FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lindsey Sampson, Lee County Solid Waste 941-479-8181
Margie Byers, Lee
County Solid Waste 941-479-8708
FORT MYERS, Fla.
(August 22, 2000) – The Lee County
Division of Solid Waste will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new
Material Recycling Facility (MRF) on Friday, September 1, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. on
the grounds of the Waste-To-Energy Facility in Buckingham. As part of the ceremony the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will make a momentous announcement concerning the recycling program in Lee
County.
The new MRF will be completed in November of 2001. The facility will be 60,000 square feet and will process approximately 400 tons per 16-hour day. The facility is estimated to cost $5,000,000. Malcome Pirnie, Inc is the engineering firm for the project and Lodge Construction, Inc. the construction management firm.
The new Materials Recycling Facility will be located at the resource recovery site in Lee County. By placing the new MRF on the southwest corner of the Waste-To-Energy Facility (WTE) grounds, the County will eliminate the current leased property cost. MRF operating costs will also be reduced by using electricity produced by the Waste-To-Energy Facility.
The new Materials Recycling Facility is designed to: accept and process materials received from residential and commercial generators by the Lee County Division of Solid Waste and to meet the changing and growing needs of Lee County. The new facility design will allow the County to increase the type and number of materials now being recycled. The existing facility currently receives approximately 120 tons per day. The new facility design is based on projections for the year 2010. The minimum tonnage anticipated in the year 2010 is estimated to be 260 tons per day, of which 180 tons per day will be fiber and 80 tons per day will be commingled materials.
Lee County’s Solid Waste Management Program emphasizes the conservation of natural resources through reduction, reuse and recycling. The centerpiece of the County’s highly successful recycling program is the publicly owned Material Recycling Facility. All single and multi-family residential properties in the county are provided with collection services for both paper products and various types of containers. Recyclables from about 135,00 single-family homes and 81,000 multi-family homes as well business recycling are processed at the current MRF.
For more information call 479-8181. Tours of the Waste-To-Energy Facility will be available following the groundbreaking.
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