About the Solid Waste Authority
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County is
the governmental agency responsible
for providing an economical and environmentally conscious integrated
solid waste management system for Palm Beach County, FL. With
approximately 400 employees, the SWA provides solid waste disposal and
recycling services and programs to the County's 1.4 million residents and businesses.
The SWA also provides solid waste and recycling collection services to
the residents and businesses in unincorporated Palm Beach County through
private haulers under exclusive franchise agreements.
Form of Government
The Solid Waste Authority is a Dependent
Special District governed by the seven elected County Commissioners of
Palm Beach County, Florida.
Funding
The SWA's system is funded through a
system of user fees. The primary funding mechanism is the non-ad
valorem special assessment that is included on the annual property tax
bill of all Palm Beach County property owners. Additional revenue
sources include tipping fees, electric sales, recycling revenue, and
interest income.
The System
The SWA has built an award-winning
integrated system of facilities that combines recycling, composting,
converting waste to energy through incineration, and landfilling to
effectively manage the county's waste. The SWA's system includes a
waste-to-energy plant, a landfill, a vegetation processing facility, a
compost facility, two materials recycling facilities, household hazardous waste collection
facilities, and a network of five transfer stations. The bulk of the Authority's facilities
were financed with $420 million in revenue bonds issued in 1984 and 1986
and subsequent fundings and refundings.
Programs
The programs developed and implemented by
the SWA are designed to integrate solid waste
transportation, processing, recycling, resource recovery, and
disposal technologies, protect the environment, achieve the SWA's 50% recycling and
waste reduction goal, and inform the public about solid waste
management issues.
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