ANNA MARIA – Residents and city officials are displeased with the level of trash and recycling collection services being provided by Waste Management.
When addressing city commissioners about various city-related projects and concerns on Jan. 23, Anna Maria General Manager Dean Jones said, “We’re in talks with Waste Management. We want to bring them in for a meet-and-greet with the new administration and set some expectations for them. We expect high levels of customer service and we want to make sure they get that message.”
These trash and recycling receptacles are a common sight along Willow Avenue. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Mayor Mark Short then said, “We have, over the last several few weeks, received an unusual number of complaints about Waste Management service – stuff not getting picked up for sometimes weeks at a time, or they pick up my trash and not my recycling, or they didn’t get my landscaping. The volume of complaints we have received about Waste Management services has significantly increased over the last several weeks. So, we’re scheduling a meeting with ‘the boss,’ trying to get him out here and have a little conversation about improving the quality of service which has, in our opinion, deteriorated.”
Commissioner Chris Arendt asked if short-term vacation rentals are required to use the side-door trash and recycling service – a service provided at an additional cost which entails Waste Management employees retrieving and returning trash and recycling receptacles to the side of the house.
“That hasn’t been happening,” Arendt said.
After clarifying the side-door service requirement pertains to all non-homesteaded residential properties, and not just vacation rentals, Short said, “You’re right. That’s part of the quality of service. For those, they are to go get it, dump it and take it back. We’ve also seen where they go get them but they’re leaving them out at the street, and in some cases in the street. That’s part of our soon-to-be meeting and conversation. We need to see some improvement in quality of service,” Short said.
Non-homesteaded properties, including short-term vacation rentals, are required to use side-door trash and recycling receptacle retrieval and return service. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Commission Chair Charlie Salem asked when the city’s current exclusive contract with Waste Management expires. Jones said the current contract expires on June 28, 2026: “We have about 18 months.”
Salem noted Waste Management’s quality of service will be considered when it’s time to discuss renewing that contract.
The cities of Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach contract with Waste Pro for their trash and recycling services.
BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor John Chappie continues to lament the constant presence of trash containers left alongside city streets.
Chappie and the city team, which includes City Attorney Ricinda Perry, Building Official Steve Gilbert and Public Works Director Tom Woodard, have previously discussed the problem and Chappie requested a trash can discussion during the city commission’s Aug. 30 work meeting.
The city’s transient public lodging establishment (TPLE) ordinance requires vacation rental properties to use sideyard trash pickup, a service requiring Waste Pro employees to retrieve the trash and recycling containers from the side of the rental home and return them to the same location after emptying them. Instead, full trash containers are often placed roadside after being emptied.
Chappie mentioned vacation rental property managers, cleaning crews and rental guests as primary contributors to the lingering trash container problem Waste Pro hasn’t been able to solve.
“What do we do with the garbage cans that are out by the road at all times? Do we ‘suck it up, buttercup?’ Do we change the way it is with sideyard pickup, have no sideyard pickup, require everyone to have sideyard pickup?” he asked.
Mayor John Chappie is exasperated by the constant sight of trash containers sitting street-side. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Chappie said Waste Pro doesn’t want their employees going behind fences to retrieve trash containers because they don’t know what they might encounter there. He questioned whether the containers should be placed instead on screened-in pads located elsewhere on the property.
Commissioner Jake Spooner said he doesn’t want to eliminate the sideyard pickup requirement and vacation rental guests need to stop placing trash cans by the street when they check out. Chappie said many vacation rentals permanently leave their trash cans near the street.
Gilbert said trash cans designated for sideyard pickup are marked with decals containing the Waste Pro initials. A trash can bearing that decal is supposed to be returned to its sideyard location.
WP stickers indicate whether the trash and recycling containers are designated for sideyard service. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Perry said Waste Pro would consider switching to sideyard pickup for everyone, including permanent residents, to eliminate the need for their employees to figure out which properties require sideyard pickup.
Spooner said the WP stickers already identify which cans are supposed to be returned to their sideyard locations. He also noted Waste Pro customers pay an additional fee for sideyard service.
Perry said there are occasions when Waste Pro employees return the containers to their sideyard locations and the containers are then brought back out to the street by the vacation rental cleaning crews.
Waste Pro employees are supposed return trash containers marked with WP decals to their sideyard locations. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Perry said Waste Pro employees are also leery of hauling trash cans through a driveway filled with parked vehicles out of fear of scraping or damaging them. She said Waste Pro recommends screened-in designated locations near the street. Spooner said he doesn’t want to look down the street and see an endless line of lattice-screened trash can pads.
Woodard noted the city’s sanitation ordinance specifies the timeframe during which trash containers can be left by the street.
“Containers shall be out for collection by 6 a.m. of the scheduled pick-up day and shall be removed from the collection site by 8 p.m. on the day of collection. Failure to comply within 24 hours shall be a violation of this code,” the ordinance says.
“It’s not enforced,” Woodard said.
He said the problems will continue until the city commission clearly states what it wants done.
“Someone has to be in charge, and that’s you all,” he told the commission.
“How can we enforce this?” Chappie asked.
Perry said the city’s code enforcement provisions address “irrevocable and irreversible harm” in a manner that allows a code enforcement officer to immediately issue a citation.
“To me, that is the only way we can get there,” she added.
She also noted the property owner’s TPLE license can be revoked for repeat violations of city code.
Perry said the property management companies need to be informed in a more formal and serious manner of the city’s concerns and the potential enforcement ramifications.
Chappie said he wants the city’s code enforcement officer to start issuing citations and fines to violators.
Spooner asked if the code enforcement officer is out after 8 p.m. patrolling for trash can retrieval violations. Gilbert, who supervises the city’s only code enforcement officer, said the city would need one full-time officer just to enforce the sanitation ordinance. Gilbert said that sideyard collection is a great idea, but it doesn’t work.
During public comment, it was noted that the city of Anna Maria budgeted $415,000 in occupancy-based vacation rental registration fee revenues to be used in the coming fiscal year for the enforcement of its vacation rental ordinance.
Gilbert said the city of Bradenton Beach budgets approximately $120,000 for code enforcement as a whole. City Treasurer Shayne Thompson said the city receives approximately $70,000 to $80,000 in annual vacation rental registration fees.
The discussion ended with Chappie saying he would meet again with the city team to discuss the commission feedback received. He’s also going to try to schedule a meeting with the Island’s larger vacation rental property management companies and “read them the riot act” regarding their trash-related responsibilities.
“We’re going to start handing out citations. We’ll just lower the hammer as best we can and let them know this is irrevocable and irreversible harm,” Chappie said.
BRADENTON BEACH – City officials are unhappy about the lack of compliance with the city’s side yard trash pickup requirements for vacation rentals.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie has repeatedly voiced his displeasure about the accumulation of trash containers alongside city streets, and on Thursday, Jan. 20, the city commission and city staff discussed these issues at length.
Building Official Steve Gilbert said the city’s solid waste ordinance and Transient Public Lodging Establishment (TPLE) ordinance are not consistent with one another regarding side yard pickup requirements. He suggested the city attorney review the two ordinances, and for code enforcement purposes, he suggested revising the solid waste ordinance.
The red and white WP stickers placed on these Waste Pro containers signify side yard container retrieval and return requirements. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The city’s TPLE ordinance requires vacation rental operators to request and obtain side yard pickup service for their trash. Anyone seeking an exemption must submit a written request to the city clerk for city commission approval. The TPLE ordinance also requires the location of vacation rental trash containers to be posted inside the rental unit.
The city’s solid waste ordinance states trash containers must be placed for collection by 6 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day and must be removed by 8 p.m. that night. That ordinance also says trash containers are to be placed in the curbside right of way unless otherwise approved by the Public Works director. The solid waste ordinance does not specifically address vacation rentals or transient public lodging establishments.
City Attorney Ricinda Perry said the city’s franchise agreement with Waste Pro states that Waste Pro determines where trash containers are to be placed for pickup.
Chappie said he and Public Works Director Tom Woodard have had numerous conversations with Waste Pro and the issues continue. Chappie said the blame is shared by Waste Pro, vacation rental owners and managers, vacation rental cleaning staffs and vacation rental guests.
Waste Pro containers lined Second Street North while awaiting pickup on Jan. 20. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Chappie said vacation rental guests, when checking out on Friday or Saturday, often bring the trash containers out to the road as a courtesy and the cleaning crews often do the same. This results in trash containers sitting alongside the street until they’re picked up on Monday.
Chappie said this doesn’t relieve Waste Pro of its responsibility to return the empty containers to the side of the rental home. He also said it’s up to vacation rental owners and managers to figure out how to comply with the city requirements. Chappie said repeated compliance failures should result in the property owner losing their city-issued TPLE license.
Perry said the city shares some responsibility because the franchise agreement requires property owners to exclusively use Waste Pro.
Potential solutions
Gilbert noted the city of Anna Maria’s franchise agreement with Waste Management requires all non-homesteaded properties to use side yard pickup service, rather than placing that burden only on vacation rentals. That requirement is supported by Anna Maria’s solid waste ordinance.
Anna Maria’s franchise agreement states side yard pick up locations must be approved by Waste Management and the city must annually provide an updated list of non-homesteaded residential properties to be serviced with containers designated for side yard pick up by a city-approved sticker.
Perry said the city’s current franchise agreement with Waste Pro expires in 2025 and may need to be revised before then. She said continued non-compliance with the side yard pickup requirements could be considered a breach of that agreement.
Woodard said Waste Pro has been told multiple times that side yard trash containers improperly placed alongside the road must still be returned to the side of the rental home or rental unit. He also said it was Waste Pro’s idea to place the red and white WP stickers on containers designated for side yard pickup.
Gilbert said Waste Pro drivers often can’t see the stickers when the containers are sitting alongside a rental home awaiting pickup. He suggested Waste Pro provide its drivers with updated logs that identify which properties require side yard pickup, or have stickers placed directly on the vacation rental homes in a more visible location. Commissioner Jake Spooner suggested loading that information into a handheld GPS device to be used by the Waste Pro drivers.
Gilbert said he recently followed a Waste Pro truck down Avenue C and watched vacation rental trash containers being picked up at the end of the driveway and left there rather than being returned to the side of the house.
Woodard said one solution would be to simply require side yard pickup for all residential properties, which currently costs approximately $15 more per month. Chappie opposed side yard pickup for all residential properties or non-homesteaded properties. Commissioner Jan Vosburgh agreed and said she doesn’t want to subject city residents to those additional costs.
Spooner suggested Waste Pro also be asked to complete its trash collection along Gulf Drive before 8:30 a.m. to help alleviate the traffic congestion that occurs when that trash is collected later in the day.
Cole recommended that Perry, in her capacity as city attorney, contact Waste Pro and reiterate the city’s concerns. Perry said she would, and that she, Gilbert and Woodard would work together with Waste Pro on these issues.
Perry said the main points gathered from the discussion were the need to properly identify what side door or side yard pickup is and what it entails, what identification methods are needed and what can be done about the timing of trash collections along Gulf Drive. She also acknowledged the commission’s desire that Waste Pro respond more quickly to repair or replace condominium and commercial dumpsters that go unemptied because the roller wheels are broken.
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy is among those displeased with the lack of trash collection provided by Waste Management during the extended Fourth of July weekend and Hurricane Elsa.
Anna Maria is the only city on Anna Maria Island serviced by Waste Management. Waste Pro services Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach. According to Bradenton Beach Public Works Manager Tom Woodard, Waste Pro serviced that city on Tuesday and Wednesday.
During the Thursday, July 8 city commission meeting, Murphy gave a positive report regarding the city’s response to the storm, with one exception: “The biggest faux pas we had was garbage collection. Holmes Beach had their garbage collected and somehow Waste Management decided to not pick up our garbage because the landfill was closed.”
Murphy was referring to the Manatee County landfill being closed on Tuesday after being closed on Monday in recognition of the Fourth of July holiday.
At 11:46 a.m. on Monday, July 6, Manatee County Utilities Department Strategic Affairs Manager Amy Pilson sent an email to the public works directors in the Manatee County cities, but her email was not sent directly sent to the Island’s city mayors.
“Due to the anticipated impacts of Tropical Storm Elsa, the Manatee County Landfill will be closed and all collection services in the unincorporated areas will be suspended tomorrow, Tuesday, July 6,” Pilson stated in her email.
Murphy said no one from the county or Waste Management contacted him directly to explain the situation, but Public Works Manager Dean Jones was initially notified by Waste Management of the additional service disruption.
“Dean couldn’t even get ahold of them to find out what’s going on. The word coming from Waste Management was basically non-existent. I’ve asked Dean to schedule an appointment with Waste Management because I’m very dissatisfied with their communications. It was a fiasco. They obviously had no plan for an emergency, especially following a three-day weekend when the garbage is already piling up,” Murphy said.
Mayor Dan Murphy was exasperated with Waste Management’s performance during the holiday weekend and hurricane. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“If you can send me an email every time my bill is due, then why can’t you send me an email and tell me you’re not going to provide service? I also know they have the capability to do robocalls. Why wasn’t that employed?” he added.
“The call came after the fact,” Commissioner Carol Carter noted.
Contract talks
The city of Anna Maria extended its contract with Waste Management in 2019. At that time, Waste Pro also submitted a bid to provide those exclusive citywide services. When presenting the Waste Pro proposal, company representative Bob ten Haaf noted Waste Pro has its own trash processing company and is not dependent on the landfill. The commission ultimately voted 4-1 to enter into another contract with Waste Management.
Murphy said there’s a clause in the Waste Management contract that allows the city to renegotiate if the city is dissatisfied with their performance.
“Maybe we can resolve it. My intent is we have in place a good emergency plan even when there’s a holiday which impacts the garbage pickup. There’s no excuse for what took place,” Murphy said.
If Murphy feels the need to renegotiate after his pending meeting with Waste Management representatives, he will seek that commission authorization on July 22.
Commissioner Jon Crane said he was frustrated because he couldn’t find one reliable source of information regarding the impacted collection dates, including the Waste Management website.
Commissioner Mark Short said he was out on Willow Avenue picking up bottles and cans that were floating in the water because the uncollected bottles and cans were placed in boxes rather than trash bags, trash cans or recycle bins. Murphy said there were also failures with the side-yard pickups required of non-homesteaded residential properties.
Waste Management response
When contacted by The Sun on Friday, Waste Management regional spokesperson Dana McCormick said, “Due to the closure of the Manatee County landfill on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day, Waste Management could not provide service to Anna Maria. Our scheduled make-up day was Tuesday. Then, due to the approach of Hurricane Elsa, Manatee County made the decision to close the landfill again on Tuesday. Therefore, Waste Management could not service Anna Maria on Tuesday. Our safety protocols do not allow garbage to remain in our trucks overnight.
“While our senior leadership was in frequent contact with the city of Anna Maria staff on service changes due to the closure of the Manatee County landfill, we understand our communications did not meet the city’s expectations and we will commit to do better in future storm events,” McCormick said.
“We provided service to our customers on Wednesday and Thursday upon the opening of the landfill and we’ll be back on our regular schedule next week. We look forward to our meeting with Mayor Dan Murphy,” she added.
Online updates
McCormick said during regular non-storm events, property owners can go to www.WM.com and enter their address to check on current or anticipated service disruptions.
“During a tropical storm or a hurricane, we have a special website in Florida: www.WMFloridaStorm.com,” McCormick said, noting the website did contain collection information related to Manatee County and Anna Maria’s service interruptions.
Regarding the possibility that many Anna Maria property owners may not have been aware of Waste Management’s storm website, McCormick said, “We will certainly make sure during the next potential storm that both the city and its residents are better informed of that website. If there was a miscue with the Anna Maria residents, we want to make sure that is corrected before the next storm.”
In response to McCormick’s responses, Murphy said, “No matter what Waste Management’s perception of their communication plan is, our streets had overflowing garbage cans for several days. They didn’t pick up trash after a holiday weekend and that’s what they get paid to do. The end result was totally unacceptable.”
ANNA MARIA – Residents may see their trash and recycling bills goes down, but vacation rental owners and Anna Maria business owners may see their bills increase significantly.
Mayor Dan Murphy is now authorized to negotiate a new seven-year contract with Waste Management. If those negotiations are successful, Waste Management will continue to provide Anna Maria’s solid waste services. If Murphy’s cannot reach acceptable terms with Waste Management, he will seek the commission authorization to negotiate with Waste Pro.
Both companies submitted proposals in response to the city’s recent request for proposals (RFP) and both hope to secure the city’s trash and recycling contract.
Bob ten Haaf represented Waste Pro at the Thursday, May 9 commission meeting. Bill Gresham and Jason White represented Waste Management.
Residential rates
Regarding the proposed residential fees, Murphy said Waste Management’s current fee is $59.70 every three months.
“Waste Pro came in at $54.48 for residents and Waste Management came in at $53.79,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the side-door pickup required of non-homesteaded short-term vacation rentals is currently $69.30. He said Waste Pro proposed a new rate of $91.68 and Waste Management proposed $114.
Waste Management is offering to increase the city’s franchise fee from 4 percent to 8 percent of the total gross revenue collected from Anna Maria customers. Waste Pro offered a 12 percent franchise fee, minus tipping fees.
Bill Gresham and Jason White represented Waste Management at the May 9 commission meeting. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The commission preferred Waste Management’s twice-weekly pickup over the four times a week proposed by Waste Pro. The commission preferred Waste Management’s two-year price lock over Waste Pro’s one-year price lock.
To avoid traffic and reduce congestion, both companies offered to begin pickup services along Pine Avenue one hour earlier, beginning at 6 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.
When ten Haaf addressed the commission, Murphy noted Waste Pro’s proposed franchise fee was a percentage of the gross revenue minus the tipping fees, which is not what the RFP requested.
Murphy said this makes it difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison. He said he could have disqualified Waste Pro’s bid for that reason, but he wanted to hear more.
In response, ten Haaf said Waste Pro has its own processing company and is not landfill reliant. Based on internal comparisons, ten Haaf said he thinks Waste Pro’s proposed franchise fee is better than Waste Management’s.
When addressing Waste Management, Murphy said he didn’t feel the feel residential rate came down far enough. Gresham said they could negotiate a different rate but that would affect the other rates.
Commercial rates a concern
The conversation became more animated when discussing Waste Management’s proposed commercial fees.
“Your commercial rates are double what the existing rates were. What’s the driver there?” Murphy said.
Gresham said there are only so many revenue sources in the city and they tried to spread everything out as equally as they could.
Commission Chair Brian Seymour said he currently pays about $360 a month for Waste Management trash and recycling services at his Anna Maria General Store.
“That would be more like $500 or $600 a month now. That’s a huge increase,” he said.
“I think you’re putting undue burden on the business community to make up for your other areas. The business community provides a lot of revenues for this city. We also provide a lot of revenue to you guys,” Seymour said.
“When’s enough enough? The business community’s had it pretty tough for the last couple years and to ask us to double our bills? That’s ridiculous,” he added.
“Your statement’s pretty clear. We understand what you’re saying, that would be one of the things negotiated,” Gresham said.
The commission voted 4-1 in favor of Waste Management being ranked first and being given the first opportunity to negotiate a contract with Murphy. The commission must still approve the negotiated contract terms.
When contacted later, Seymour said he thought Waste Pro’s commercial fees were much closer to the current rates.
“In the RFP, the city sought an increase in the franchise fee and lower rates for permanent residents. It seems to me this is lowering the resident’s fees and increasing the city’s fees off the backs of vacation rentals and businesses,” Seymour said.
Seymour encourages Anna Maria business owners to attend the next trash contract discussion and make their voices heard before a final decision is made.
The next commission meeting is Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m.
BRADENTON BEACH – City staff is now implementing, enforcing and working out the kinks in the city’s new vacation rental regulations and registration program that took effect March 19.
The new rental regulations require side yard trash pickup service for some short-term vacation rental properties, but some owners and operators may not be aware of the new trash requirements.
According to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson, 191 short-term rental owners/operators had registered as of March 22.
Ordinance 17-476 and the accompanying Transient Public Lodging Establishment (TPLE) resolution that established the registration and renewal fees were among the documents included in the informational and noticing packets sent to all known Bradenton Beach property owners in November.
The packets also included application forms and a list of owner/agent requirements but the only mention of the side yard trash pickup requirement is in the ordinance itself.
Rental owners and property managers who did not read the entire ordinance may not have picked up on the new trash requirements applicable to certain rental properties. This is turn could subject unknowing owners and operators to warnings or citations issued by Code Enforcement Officer Gail Garneau.
“We’re aware of this and we will be updating the application form. Anyone that has already registered will be notified,” Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale said last week.
Speciale said a staff meeting is being scheduled so staff and other city officials can discuss any concerns that have arisen thus far in the implementation of the new rental regulations.
Vacation rental requirements
When developing the rental regulations last summer, several citizens, city commissioners and Planning and Zoning Board members expressed concerns about trash cans affiliated with vacation rental homes being left at the curb for several days. City code requires trash cans to be brought in by 8 p.m. on the day of pickup.
Side yard trash pickup alleviates the need for trash receptacles to be placed at the curb. For an additional fee, Waste Pro personnel will retrieve the trash receptacles from alongside the home or structure and return the emptied receptacles to those same locations.
Bradenton Beach’s new side yard trash pickup requirements do not apply to vacation rental properties that are already exempt from the city’s new TPLE regulations and licensing requirements because they are located in the Planned Development, Mixed-Use, Limited Commercial or General Commercial zoning districts.
The new side yard pickup requirements also do not pertain to short-term rentals located in R-1 and R-2 residential zones if the property owner lives in part of the home or duplex, or the property has onsite management at least six hours a day.
Vacation rentals located in the residential zones are however still required to have a city-issued Transient Public Lodging Establishment license and are subject to the new rental regulations.
All vacation rentals in the city, regardless of their zoning district, are required to have a city-issued vacation rental business tax license and a state-issued vacation rental license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Side yard service
When contacted last week, Waste Pro route manager Bob Baublitz and Office Manager Ranell Bradfield said side yard pickup service costs $29.96 per month for one trash receptacle can and one recycling receptacle. Each additional side yard pickup trash receptacle costs $13.50 a month. Each additional side yard recycling receptacle costs $10 per month. Baublitz said regular curbside service costs approximately $17 a month.
Baublitz said Waste Pro has approximately 800 side yard trash pickup accounts in Holmes Beach and his company is aware of the new regulations in Bradenton Beach. He said Waste Pro personnel do not go into garages or carports or behind privacy fences to retrieve trash and recycling receptacles. The receptacles must be placed in a visible and easily accessible location.
Ranell said Waste Pro currently has approximately 55 side yard trash pickup customers in Bradenton Beach and almost all of those were in effect before the city sent out its rental regulation notification packets in November.
The city of Anna Maria requires side yard pickup for all non-homesteaded properties.
To obtain side yard trash pickup in Bradenton Beach, call Waste Pro at 941-355-9600.
If you have questions as to whether your rental property requires side yard trash pickup, contact the City Clerk’s office at 941-778-1005.
HOLMES BEACH – Recycling is one way people can feel like they’re doing their part to help save the Earth. Unfortunately, some of the things that are put in the recycling bin end up in the landfill.
Waste Pro Regional Vice President Keith Banasiak addressed Holmes Beach commissioners’ concerns with the waste removal company’s recycling program, confirming some of their worst fears – a lot of what goes into the city’s recycling bins ends up at the landfill.
With single stream recycling, various types of recyclable materials can go in one container, making it easier for consumers. Unfortunately, if one of those items is incorrectly placed in the bin or has food residue, Banasiak said the entire bin’s contents can be considered contaminated and must be disposed of with other garbage rather than going on to Waste Pro’s recycling center. If contaminated items are found at the recycling center, the company must pay more to repackage and send them off to the landfill.
Items that can contaminate recyclables include those with food particles, raw garbage placed in the container, and the inclusion of items that can’t be recycled, like plastic bags. Publix in Holmes Beach accepts plastic bags for recycling.
Part of the issue, Banasiak said, is the labor cost and time to remove contaminated items at Waste Pro’s sorting facility and send them to the landfill. Another issue is that many recyclables from the United States are sent to China to be repurposed. Because so many items are being sent, receivers in Asia can be pickier about the types and grades of materials they accept. With such a huge availability of materials, Banasiak said it drives down pricing and makes it so that some materials, even though they are recyclable, may not be financially feasible for the company to send off for repurposing.
In the United States recycling is a $200 billion a year industry. In a 2016 economic study, the Environmental Protection Agency tied 757,000 jobs, $36.6 billion in paid wages and $6.7 billion in tax revenue to recycling efforts.
According to the EPA, Americans in 2014 created more than 258 million tons of solid waste. Out of that, 89 million tons were recycled or composted, about 34 percent. Out of the remaining waste, 33 million tons were combusted with energy recovery and over 136 million tons ended up in landfills. The EPA estimates that 75 percent of waste created by Americans is recyclable. About 87 percent of the country’s population has access to curbside or drop-off recycling programs in their local areas.
If recycling participation levels reached 75 percent, Recycle Across America estimates it would create 1.5 million new jobs and be the environmental equivalent of removing 55 million cars from the country’s roads.
Locally in Holmes Beach, fewer materials are making their way to the recycling facility primarily because of raw garbage placed in the bins, Banasiak said.
Compliance problems at vacation rentals
When workers find garbage and non-recyclable materials in a recycle container, Banasiak said the bin is tagged for trash pick up. He’s finding that a lot of these tagged bins are located at short-term rental properties.
“The problem is getting excessive,” he said.
Commissioner Carol Soustek suggested not eliminating recycling at repeat offender properties but charging those clients more for their trash and recycling to compensate for the added expense to Waste Pro. For properties opting out of recycling, she suggested adding a fee to cover the cost of creating a new landfill.
“The big issue is when you recycle you don’t want it to go into a landfill,” she said. “If they decide they don’t want to recycle then we’ll decide the optimal fee to cover the landfill.”
Commissioner Jim Kihm agreed though Banasiak was quick to say the company can’t charge property owners for not recycling or recycling incorrectly. The key to compliance, he said, would be education, hopefully through a stakeholder meeting geared toward owners and operators of short-term rentals.
On the agenda for the stakeholder meeting will be to discuss what materials are and are not recyclable with Waste Pro. While the items are listed on a decal on each recycle bin, Banasiak said people may not see them or may not pay attention to how recyclable materials need to be handled to not end up treated as household garbage.
Items that can be recycled include paper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastics numbered one through seven. To be considered not contaminated, all items must be clean, with labels removed, and items made of two or more materials should be broken down. That means a soup can may be recycled, but it must be washed out with the paper label removed before it’s placed in the bin for pickup, even though that paper label may also be placed in the bin for recycling. Cardboard boxes are eligible for recycling if they’re flattened for pickup, but pizza boxes cannot be added to the recycle pile. Though items such as batteries and some household appliances are considered recyclable by the EPA, they can’t be placed in a bin for Waste Pro pickup. These items must be taken to a facility accepting them and often a fee is charged to cover the special handling required to process the items for recycling.
Items that will contaminate recycling bins include garbage, plastic bags, Styrofoam, unclean containers, food waste and yard waste.
Commissioners agreed to readdress the issue after the stakeholder meeting.
For more information on recycling or how to recycle materials, visit Waste Pro or the EPA.
HOLMES BEACH – Waste Pro is making a few final storm debris pickup passes through Holmes Beach this week.
Residents with remaining storm debris, including vegetation, appliances and construction materials, are asked to have items at the curb for pickup no later than Friday, Sept. 22. Final debris pickups are scheduled Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22-23.
Waste Pro will have rear load trucks, a claw truck and two roll-off trucks operating during the time frame to remove any remaining debris.
Residents seeking to dispose of sandbags should place them at the curb with household waste for regular pickup. Manatee County encourages residents to retain sandbags, storing them in a dry place until the Nov. 30 official end to hurricane season.
For more information on the Holmes Beach debris pickup schedule, call city hall at 941-708-5800.
