When Palm Beach County residents recycle right, we celebrate all year long by creating new products from waste and prolonging the life of our landfill by keeping recyclable items out of it. The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (SWA) celebrated even more last year by achieving the state鈥檚 highest recycling rate for the second year in a row, as calculated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, at 84 percent.
In the last fiscal year, county residents placed more than 98,000 tons of recyclables in their blue and yellow recycling bins. That鈥檚 almost 197 million pounds of recyclable waste that would have otherwise been trashed. By the end of the fiscal year, almost 75,000 tons of recyclables were sold to mills and factories that could use them in making raw materials for new products. The top recycled items in Palm Beach County were:
- Mixed paper: Almost 31,000 tons
- Cardboard: More than 18,000 tons
- Glass: More than 17,000 tons
- Plastics: Almost 7,000 tons
- Aluminum: Almost 1,000 tons
- Cartons (aseptic): More than 45 tons
Since 2010, the SWA has shared the revenues received from the sale of these recyclable commodities with its partner municipalities. The Municipal Revenue Share Program rewards each municipality for the role they play in making Palm Beach County鈥檚 dual-stream recycling program successful.
After each city鈥檚 recyclables are transported to an SWA facility, sorted, baled and sold, the revenue is shared back with the cities, after processing costs. The revenue received from marketing these recyclables varies due to market conditions and international policy. Since the SWA started the Municipal Revenue Share Program in 2010, partner municipalities have received more than $10.3 million. Each municipality is able to spend their portion of the Municipal Revenue Share as they feel appropriate.
The Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) recycled tonnage and totals since the program鈥檚 inception by municipality is as follows:
Atlantis
FY24 Tons Recycled: 148.77
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 2,608.76
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $38,578.64
Belle Glade
FY24 Tons Recycled: 11.17
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 1,751.34
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $30,500.14
Boca Raton
FY24 Tons Recycled: 4,853.11
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 99,121.49
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $1,515,912.48
Boynton Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 2,490.29
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 49,852.50
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $731,197.29
Briny Breezes
FY24 Tons Recycled: 64.68
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 1,082.25
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $15,654.42
Cloud Lake
FY24 Tons Recycled: 6.47
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 108.22
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $1,565.27
Delray Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 3,919.91
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 66,237.88
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $956,982.10
Glen Ridge
FY24 Tons Recycled: 12.85
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 216.37
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $3,130.95
Village of Golf
FY24 Tons Recycled: 19.41
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 348.35
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $5,533.37
Greenacres
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,869.40
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 31,968.63
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $466,619.20
Gulf Stream
FY24 Tons Recycled: 77.62
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 1,295.79
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $18,251.69
Haverhill
FY24 Tons Recycled: 90.56
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 1,515.14
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $21,915.62
Highland Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 407.52
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 7,137.77
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $105,279.69
Hypoluxo
FY24 Tons Recycled: 207.00
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 3,604.25
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $52,859.53
Juno Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 329.90
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 5,587.92
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $79,537.27
Jupiter
FY24 Tons Recycled: 3,350.69
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 56,329.12
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $804,027.09
Jupiter Inlet Colony
FY24 Tons Recycled: 25.87
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 528.05
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $7,821.62
Lake Clarke Shores
FY24 Tons Recycled: 181.12
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 3,134.81
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $46,276.47
Lake Park
FY24 Tons Recycled: 340.43
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 5,248.46
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $76,677.23
Lake Worth Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,482.80
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 10,719.60
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2019 (when they entered into the program): $30,932.52
Lantana
FY24 Tons Recycled: 633.91
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 10,520.55
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $159,871.85
Loxahatchee Groves
FY24 Tons Recycled: 161.71
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 2,771.95
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $40,564.40
Manalapan
FY24 Tons Recycled: 32.09
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 674.09
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $9,608.64
Mangonia Park
FY24 Tons Recycled: 84.09
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 1,378.34
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $20,255.23
North Palm Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 759.02
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 18,331.62
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $278,339.17
Ocean Ridge
FY24 Tons Recycled: 161.71
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 2,912.75
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $43,268.08
Pahokee
FY24 Tons Recycled: 207.00
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 3,794.04
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $57,475.71
Palm Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,011.85
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 20,898.55
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $319,880.97
Palm Beach Gardens
FY24 Tons Recycled: 3,567.43
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 56,731.54
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $806,817.99
Palm Beach Shores
FY24 Tons Recycled: 135.84
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 2,345.75
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $34,336.72
Palm Springs
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,093.18
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 17,601.49
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $243,758.05
Riviera Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,985.83
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 34,187.61
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $507,029.09
Royal Palm Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 1,701.22
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 28,397.68
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $403,366.69
South Bay
FY24 Tons Recycled: 122.90
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 2,059.38
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $30,291.65
South Palm Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 181.12
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 3,171.34
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $46,597.34
Tequesta
FY24 Tons Recycled: 362.24
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 6,334.94
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $93,211.35
Wellington
FY24 Tons Recycled: 2,917.30
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 50,338.74
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $716,108.53
West Palm Beach
FY24 Tons Recycled: 6,183.91
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 103,715.92
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2010: $1,506,352.90
Westlake
FY24 Tons Recycled: 207.00
Total Tons Recycled since 2010: 531.37
Total Municipal Revenue Share received since 2020 (when they entered into the program): $1,329.43