Collier County, FL Study Promotes Higher Recycling Rates

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Residents of Collier County may be asked to share their recycling habits through a pilot study in collaboration with WM, or Waste Management, and The Recycling Partnership. Collier County received a great reputation for recycling rates in recent years. For the first time, Collier County achieved a recycling rate of 75% in 2021, recycling 1.5 million tons of the 2 million total waste collected. Only five counties in Florida reached the 75% rate, Lee County being the top at 81%.   

However, the county believes more can be done to promote mindful waste and chose to conduct two different studies to learn more about recycling behavior, one for single-family homes and one for multifamily.  

“What we know is that there are over a high 80% of folks saying that they value recycling, then what we also see is that there’s a significant amount of material that doesn’t get recycled,” The Recycling Partnership Community Program Manager Alita Kane said. “We’re really focused right now on trying to figure out how to close that gap and determine what it is that will actually drive behavior change.” 

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com