Miami-Dade County collected more than 61,771 tons of recyclable materials in 2011 without a processing or disposal fee, according to records released by Jeanmarie Massa, recycling manager at the Miami- Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Division.
Explanation of the recycling process to a West Kendall query preceded a detailed look into the operation of the program on May 29, 7 p.m., by Kendall Federation of H o m e o w n e r Associations (KFHA) at Kendall Village Center Civic Pavilion.
The joint session will feature a Miami-Dade County video displaying what happens to newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and steel cans deposited by residents in blue-colored plastic bins.
In addition, representatives of the Miami- Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) are scheduled to answer current questions about toll road projects in Kendall and elsewhere throughout the county.
Free SunPass transponders will be distributed to the first 150 guests for use, ready for activation that evening, according to Michael Rosenberg, KFHA president.
Three contracts with private companies annually account for residential recycling services with World Waste Recycling collecting north of Kendall Drive and Waste Services Inc. providing service south of Kendall Drive, Massa reported. From January through December 2011, Miami- Dade paid a total $6.3 million for the combined services, according to Massa’s statement.
A third contract with Waste Management Inc. for processing and marketing of recyclables collected paid the county $691,512 during 2011, based on delivery of materials to its disposal facilities.
“WMI pays a flat amount to the county for each ton collected, regardless of what the material is worth,” Massa explained. “That is, WMI has taken on all the risk and benefit associated with fluctuations in market pricing while the county has a steady income stream.”
An average price value compiled of typical recyclable materials in the southeastern U.S. included newspapers ($52 per ton); aluminum cans (72 cents per pound); plastic bottles (21 cents per pound), and steel cans ($125 per ton). Based on 2011 charges incurred by Miami-Dade County for waste collections delivered to county sites for disposal, the avoided disposal cost for the same service for recyclables was pegged at $3,762,655.
