Times are listed in Pacific Standard Time
Miami is severely overburdened by single-use plastics and marine debris. Miamians produce an average of 7.9lbs of trash per day compared to the national average of 4.9lbs. More than 5,000 tons of trash have been removed from Miami storm drain pumps, and more than 1 million pounds of litter have been cleaned up by volunteers. Moreover, Miami’s waste management systems are collapsing. In 2020, only 1% of plastic bottles were recycled, and in 2023, the County considered canceling its recycling contract. That same year, Miami-Dade’s Solid Waste Director resigned after the County’s incinerator burnt down. The County used to send nearly half of its waste to this incinerator, and this waste is now being diverted to burgeoning landfills that have been nearing capacity for years.
The County is currently considering expanding landfills, rebuilding the incinerator, and creating a waste campus. South Florida is ground zero for incinerator impacts as the only location where a new incinerator site location has been considered nationwide since 1995.
This session looks at the South Florida region and the efforts to advocate for Zero Waste in a complex storm of money, corporate and government interests, frontline communities, and the plan for the next 40 years of municipal solid waste management.
This podcast-style interview will feature speakers from Florida Rising, Broward Clean Air, and Debris Free Oceans to scale reuse, refill and composting to bring Zero Waste solutions to South Florida.
Moderator: Daniella Menendez, Outreach Coordinator, Race to Zero Waste
Speaker:
- Madeline Kaufman, Program Director, Debris Free Oceans, “Zero Waste Miami” Coalition: Building Partnerships Amongst Consumers, Businesses, and Government to Empower Miami to go Zero Waste
- Richard Ramcharitar, Lead Organizer, Broward Clean Air
- MacKenzie Marcelin, Climate Justice Director, Florida Rising