POLK COUNTY, Fla. — About 140,000 households in unincorporated Polk County will no longer have curbside recycling.
Starting Oct. 1, curbside recycling will be discontinued in unincorporated Polk County. As a result, the Polk County Waste & Recycling Division’s name will be changed to Polk County Solid Waste Division.
According to Solid Waste officials the recycling process now costs twice as much due to an overseas market collapse. Ending curbside recycling will save the county $5.5 million annually. In addition, a lot of material not meant for recycling was being collected.
“If you deliver materials that have a high degree of contamination to a processor, that processor may and will reject your load, so that was a problem that plagued the collection system,” said Dale Henderson, Director of Polk County's Solid Waste Division.
Residents who wish to continue recycling can take items to the Polk County Landfill in Winter Haven.
“Polk County has also created a licensing division to allow private sector haulers to provide subscription services to residents of unincorporated Polk County,” Henderson said.
Solid Waste leaders said although curbside recycling is ending, they are moving forward to protect the environment.
A renewable natural gas plant converts garbage-produced landfill Biogas into renewable natural gas that can be utilized in homes and vehicles. The facility will greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s a diesel replacement fuel. So, you get cleaner emissions in truck fleets in the area, as well as localized emissions reduction right here,” said Allen Hunt, Senior Vice President of Construction for OPAL Fuels.
Additionally, Polk County’s two contracted trash haulers FCC Environmental and GFL Environmental, will power their vehicles with compressed natural gas taken directly from the local natural gas pipeline.
A Leachate Treatment Facility is set to begin operations on Oct. 11. Leachate occurs when rainwater filters downward through garbage at the landfill and is collected on the liner at the base of the landfill. The leachate is then removed from the landfill through a leachate collection system.
The Leachate Treatment Facility mimics natural wetlands by removing and reducing harmful elements in the liquid. This will reduce the cost of transporting and treatment of leachate by a local wastewater treatment plant.
“We are anticipating leachate treatment of about 30,000 gallons a day when in full steady production which will save the County $2 million a year," said Henderson said.
As well as saving the environment.
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