In 1988, the Legislature created a large grant program to help counties and municipalities develop recycling and education programs, along with lesser grants for waste tire programs and to help small counties manage solid waste. The Department adopted Chapter 62-716 to implement all of these grants programs. Over time, funding for the recycling and education grants declined, and a few years ago the Legislature stopped funding them altogether. This rule chapter is being amended to delete obsolete references to grants that no longer exist.

In 2010, the Legislature modified annual county solid waste management and recycling reporting requirements. The Legislature also directed the Department to adopt rules establishing the method and criteria to be used by counties in calculating their recycling rates. This rule is being amended to address both the modified reporting requirements and the calculation of county recycling rates.

Additionally, the 2010 Legislature required public sector entities (such as schools, state and local government agencies) to annually report to counties how much material they recycle using the Department's designated reporting format. The Legislature also encouraged, but did not require, private businesses to annually report to counties how much material they recycle using the Department's designated reporting format. This rule is being amended to include the reporting formats for both the public sector and the private businesses.

The 2010 Legislature created a voluntary certification program for materials recovery facilities. The rule is being amended to include the qualifications for certification and the application form for certification.

Rule Development Workshops

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010: A rule development workshop was held on September 30, 2010, at the Orlando City Hall. The following draft documents were available for the workshop:

• Rule Workshop Agenda
• 62-716 Workshop Draft
• 62-716.900(1) Application for Voluntary MRF Certification
• 62-716.900(4) County Annual Report Form
• 62-716.900(5) Public Sector Entities Recycling Report Form
• 62-716.900(6) Private Businesses Voluntary Recycling Report Form
• Discussion Topics for Chapter 62-716: This document discusses the rationale for determining what does and does not count towards the county recycling goal. With a couple of exceptions, the Department developed most of the policies discussed in this paper over the years since the inception of the original county recycling goals in 1988. We would appreciate comments and discussion about which of those policies should be modified and which should remain as is.

JANUARY 19, 2012: Another rule development workshop was held on this date in Tallahassee in DEP's offices at 2600 Blair Stone Road. The workshop covered Chapter 62-716 and 62-722 (Regulation of Recovered Materials). The public attended the workshop either in person or via webinar. The following documents were available for the workshop/webinar:

• Rule Workshop Agenda
• 62-716 Workshop Draft
• 62-716.900(1) Application for Voluntary MRF Certification
• 62-716.900(4) County Annual Report Form
• 62-716.900(5) Public Sector Entities Recycling Report Form
• 62-716.900(6) Private Businesses Voluntary Recycling Report Form
• (Flow chart) Source of MSW Recycling Credits in Florida per 62-716 draft revisions (01/19/12)
  (Note: this flow chart is a cosmetically modified version of the original 01/19/12 version)
• 62-722 Workshop Draft

Additionally, the following items are available:

• Digital voice recording of the workshop (right-click and select 'Save target as…')
• List of workshop attendees
• List of webinar attendees

JULY 27, 2012: Another rule development workshop/webinar was held on this date in Tallahassee in DEP’s offices at 2600 Blair Stone Road. The workshop covered Chapter 62-716 and 62-722 (Regulation of Recovered Materials). The public attended this workshop either in person or via webinar. The following documents were available for the workshop/webinar:

• Rule Workshop Agenda
• 62-716 Workshop Draft
• 62-716.900(1) Application for Voluntary MRF Certification
• 62-716.900(4) County Annual Report Form
• 62-716.900(5) Public Sector Entities Recycling Report Form
• 62-716.900(6) Private Businesses Voluntary Recycling Report
• (Flow Chart) Source of MSW Recycling Credits in Florida (per 62-716 draft revisions for 07/27/12 rule workshop)
• 62-722 Workshop Draft

Additionally, the following items are available:

• Digital voice recording of the workshop (right-click and select ‘Save target as…’)
• List of workshop attendees
• List of webinar attendees

For additional information or to submit comments about the proposed revisions, please contact:

Ron Henricks
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mail Station 4570
2600 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

Voice E-mail

850-245-8717 Ron.Henricks@dep.state.fl.us