Alachua County ranked fifth out of Florida鈥檚 67 counties for recycling in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection鈥檚 (FDEP) annual recycling report. The county achieved an overall recycling rate of 67%, improving from its No. 6 ranking the previous year. Palm Beach County led the state for the third consecutive year with a 90% recycling rate, followed by Collier, Lee and Baker counties.
Under state law, all Florida counties are required to annually report their waste and recycling tonnages to the FDEP, which uses this data to calculate county-level and statewide recycling rates. In 2024, Alachua County reported recycling 201,872 tons of material and landfilling 260,758 tons of solid waste.
This resulted in a 44% traditional recycling rate for the county. While landfilling remains an unsustainable long-term strategy, Alachua County鈥檚 partnership with New River Regional Landfill offers an innovative solution. New River is the first landfill in Florida to convert landfill gas into pipeline-quality natural gas, which is injected directly into the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline. In 2024, Alachua County sent 205,457 tons of waste to New River, generating the equivalent of 101,575 megawatt-hours of natural gas.
On an individual level, the average Alachua County resident generated 3.97 pounds of landfilled garbage per day in 2024. 鈥淩educing waste at the source or point of purchase鈥攂y avoiding disposable and over-packaged items, choosing reusable or secondhand goods, joining gift economy groups like Buy Nothing, and recycling accepted materials鈥攁re all great ways to make a personal impact,鈥� said Alanna Carinio, public information coordinator for Alachua County鈥檚 Solid Waste and Resource Recovery.
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