Broward backs solid waste plan agreement

Clock ticking for cities to make their approvals By Rafael Olmeda

South Florida Sun Sentinel

With just three months to go before a crucial deadline, Broward County has passed what officials are calling the “linchpin” of the master plan of the Solid Waste Authority’s ambitious effort to massively increase recycling and reduce local trash output.

The 28 municipalities that are part of the Solid Waste Authority must vote on adopting the master plan by Aug. 14.

The Broward County Commission recently did its part, passing an “interlocal agreement” that forms an “independent special district” that’s “charged with coordinating regional solid waste disposal and recycling programs.”

And while it reads like a bureaucratic technical manual, the Solid Waste Authority’s master plan cannot function without the interlocal agreement that just passed, said County Commissioner Beam Furr.

“It preserves our landfill, it preserves our waste energy plant and it puts the county in ‘most favored nation’ status when negotiating disposal rates,” he said.

The master plan is the culmination of years of study concerning how Broward missed the opportunity decades ago to develop an organized strategy for disposing of 5 million tons of garbage a year.

Broward’s recycling rate is currently 38%. Through education and incentives, the master plan hopes to increase that number to 75%.

Mike Ryan, mayor of Sunrise and chairman of the SWA, said the plan so far has secured about half of the support it needs to pass.

Governments representing 80% of the participating cities’ population must sign off for the plan to go into effect. Among those that have said yes so far are Tamarac, Coconut Creek, West Park, Plantation, Dania Beach, Lighthouse Point and Weston. Some other cities have not yet voted.

If the master plan were to fail to reach its vote target, each city would have to come up with its own plan, negotiating individually with Waste Management and other private companies for disposal of trash and recycling.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.

With just three months to go before a crucial deadline, Broward County has passed what

officials are calling the “linchpin” of the master plan of the Solid Waste Authority’s

ambitious effort to massively increase recycling and reduce local trash output.

The 28 municipalities that are part of the Solid Waste Authority must vote on adopting the

master plan by Aug. 14.

The Broward County Commission recently did its part, passing an “interlocal agreement”

that forms an “independent special district” that’s “charged with coordinating regional

solid waste disposal and recycling programs.”

And while it reads like a bureaucratic technical manual, the Solid Waste Authority’s master

plan cannot function without the interlocal agreement that just passed, said County

Commissioner Beam Furr.

“It preserves our landfill, it preserves our waste energy plant and it puts the county in ‘most

favored nation’ status when negotiating disposal rates,” he said.

The master plan is the culmination of years of study concerning how Broward missed the

opportunity decades ago to develop an organized strategy for disposing of 5 million tons of

garbage a year.

Broward’s recycling rate is currently 38%. Through education and incentives, the master

plan hopes to increase that number to 75%.

Mike Ryan, mayor of Sunrise and chairman of the SWA, said the plan so far has secured

about half of the support it needs to pass.

Governments representing 80% of the participating cities’ population must sign off for the

plan to go into effect. Among those that have said yes so far are Tamarac, Coconut Creek,

West Park, Plantation, Dania Beach, Lighthouse Point and Weston. Some other cities have

not yet voted.

If the master plan were to fail to reach its vote target, each city would have to come up with

its own plan, negotiating individually with Waste Management and other private

companies for disposal of trash and recycling.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.