At Reuter Recycling Facility in Pembroke Pines, there’s a clear goal: turning plastics and other items into something new.
"They may use the plastic to make it into stain-resistant carpet," said Shiraz Kashar, a Senior Specialist in Recycling Education at Waste Management (WM).
This facility handles recycling for many South Florida communities but that’s not an easy task.
A common problem: people putting non-recyclable items in their blue bins, leading to contamination.
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“Inflatable toys, AC filters, pool filters, pretty much any household item that you can think of people have put it in the recycling," Kashar said.
The biggest troublemaker: Plastic bags.
Kashar says they not only slow things down, but they also pose a safety hazard.
"Our staff have to shut down the machines, climb in there and safely cut that material out and then start the machine,” Kashar said.
This is how Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava puts it, “Those plastic bags are the enemy of our recycling program."
She went on to explain residents make a common mistake, "We buy garbage bags for our homes and then we may line the place where we keep recyclables with a plastic bag. And we might not think anything of it because we've sorted, and the right things are in the bag. And then we put the bag in the recycle bin outside.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection released a report showing a 93% increase in the collection of plastic grocery bags during cleanups in the state from 2013 to 2020. In a statewide survey of about 2,000 residents, 93% said they believe regulation of plastic bags and containers is necessary.
But Florida law prevents local governments from enacting their own rules regarding these materials.
Coral Gables learned this the hard way when they tried to ban single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam.
“Unfortunately, it was overturned, and we had to stop enforcement," said Matthew Anderson, the Assistant Director of Transportation and Sustainability for the City of Coral Gables.
The city is now focusing on educating businesses and the community about sustainable alternatives.
So, what should you do with your plastic bags?
"You can take this material back to a supermarket, big box store, and they can recycle it because all they do is fill it single source, just plastic," said Dawn McCormick, Waste Management's Director of Communications and Government Affairs.
