Florida County Looks to Introduce Commercial Recycling Program

Alucha County, Fla., is looking to institute a mandatory collection program for commercial and multi-unit apartment buildings in the county.

According to Sally Palmi, solid waste coordinator for the county, the plan is to mirror much of what the city of Gainesville (the largest city in the county) is already undertaking.

According to local news reports, the Alucha County’s County Commission authorized the county to hold public hearings toward the end of this month to discuss the proposal, which will include around 5,000 businesses and more than 19,000 apartment units.

The program is expected to cost around $65,000 the first year, and then $45,000 a year to maintain the program.

Palmi adds that a significant amount of time and effort will be geared toward educating people as to the proper way of collecting recyclables. If the project goes forward there won’t be any penalties as businesses and apartment unit operators work through the logistics of what can be handled, as well as other issues involved in the collection process.

There will be a host of options available to those companies looking to begin recycling programs, including contracting with the service that is handling the solid waste collection, contracting with an individual recycling company, and even arranging for collection with the county owned MRF.