Editor’s Note: Barbara Martinez-Guerrero is the executive director of Dream in Green, a local nonprofit that works with schools, businesses and local governments to address environmental challenges. She wrote this opinion piece for the Spotlight in response to the possible suspension of the City of Miami’s recycling program. The City Commission is scheduled to discuss the issue on Thursday February 13.
How many of us stop to think of how much waste we generate in a single day? Just reflect now on your daily food consumption – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Whether you cook or eat out, you are consuming food that comes in packages. Those packages need to be disposed of along with any food waste itself.
Miami-Dade County produces more than 5 million tons of trash a year – or roughly 10 pounds per person per day, double the national average. In the City of Miami, with nearly half a million people, this adds up quickly.
We must take responsibility for our waste and understand what happens when we discard it. Trash does not simply vanish.
The City of Miami is currently evaluating whether to reduce its waste management services, including recycling and bulk trash collection, citing inefficiencies and high costs as the reasons for potentially reducing or eliminating these altogether.
But eliminating or reducing these services is not the solution. Instead, I strongly urge city commissioners to invest in more effective and accessible waste management practices, to intensify education, and to support business innovation.
The reality is that eliminating recycling programs would significantly increase landfill waste, straining Miami-Dade’s already overburdened landfills.
A major issue in recycling inefficiency is contamination, which is typically caused by a lack of knowledge on what can be recycled. A lack of knowledge is not justification for dismantling the program, however. Instead, our contamination problem can be solved through investment in public education.
Specifically, the City of Miami could fund initiatives that ensure clear and consistent labeling of bins, partner with local nonprofits to launch educational campaigns, install dual garbage and recycling bins in high-traffic areas, train waste ambassadors in key areas like Coconut Grove to help sort waste, and collaborate with public institutions like schools, universities, and parks to promote waste reduction and recycling education.
Rather than cutting sustainable waste management practices as a means of reducing costs caused by inefficiencies, we should focus on strengthening our programs to reduce these inefficiencies (which will save more money in the long run).
The city should introduce aluminum and plastic buyback programs, carry out monthly e-waste collection events, and support local initiatives that establish year-round drop-off sites for food waste, textiles, and bulky items.
Successful European models, such as the decentralization of waste drop-offs, where individuals sort and dispose of recyclables at designated locations, could serve as inspiration.
Fostering business and nonprofit partnerships will also enhance recycling efforts.
Repair Cafés, for instance, feature an innovative business design in which community members can repair and repurpose items while gaining trade skills.
Other viable solutions include organizing neighborhood clothing and toy swaps and supporting businesses that purchase recyclable material locally.
Strengthening recycling and repurposing programs can mitigate contamination issues while creating jobs – studies show that recycling generates nearly ten times more employment opportunities than landfill disposal.
Implementing a zero-waste model can further benefit Miami’s waste management efforts. This approach focuses on reducing consumption, maximizing reuse, composting organic waste, and designing waste out of the system through recycling.
Local governments can incorporate zero-waste principles by expanding composting initiatives, encouraging businesses to adopt waste-reduction strategies, and promoting the use of durable and reusable materials.
Successful large city waste management models already exist. Cities that have embraced zero-waste policies have seen economic savings, job creation, and reduced environmental impact.
San Francisco diverts up to 80% of its waste from landfills through mandatory recycling and composting, plastic bag bans, and robust composting programs. Seattle, Portland, and Austin have also implemented effective public education campaigns and waste reduction initiatives.
Locally, the City of Coral Gables has a Green Business Certification program with the goal of helping businesses reduce energy, water, fuel consumption, and waste while increasing recycling efforts, alternative transportation, education and outreach.
If the City of Miami truly aspires to be a leader in sustainability, it must demonstrate its commitment through action.
One way it can do that is by promoting a circular economy.
This takes a more systematic approach to the way we consume and looks to design closed-loop systems that promote the circularity of resources to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use for the entire lifespan, and regenerate natural systems.
A circular economy not only benefits the environment and mitigates climate change but also promotes economic growth, reduces resource dependency, and fosters innovation.
Miami residents are willing to do their part – they just need the knowledge and resources to succeed.
Let’s ensure our city is known not only for its vibrant culture and economic growth but also for its innovation in waste management. We must be responsible stewards of our community and ensure that our waste does not become someone else’s burden.
