ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As Tampa Bay experiences record growth, Pinellas County utility officials are raising concerns about the amount of trash entering the county's waste facilities.
The Waste to Energy plant is the county's primary destination for trash. Stephanie Watson, the recycling and outreach programs manager for the county’s solid waste department, explained for every ten trucks that come into the plant with waste, one truck-load comes out with ash and then takes that to the county's single landfill.
"The one and only landfill in Pinellas County is expected to fill up and be closed in 75-80 years," Watson exclaimed, adding that the waste-energy facility has less than three years of capacity left with an estimated capacity date in 2026.
"If we reach capacity waste to energy, more garbage will be going hauled to the landfill, which is going to fill it up exponentially quicker," she said. "If nothing changes, our landfill will fill up much more quickly than the 75 to 80 years. We will have to truck waste out of the county, which will be very expensive."
This is why the county is attempting to reduce waste and focus on more recycling through changes to the county's solid waste ordinance, which hasn't been updated since the 1980s.
The county estimates each Pinellas resident generates an average of more than 12 pounds of daily waste. Meanwhile, the county population is growing and on track to add another 200,000 residents by 2050.
In 2020, the county developed a 30-year solid waste master plan with 28 strategies to combat the crisis and reach zero waste by 2050.
One strategy is to add mandatory recycling, requiring people to separate certain items — paper and cardboard, plastic and glass containers — from their trash. The distinction would bring unincorporated Pinellas in line with the county’s two dozen municipalities.
"Our studies show that 60 to 70% of what comes into our waste-to-energy facility could be recycled," Watson exclaimed.
Residents who already recycle are a little wary of a mandate.
“I'm not opposed to it… but what kind of repercussions go with it if you're not recycling, you know?” St Petersburg resident Jeremy Farris told ABC Action News.
Another resident, Nikki Wood, said she wouldn't support fines when many are financially struggling.
"My vote would be instead of forcing recycling... if we somehow implemented more biodegradable packaging," she said. "Because I think the recycling is only going to do so much, and people generally just don't think about it."
It's thoughts like this that the Department of Solid Waste (DSW) wants to hear from people.
They will host three upcoming meetings about potential ordinance revisions, the first on Tuesday, July 11, at The EpiCenter at St. Petersburg College from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
They ask residents to read over the master plan and come up with suggestions. The public can provide input to be considered in drafting potential ordinance revisions that may affect residents and businesses in unincorporated areas.
Registration information for meetings and other details are available here.