I live in Miami Dade County and my condo doesn’t recycle. What gives?
Miami Dade County Recycling Ordinance No. 91-123 requires that all multifamily residential establishments must recycle. This has been in effect since August 10, 1992. Unfortunately, it has been poorly enforced and publicized.
Because the county or cities don’t provide the waste services for multi-family units, the condo must contract a private waste or recycling hauler. This will cost money. The charges will likely need to be taken from maintenance fees for the condo, therefore dividing the cost amongst all property owners / tenants.
All condo and rental units must recycle:
- Newspaper
- Glass
- Aluminum cans
- Steel cans
- Plastics (PETE, NDPE-natural, HDPE-colored)
How do I find a hauler that will provide this service?
The county recommends contacting your current waste hauler or looking in the phone book. Get multiple quotes, as prices may vary. The county has also provided questions to ask potential contractors:
- Can I reduce the size of my garbage container (and some of the cost of garbage collection) by establishing a recycling collection program?
- Will you remove and replace containers located in trash rooms or on the ground floor, or must the toters be located outside? (Toters should be placed in areas that are accessible to tenants, yet secure from vandalism or theft.)
- Do you provide any educational materials that can be distributed to tenants? What is considered a "contaminant" and how will a contaminated load affect the program?
- When you hire a commercial hauler or recycler who hauls your material, then all reporting requirements for County compliance are their responsibility.
How should I approach my condominium about providing recycling?
First, we recommend speaking with your property manager and asking why recycling isn’t currently offered. Then, you might want to express your interest in recycling. Your property manager may not know how to proceed. Explain that they need to speak with the waste hauler about this.
If you encounter resistance, provide your property manager with the recycling ordinance (found below), focusing on sections 15-2.2, 15-2.4, 15-2.5, and 15-2.6.
Finally, if you get absolutely nowhere, and want to continue the fight, try contacting the county’s Department of Solid Waste Management at 305-594-1500 or dswm@miamidade.gov. Explain what you are trying to accomplish and ask for their help in enforcing the law.
References:
Miami Dade County, Solid Waste Management: Apartments and Condominiums
View the complete file: Miami Dade County Recycling Ordinance (pdf)
A special thanks to Luiz Rodrigues and ECOMB (Environment Coalition of Miami Beach), without which we would have never known about this wonderful little law.
16 Responses to “Condo Recycling in Miami Dade County”
Since moving to South Florida from the Midwest, I’m amazed at how far behind the “Green” movement this part of the country is. I’m taking it as a personal challenge to educate people I encounter on a daily basis to become better inhabitants of Earth. I’ve started a recycling program in the condo we live in, and now I’m doing the same at work. Little by little, maybe people will realize they do make an impact.
hi, i have a problem here. i live with a family here and so i really cannot ask them to talk to the manager. is there any way that some organization can email them or mail them about it.
I live in an apartment complex and all of the above materials are recycled there, but what about cardboard, carton, and paper? Is there somewhere I can drop those items off at if I would like for them to be recycled too?
If you are trying to get a recycle program established; certain companies make recycle bins and receptacles with recycled material.
Rubbermaid offers recycling bins and waste recpetacles that are made with 30% post consumer recycled resin (plastic).
When I moved here from California I was shocked to see how Miami did very little for the environment. Condo buildings are the worst! Most of them are maintained by contracters who know nothing about sustainability and use zero or no Green products to clean…such a shame!
I live in a condo community in Kendall and we do not have a recycling program. Recently I’ve approached the management to find out why not. However, I’m also looking for any place that has a composting program. I thought that Miami Dade College might but I’m not finding the information. Does anyone know of any? My patio is too small to do composting and I would love it if the landscapers would work with us on this.
I live in a Broward condo where there is NO recycling. Does anyone know if Broward has a similar ordinance requiring recycling or access to it?
Our condo has posted choices next to buttons on the trash chute (newpapers, plastic and glass, and garbage) but I feel skeptical about what happens when it goes down the chute. (especially when I hear the glass crash!) I rent so am a little hesitant to get involved with the condo board, and would feel more comfortable addressing the issue on a broader scale.
Two questions for all: 1) Is there ANY recycling for junk mail/magazines anywhere, even if we have to drop it off? and 2) If anyone is doing anything about the problem of non-enforcement and limited recycling in an organized way, like lobbying to make enforcement occur, change the law, etc, I would be willing to work on it with you.
I too moved from a jurisdiction which is way more advanced on recycling (Montgomery County, Maryland) and feel like I have stepped backward in time or moved to another country.
Good Morning,
My name is Alex Rodriguez. I am the President of 5 Star Service Group. I’m not sure if I am contacting the right person, but we are a company that maintains many of the properties in your area including the Epic Hotel & Residences.
We would love to come out and give you a proposal on what it would take for our company to maintain your property. Below is a link to our Web-Site, in which you will find all our services and some of our clients and references.
Thank you for your time. If you are not the person in charge of making a decision in this matter, I ask you to please direct us in the right direction. Thank you once again for your time, and have a great day.
Alexis Rodriguez
5 Star Service Group
http://www.5ssg.com
So I live in a condo and there is nooo recycling. I contacted the property manager, no response. I called the county number above, and they said it was not their issue, it is a state issue. so I am going to try the state… in the mean time there is no place to recycle my paper. Even the A-Z guide has no place listed for recycling paper. does anyone have any insight??
Hi there,
This is in response to a question I saw about organics composting. I am involved in a project to try and get a commercial scale composting facility off the ground in Miami Dade County. It’s still in the works, but in the meantime, a good idea for a private citizens is to try and compost in their homes/gardens/balconies/etc. There are many methods, but I prefer using worms, better known as vermicomposting. I have a bin underneath my sink and my worms eat their weight in organics each day and produce a very rich soil amendment in a much shorter time period than static piles. Our non-profit, the Fertile Earth Foundation, just started selling worms bins to raise funds ($25 to $45 for a kit, including the worms). Feel free to contact me at 786.253.2222 for more information. Also, our for-profit, Ecotel Consulting (www.ecotelconsulting.com), helps commercial buildings comply with the recycling laws. All establishments we have worked with to date have saved money by recycling, if implemented correctly. – Lanette
P.S. In response to Alex Rodriguez’s question about paper recycling, try these people:
1. Cardboard & Newspaper – Miami Waste Paper, 2120 NW 14th Ave., Miami, FL 33142
Phone: (305) 325-0860
Web: http://www.miamiwastepaper.com
Hours: Mon to Fri (7am – 5pm); Sat (7am- 12pm)
2. Cardboard & Newspaper – Southeastern Recycle
5703 NW 35th Ave., Miami, FL 33142
Phone: (305) 634-1180
3. Cardboard & Newspaper – Paper Recycling
10049 NW 89th Ave # 20, Medley, FL 33178
Phone: (305) 887-5864
And in response to Bambi’s questions, 1) WM’s Recycle America does recycle junk mail, and 2) there are organizations out there trying to bring us into the 21st century of recycling. The people at Recycle Florida Today are great. Try to get involved with them.
I’m moving to Miami next month…is there anywhere to recycle magazines, office paper and junk mail, etc. in Miami? Why is Miami in the dark ages about this?
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This is a great website. I agree with many of the comments which say this part of the country is behind the curve in its adoption of recycling. I have many opinions on why this is, but that is not the important thing. I moved from the Midwest into a downtown Miami condo where I chose to change that attitude. I became a condo association board member and pushed to implement a complete recycling program. It was easier than you would expect. We now are one of the few condos in downtown Miami to be recycling, and are willing to help others get started. Contact the office of One Tequesta Point Condominium Association on Brickell Key for information or visit: http://www.onetequestapoint.com and look for the Go Green section.
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Is there any glass recycling program for businesses in Miami Dade county? Public or Private>