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$10,000,000 curbside recycling may be offered countywide

That's how much green the county may have at its disposal to consider going greener with curbside recycling. St. Petersburg is one of the few major cities in Florida that doesn't pick up recyclables, making it a contentious issue for city leaders and residents.

By CRISTINA SILVA, Times Staff Writer
Published January 23, 2008

County officials are considering a $10-million curbside recycling plan that would potentially collect household waste from private homes across Pinellas.

County officials estimate there will be a surplus of at least $10-million a year in the waste management budget beginning in 2009. Promoting recycling would reduce trash in the county's landfill, while providing a solution to a long-standing local debate over the benefits of home recycling collection.

"One of the biggest drawbacks of curbside recycling is finding a source of revenue, because it doesn't pay for itself," said Pick Talley, the county's director of utilities. "This would be a win-win solution for everyone."

In Pinellas County, Gulfport, Largo and Clearwater are among a few municipalities that offer curbside recycling. Other communities have struggled in recent years about implementing similar programs.

But the county's plan, which is still in the money-crunching stages, would potentially provide curbside recycling free of charge to every community in Pinellas.

The program would be funded with surplus dollars earned from the county's waste-to-energy facility, which burns about 1-million tons of garbage every year. That process can produce up to 75 megawatts per hour of electricity, most of which the county sells to Progress Energy for distribution within the community.

Waste that cannot be burned is sent to the county's landfill.

The money earned from the sale of energy is earmarked exclusively for use for waste management. As the cost of energy continues to go up, the county estimates it will eventually earn an excess of more than $10-million a year.

"It's a great move forward for the county," said Ken Welch, county commissioner. "For a city that has recycling already like Clearwater we would simply reimburse them. For a city that does not have recycling like St. Pete, we would basically pay for it."

If the plan is approved by the County Commission, the county would then most likely ask private companies to bid for a contract to implement the program. This would reduce startup costs.

Each municipality could decide whether to charge residents a recycling fee.

"I don't see any reason why this shouldn't work," Welch said. "To extend the life of the landfill, recycling makes a whole lot of sense."

Few communities in Pinellas have curbside recycling, mostly because critics argue it is too expensive.

In St. Petersburg, one of the few major cities in Florida that doesn't pick up recyclables, curbside recycling has often been a contentious subject.

Mayor Rick Baker has said it would take a fleet of diesel garbage trucks to pick up the additional trash, which would override the environmental benefits of a home collection program.

Yet, at every election the topic resurfaces, with environmentalists demanding city officials take a second look at home collection.

The county's proposal could pacify longtime critics of curbside recycling, council member Bill Dudley said.

"It's better than us spending a lot of money on something and finding out it doesn't work," he said. "Now, we can do it on someone else's dime."

Other communities also have grappled over whether to implement curbside recycling.

In Madeira Beach, proponents speak of the environmental benefits, while others argue it would be too expensive.

But if the county were to foot the bill, "we would be for it," Mayor Charles Parker said.

"That's what it comes down to," he said. "We would like to have it if we could afford to have it."

This is the latest green initiative for the county, which was named the first Certified Green Local Government in the state by the University of Central Florida in 2006.

The county was recognized for its use of LED traffic signal lights, efforts to preserve wildlife habitat and focus on water conservation.

The recycling program would do even more to bring local communities up to par with national environmental standards, local environmentalists said.

"This is fantastic news," said Cathy Harrelson, a board member of the St. Petersburg Sierra Club. "The effect on reducing the waste stream would be huge."

Cristina Silva can be reached at csilva@sptimes.com or 727 893-8846.

Recycling by the Numbers

$37.50 How much the county charges per ton for waste management

$10-million How much the county could earn annually in surplus dollars from its waste management program beginning in 2009

$10-million Estimated cost of a countywide curbside recycling program

[Last modified January 23, 2008, 06:34:17]