A state law passed July 1 will help strengthen local efforts to get businesses and residents of Florida to go green.
The Waste to Wealth bill was proposed primarily by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda. Reps. Trudi Williams and Baxter Troutman and Sen. Lee Constantine were also key players in passing the law, said Alfredo Cruz, an aid to Vasilinda.
“There was a lot of compromise and give-and-take to make it happen,” Cruz said. “Lots of unique collaboration and working together between the private sector, the environmental community and government.”
The bill passed within the 60 days of regular session, Cruz said. However, he said, several similar bills were proposed years earlier which never passed because of the lack of support. Mainly state-owned businesses and schools, including state universities, will be directly affected by the new law.
It will encourage recycling for residents and other businesses and mandate local governments to compost yard trash and separate all recyclable materials.
“In accordance with the new law, my rationale behind it is it will open up new markets for recycling, and therefore open up jobs in local counties, more education, help the environment and help promote earth-friendly products,” said Henry Harding, a senior environmental science major and co-founder of Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions. “It’s not going to help us personally, but it will help us as a movement.”
The new policy mandates county programs for recycling and composting for construction, demolition and any process that requires waste control by the local government.
Waste management progress will have to be reported to the State Legislature so Florida can reach its recycling rate goal of 75 percent.
Also, occupants and owners of new commercial sites and residences who have established their residency as of July 1, 2012, must have proper means to recycle.
Recycling Access and Collection for Off-campus Organizations and Networks, a group of students who help recycling efforts at off-campus residences such as Pegasus Landing, also benefits from the law.
R.A.C.O.O.N. has grown from just students assisting and providing material to UCF to working toward becoming a registered student organization.
“We have already planned out things to give students means to collect products and not just let them go into the landfill,” said Caroline Pollifrone, the group’s president. “It’s similar to what the law enforces, only we focus on what the students can do individually.”
Pollifrone said the group will be working with the Orange County Environmental Protection Division by going to different businesses and helping them implement the recycling program.
She also said that extending the group’s work toward the county has been a smooth transition because of UCF Recycles’ affiliation with the county.