Garbage is an ‘existential threat’ to Miami-Dade. Our largest city shouldn’t end recycling | Opinion

As County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recently told the Herald Editorial Board, garbage is an “existential crisis” for Miami-Dade.

As the county debates what to do with it — a decision is pending on whether to build a new waste-to-energy incinerator to replace the one that burned in Doral in 2023 — it’s clear we must produce less trash. Miami-Dade produces double the national average of waste per person, largely because of its tourism industry, according to the county.

As environmentalists and county officials dream of a “zero-waste” future, a concept that encourages the reuse and recovery of materials, the county’s largest city seems to be going in the opposite direction. The Miami Commission is considering legislation that would allow the city to discontinue its recycling program.

This has been a long time coming. Trash pickup fees have stayed flat since 2010 and the city struggles with an “aging fleet and outdated machinery.” Thanks to contamination by non-recyclable materials, such as food waste, as much as 70% of the waste that’s put in recycling bins in some neighborhoods cannot be recycled, city spokeswoman Kenia Fallat told the Editorial Board via email.

“More than two-thirds of the materials placed in recycling bins cannot be processed,” Fallat wrote. “The high contamination rates suggest a widespread misunderstanding about what can and cannot be recycled. Common issues include food waste, plastic bags and other non-recyclables being mixed with recyclable items.”

In a way, Miami’s move has exposed recycling as a feel-good fallacy, at least to a certain extent. We assume that, by dumping as much garbage into our blue bins, often without much thought, we’re exempt from the guilt of producing too much waste. Instead, we should be buying fewer plastic bottles, less takeout packaging and other material that pollutes the environment.

Of all the waste that’s generated across the county, only 37% of it gets recycled, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. That’s better than other big counties like Broward but worse than Palm Beach and Hillsborough.

These aren’t great numbers but they also aren’t a reason to completely give up.

The recycling rate of the county’s curbside recycling program, which includes unincorporated areas and the nine municipalities that use the county’s recycling services, is much better: 60%. The county’s contamination rate appears to be lower than the city of Miami’s, hovering at 40% in 2023, which is an improvement from 2020.

County officials said that improving education and enforcement makes a difference. Of all the waste that ends up at county contractor Waste Management’s recycling facility, 80-85% gets recycled, Levine Cava said.

Americans began recycling decades ago and, by now, we should be getting this right. We have an imperfect system, but that doesn’t mean we should do away with it. Nor should we ignore the need to produce less waste.

Recycling and composting organic waste, which the county wants to expand, continue to be key regardless of whether the county decides to build a new incinerator or rely on more environmentally sustainable landfills, as environmentalists are suggesting.

The city of Miami, with more than 440,000, residents, shouldn’t exempt itself from doing its part.

If too many residents are improperly recycling, then the blame shouldn’t rest on public ignorance but lack of education, incentives and enforcement. For example, plastic shopping bags should not go into the recycling bin because they can jam the machines used at recycling plants.

Former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell told the Editorial Board the city could explore incentives and mandates, especially for the hospitality industry and commercial and multi-family buildings, which make up the bulk of the city’s waste. Another issue that needs addressing is demolition waste, Russell said.

Levine Cava said she’s reached out to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and she hopes the city and county can collaborate to make recycling cheaper and more effective for both.

“We do want to be a model” for waste management, Levine Cava said.

Levine Cava cannot achieve her goal if the county’s largest city doesn’t take part in her efforts. If anything, Miami’s decision to openly discuss its ineffective recycling program offers an opportunity to save it.

Editor’s note: This editorial was changed to reflect the correct recycling rate of Miami-Dade County.

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This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 2:39 PM.