Phase I - Defining Long-Term Waste Management Needs and Priorities

Introduction

The Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) provides waste collection and recycling services to more than 300,000 households in Miami-Dade County. Handling nearly 2 million tons of municipal solid waste per year, the DSWM is the largest government-operated waste management collection and disposal provider in the Southeastern United States.

Maintaining a system that serves the largest county in Florida with a rapidly growing population, aging facilities and limited disposal capacity requires strategic planning for today as well as the needs for the next 50 years. That’s why the DSWM has launched a process to prepare long-term solid waste management solutions through development of a Solid Waste Master Plan. 

Goal

The Master Plan will identify new activities, programs, facilities and technologies to provide sustainable solid waste services that will ensure public health and environmental protection for Miami-Dade County residents for the next 50 years.

Sustainability

Miami-Dade County’s commitment to sustainability requires a Master Plan that is environmentally sound and socially and economically viable. Meeting the current solid waste needs of our community, while conserving resources for the future, requires a balanced effort. The Master Plan process will look at new technology, resource conservation, recycling, waste diversion and responsible financing to find solutions for our sustainability needs.

A Two-Phased Process

The development of the Solid Waste Master Plan is a process that brings together community input, environmental evaluation and engineering analysis.

Phase I began in June 2009 with data collection, an assessment of the existing system and a projection of long-term solid waste management needs. It included a program to encourage input from the public, an evaluation of regulatory and policy impacts, and a financial analysis. At the conclusion of Phase I, alternatives for improvements were identified.

Phase II will turn the findings from Phase I into a comprehensive Master Plan for a long-term, sustainable solid waste management system. The Master Plan will include solutions such as potential new technologies, operations or facilities, as well as a financial analysis and strategy for implementation. Completion of the Solid Waste Master Plan is scheduled for summer 2012.

Public Participation

Throughout the process, the DSWM will be working to gather input and share information to ensure that the Master Plan reflects our community. A Solid Waste Advisory Committee will review options and provide feedback; business and opinion leaders will be surveyed to help determine goals and priorities, and workshops with cities that utilize DSWM services will be conducted. Project newsletters will provide regular updates and those interested can follow the progress on the Department’s website.

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Learn More

For more information about the DSWM and the Solid Waste Master Plan, contact Stacey McDuffie, the DSWM Division Director of Planning and Intergovernmental Affairs, at 305-514-6661 or via e-mail at swmplan@miamidade.gov.