SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County is expected to allocate an additional $1 million to address a shortfall in recycling processing costs caused by declining commodity values in the recycling market.
On Tuesday, commissioners are scheduled to vote on an amendment to transfer $1 million from the Solid Waste Fund reserves to increase the budget for recycling processing.
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Nasim Hatami is a Seminole County homeowner and said the county’s recycling program is a valued service worth protecting.
“These days, everything you buy is in plastic or a lot of paper,” Hatami said. “It’s good that we have that service. We can recycle these things.”
The county’s current Solid Waste budget for processing recyclable materials was set at $1 million, based on recent annual costs. However, the department has already expended the full budget, and projects the need for an additional $1 million to cover the remainder of the fiscal year, bringing the total to $2 million.
Recycling commodity values — the market value of recyclable materials — have been significantly lower this year compared to recent years. As a result, the actual cost of processing has been much higher than projected, according to Environmental Services staff.
“The recycling commodity market can vary greatly from year to year, and month to month,” said Timothy Jecks, Management & Budget Director. “The net cost of transporting and processing of recyclable materials is the processing and transportation fee minus Solid Waste’s commodity revenue share.”
The $1 million transfer will come from Solid Waste reserves, which are currently budgeted at $13.7 million. Staff noted that the next fiscal year’s budget has already been adjusted to account for changes in market averages.
Hatami said she sees the investment as money well spent and understands the tradeoff to keep weekly curbside pickup.
“This is good money that’s going to the benefit of the environment,” she said. “Some people like me working 12 hours a day, they don’t have time to take the recycling. We appreciate that they come and they pick it up,” Hatami said.
While additional funding is expected to be transferred for recycling services, commissioners have not yet weighed in on the future of the program or an option to increase rates.
Commissioners will vote on the budget amendment during their meeting on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.