Public can learn about new recycling facility

Public can learn about new recycling facility

Lee County leaders will host an open-house public meeting about a proposed material recycling facility.

The meeting will be held Thursday, March 21, at Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church from 4-6 p.m.

The meeting will allow residents to learn more about the project and speak one-on-one with Lee County staff.

Residents will be able to ask questions. The meeting is an open house-style format so that residents can drop in at whatever time is convenient to them.

The county also has created a landing page about the site and facility with a robust FAQ and links to additional resources, such as project studies and reports. Visit www.leegov.com/solidwaste/mrf

The landing page also helps people sign up for email information to stay informed. There is a link to the county’s Resident Information Tool, which provides one-stop information for specific Lee County properties.

The proposed new MRF will be where all the county’s household and business recycling materials are processed.

This includes handling of clean bottles, cans, paper, cardboard and plastic containers. It will be a fully indoor operation; trucks will tip the materials inside; machinery will be inside; and rolling stock will be inside. Only recycling materials — not garbage, hazardous waste or yard debris — will be handled at this site, and inspections of inbound materials will occur regularly.

The facility is needed to responsibly plan for Lee County’s growth as population increases toward 1 million residents. Solid Waste’s current MRF is projected to reach capacity for processing materials. Lee County consistently has been ranked as one of the Top 5 recycling communities in Florida. To ensure the county meets recycling requirements, a facility with increased capacity is needed.

The MRF is planned for a 50-acre, industrial parcel near State Road 82 adjacent to the former Gulf Coast Landfill. It will be set back more than 1,000 feet from any homes, and berms and landscaping are planned in the buffer between the property line and the facility. The county could potentially close on the property purchase in May, with construction tentatively planned to begin in 2028. ¦

The post Public can learn about new recycling facility first appeared on Fort Myers Florida Weekly .