FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Lindsey Sampson, Lee County Solid Waste Division
               (239) 338-3302

COUNTY COMMISSION REDUCES RESIDENTIAL GARBAGE RATES BY AVERAGE OF $22

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 23, 2004) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners Tuesday night unanimously adopted solid waste assessments and disposal rates for Fiscal Year 2004-05 that will reduce residential garbage rates by an average of $22.

The new rates represent a 10.3 percent average DECREASE in residential garbage rates - from an annual average of $214.18 to $192.10. The primary reason for the decrease is homeowners in the past year have generated, on average, 24 percent less garbage - a household average decrease from 1.51 tons to 1.15 tons. This comes after a three-year increase in average garbage generation to 1.51 tons (a 53 percent increase during that period).

The decrease is being attributed largely to residents recycling more.

Existing and proposed (in parentheses) rates in the county's franchise areas are as follows:

• Area 1 Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs $209.93 ($187.80)
• Area 2 South of Fort Myers $207.41 ($185.28)
• Area 3 East, Lehigh Acres $208.97 ($186.84)
• Area 4 North Fort Myers $213.29 ($191.16)
• Area 5 Pine Island $231.29 ($209.40)
• Area 6 Boca Grande $173.09 ($198.33)
• Area 12 Captiva $225.17 ($203.16)

Average $214.18 ($192.10)

The residential assessments for Gasparilla are projected to increase about $25 per year because of the recent reduced weight restrictions on the access bridge.

Lee County currently is in the process of expanding its Waste-to-Energy Facility from a capacity of 1,200 tons per day to 1,800 tons per day. The facility was completed in August 1994 and disposes of the county's garbage by burning it and generating electricity from a steam driven turbine. The facility burns 395,000 tons of garbage a year and generates up to 34 megawatts of electricity - or enough to power about 30,000 homes.

Since the Waste-to-Energy Plant began operating, residential garbage rates in Lee County have declined from $224 to $192 a year. The county will continue to emphasize residential and business recycling as a way to contain future increases in disposal charges, including educational and promotional programs to encourage recycling participation. The county has seen immediate success with the recent addition of boxboard materials in the recycling stream and recent postcard mailers have brought an enthusiastic demand for more recycling bins.