A Journey to the Fourth "R"

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and... Recover! Last week our class explored a facility which services that fourth "R" - the Lee County Solid Waste processing plant. Our host surprised us with that fact that Fort Myers was recently named the most "sustainable city" in 2008 by researchers from Columbia University (results from 2009 have not yet been released). This honorable recognition is due largely in part by the process in which Lee County handles our solid waste. This waste includes your typical trash, other metals, appliances, co-mingled recyclables, and horticulture - up to 600 tons per day! Lee County is not home to any typical landfills, if you will, but instead chooses to employ the waste to energy system, where 43% of waste is reused, the remainder fueling energy production. The model for which is quite impressive. We were given a visual tour by way of a small model that illustrated this trash to turbine system, in which trash is pushed into a combustion chamber which reaches temperatures of 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The energy then travels through an intense filtration system which eventually produces steam, driving a turbine. This turbine spins at an impressive 3500 rpms, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, producing 59 megawatts of power on average. Of course, not all trash will burn to ashes at this temperature, so metals such as aluminum and brass are collected, up to 20 tons a day, and are re-sold for up to $30k of revenue per week. The impact of which is far less harmful to the environment, as the end product, ash, totals 90% less waste by volume!

Unnecessary!

Not only does the facility help reduce common household trash waste, but also addresses the ever worrying tire landfill issue, as it processes tires within the same system without the need for cutting the tires to pieces first. Homeowners even have the option of placing up to two tires per week at their normal curbside pickup, at no extra charge. Speaking of charges, this system ends up costing the home owner a shockingly low amount of $4 per week. This includes trash pickup, an ingenious co-mingled recycling pickup, and even free appliance removal with proper notice. These appliances are retrieved by designated trucks once a call to Lee Co. Solid Waste has been made, and are taken to the facility to be wrapped up on massive pallets and shipped to appliance recycling centers, also providing the county with substantial revenue. The newest addition to the recovery process is the Lee County hazardous waste facility, only 1 of 2 counties in the state offering such a service. The central location has seen great success as they average 1000 drop offs per month.

Fonts aside, that bottom bracket just feels bad.

Now while theses services are far ahead of most counties, or states, for that matter, the numbers still add up to a troubling amount of overall waste being produced. It was brought to our attention that the U.S. population totals just over the 300 million mark, while countries such as China and India are home to over 1 billion each. Now the planet as a whole is home to over 6.7 billion however the United States produces 25% of the worlds trash! While our field trip focused on this fourth "R", recovery, there could have been more emphasis placed on the Reduce category. Americans are addicted to throw away products and keeping up with the latest "trends". This in turn produces that overwhelming trash statistic. Simply refraining from using plastic grocery bags and water bottles will help considerably. Investing in some reusable cloth bags and a good re-usable water bottle helps save both your wallet and the environment. Next time you pick up a product ask your self if you NEED it, and then ask yourself again. While this impressive system is in place here in Lee County, hundreds of other counties are far behind, and the trash is adding up. Be smart and see how you can help impact ALL the R's.