Major US city may eliminate recycling

Miami, Florida, may be ditching recycling because too many people have been throwing regular trash into the blue bins. City officials said that recycling has had 'high contamination rates', which has caused the overall cost of recycling to increase drastically. The Miami City Commission scheduled a preliminary vote to let the Solid Waste director 'have the power to establish the type, frequency and amount, if at all, of City-serviced recycle pickup in all areas.'

This change could give the city the power to completely stop recycling , the Miami Herald reported. Recycling in Miami is picked up once every two weeks. The potential law could also get rid of the requirement for bulky waste, such as furniture and tree limbs, to be picked up every week. 'Bulky Waste pickup every other week is more than sufficient at this time,' the proposal reads.

According to a statement from the city of Miami: 'The proposed code changes on the upcoming commission agenda are designed to offer clear authority and flexibility for implementing necessary adjustments to improve our services.

'These changes aim to ensure the department can respond promptly and effectively to the evolving needs of our community.' The proposal explained how bulky waste pickup 'has become a source of abuse by outside entities,' meaning contractors and landscapers have not been taking their trash to dumps because the department will pick it up.

It states that the Solid Waste Department (SWD) can determine a suitable schedule for the city's needs. Miami's annual trash fee has remained at $380 since 2010, leaving the city with an 'aging fleet and outdated machinery' causing 'frequent truck breakdowns, impacting our ability to meet weekly service commitments.' In a statement, the city said contaminated recycling has become a hefty expense.

'These changes will save residents money by optimizing our resources and avoiding unnecessary expenditures,' the statement reads. Another proposed change is limiting the size of large trash bins that are allowed to be picked up by the city to at or below these dimensions: five feet long by five feet tall by four feet deep. This comes after the city tried to address a $20 million deficit in the department in June.

As of the beginning of that month, people who had contaminated recycling bins were given three chances to remove the non-recyclables. Repeat offenders can be charged a $152 fine if they keep recycling improperly, according to Miami-Dade County. Last month, residents of a Miami Gardens neighborhood claimed their recycling had not been picked up for two months, NBC 6 South Florida reported. 'No recycling pickup whatsoever, no recycling pickup whatsoever, we have called and called, every two weeks I called them and nothing has been resolved,' Vivian Gonzalez, a King’s Garden resident, told the outlet.

Another resident Victor Irehada said he had to take his recycling to another property he owned for it to get picked up. The issue was finally resolved when NBC6 On Your Side called Miami-Dade County and the recycling company to ask about the issue. Despite Miami city's and Miami-Dade County's recycling dilemmas, Palm Beach County has been deemed the best place in Florida for its recycling habits, Palm Beach's SWD said.

Their statement reads: 'The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County's commitment to recycling began in 1987. 'For more than 35 years, the SWA has been leading the way in providing convenient and efficient recycling services that preserve our county's precious natural resources.' Palm Beach County achieved an 84 percent recycling rate last year, the SWD reported.

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