Jesse Scheckner
Florida has done enough planning for how to cut down on its trash, and it’s a problem that private industry is developing solutions for faster, anyway, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
He just vetoed legislation (HB 295) that would have required the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a new statewide waste reduction and recycling plan, anchored by the state’s 75% recycling goal set in 2008, by this time next year.
“This legislation is unnecessary as it perpetuates a cycle of plans and reports without action and does not take into consideration that the private sector is continuously implementing innovative ways to reduce waste,” the Governor wrote in a Friday letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd.
“For this reason, I withhold my approval of HB 295 and do hereby veto the same.”
Lawmakers in April unanimously approved HB 295, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Joe Casello and Dianne Hart.
Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman carried the bill’s Senate twin (SB 200), which, like its House companion, received only “yes” votes in three committee stops.
The legislation, if approved, would have required DEP — with help from a technical advisory group comprised of key stakeholders, including local government and industry partners — to apply three core strategies in the plan:
— Education and outreach: Statewide programs to increase public understanding of recycling protocols, including potential mobile app guidance.
— Local government assistance: An evaluation of Florida’s defunct Recycling and Education Grant Program and the development of recommendations for its reinstatement or a new model to financially support local governments.
— Market development: Strategic efforts to bolster recycling material markets through incentives, public-private partnerships, expanded technical support, rebates for recycled products and procurement preference initiatives.
After completing the plan, DEP would have had to submit it along with recommended statutory changes to legislative leadership by July 1, 2026. A House staff analysis of HB 295 determined the fiscal impact on DEP would be “insignificant.”
Seventeen years ago, the Legislature set a statewide goal to recycle at least 75% of its municipal solid waste by 2020. To that end, the DEP established numerous programs and initiatives, and in 2010, lawmakers required counties to implement local recycling programs with interim goals to meet the statewide target.
“While Florida achieved the interim goals for 2012 and 2014 (of 40% and 50%, respectively), the state’s recycling rate for 2016 was 56%, falling short of the 60% goal. Between 2016 and 2020, Florida’s recycling rate continued to decline, with a rate of 52% in 2019 and 50% in 2020,” House staff wrote.
“Only three of Florida’s 36 large counties — Charlotte, Lee and Pinellas — successfully met the 75% recycling goal by 2020. In 2022 and 2023, the single-family recycling participation rate was 48%, which was a 4% increase from 2020 but a 3% decrease from 2021. Commercial recycling participation rates also showed a slight increase (approximately 1 percent) during the same time frame.”
In a statement to Florida Politics, Berman said she was disappointed, but not surprised DeSantis vetoed HB 295, which she described as “bipartisan and common-sense legislation” that fell to “another step in the wrong direction by Gov. DeSantis on environmental protection.”
“HB 295 was based on DEP’s own recommendations on how to address Florida’s failing recycling rates as well as the large disparities that exist among different counties,” she said. “Government plays an active and important role in waste management and this bill would have simply enhanced efficiency and cooperation between private and public actors.”
One comment
tom palmer
July 1, 2025 at 9:03 am
One of the problems is so much has changed in the recycling market since the original bill was approved, primarily China’s decision to quit accepting foreign waste. shipments. The state also continued to change the definition of what qualified as recycling. DeSantis is right that in the end the private sector is the final arbiter of what makes economic sense to recycle and what doesn’t. There is also some personal responsibility involved in all of this Buy less single-use ;products and re-evaluate your other buying habits. Do you really need bottled water?
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