In an effort to make Florida recycle 75 percent of its solid waste by 2020, a state Senate committee voted Wednesday to require businesses with 25 employees or more to report their recycling rates biennially.
TheSenate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee unanimously passed SB 570, sponsored by Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, to get businesses on board with the states recycling goals.
We are woefully behind other states, Constantine said. And, we need to promote programs that implement 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.'
The bill aims to reach recycling targets defined by the Energy, Climate Change and Economic Security Act of 2008. It took into account recommendations from a Department of Environmental Protection report released in January to meet the state goal of achieving 75 percent of recycled solid waste by 2020.
As of 2007, the state only recycled 28 percent of the 32 tons of solid waste it produces annually.
The report recommended requiring commercial recycling in counties with populations of more than 100,000 and cities with populations of more than 50,000, creating a Recycling Business Assistance Center tohelp businessesmarket recycled products and create a landfill fee.
Constantines bill requires schools, state, city and county agencies andbusinesses with 25 or more employees to report their recycling rates every two years.
The bill provides several incentives to encourage businesses to comply. Those that report their rates will be given additional preferences when seeking government contracts.
Businesses that dont, wont.
And, reports are to be posted on the DEP Web site.
It is an ideal public-private partnership, Constantine said.
Business representatives werent thrilled with the bill, although they agreed with its intent.
We would rather not see another regulation on business right now, said Sally West, a lobbyist with the Florida Retail Federation.
It is unnecessary to require businesses to report their recycling rates when the bill already provides incentives to comply, West said.
Keyna Cory, chief lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, agreed.
We still would like to see a voluntary system, she said
Despite their complaints, businesses got off relatively easy. There are no punitive penalties for not complying with the bill. Constantine said it would have been voted down if there were.
It also allays fears that it would lift a ban on requiring recycling retailers plastic bags, fueled by a February DEP report that revealed the pros and cons of reducing the number of plastic bags in landfills.
Constantine said including such a proposal would have been nuclear for his bill.
The bill does allow the DEP to review whether businesses and others are on target to meet recycling goals in 2012, when the state is hoping to recycle 40 percent of its solid waste. If the goal is not met, DEP evaluators can adjust the goals for the next year and reconsider lifting the plastic bag ban and other provisions.
The bill also benefits businesses by adopting the DEPs recommendation of creating a Recycling Business Assistance Center created by the DEP and Enterprise Florida. This center would aid the private sector in creating new markets for recycled materials, identify specific materials for market development and develop recycling incentives.
Cory said the Recycling Business Center was a good idea and that encouraging recycling ultimately helped businesses.
Its not only good for our environment, she said. Its good for our bottom dollar.
Reporter Alex Tiegen can be reached at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com
