of single-stream  recycling in 2014.

Although higher recycling rates save the county money, the low cost of gasoline is afflicting the recycling industry with an economic slump, according to the Daily Commercial. New plastics made from oil and gas production byproducts are cheaper to buy as a result and sometimes cost less than their recycled counterparts. 

County Commissioner Leslie Campione told the Daily Commercial she is concerned the haulers will ask for an increase in their rates, which may offset the savings the county is receiving. 

Parks is not concerned, however. “There are ups and downs in the recycling market,” he says in the article. 

Commissioner Tim Sullivan told the Commercial he is concerned the market may affect the contract the county has had with ACMS Inc. Heart of Florida for the past seven years. He says the county must watch the bottom line, as it is subject to market values.

Commissioner Jimmy Conner says the county recycling increase is encouraging nonetheless.

“It is a win-win,” he says in the article. “It is good financial news for us and also good for the environment.”