Through its Municipal Revenue Share Program, the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (SWA) shares recycling revenues with the municipalities it serves. In Fiscal Year 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021), more than $251,700 was shared with municipalities from Tequesta to Boca Raton. Since the SWA started the program in 2010, local municipalities have shared about $10 million.
The Municipal Revenue Share Program rewards the SWA’s municipal partners for the role they play in making Palm Beach County’s dual stream recycling program successful. Each municipality’s recyclables are transported to the SWA, and once the SWA has sorted, baled and sold those commodities, the revenue is shared back with the municipal partners after covering processing costs.
In the last fiscal year, county residents placed more than 100,000 tons of recyclables in their blue and yellow recycle bins. That’s more than 200 million pounds of recyclable waste that would have otherwise been trashed.
Ultimately, more than 83,500 tons of recyclables were sold to mills and factories that could use them in making materials for new products. The top recycled items by weight were:
- Mixed paper – more than 33,500 tons
- Glass – more than 21,000 tons
- Cardboard – more than 18,700 tons
- Plastic – more than 4,100 tons
- Aluminum – more than 1,000 tons
The revenue received from marketing these recyclables varies due to market conditions and international policy. Since 2018, China’s National Sword policy has had the biggest impact on the reduction in recycling revenues.
The FY 2021 Municipal Revenue Share breakdown by municipality is as follows:
Atlantis
FY21 Total Revenue – $487.55
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,146.24
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $36,705.76
Belle Glade
FY21 Total Revenue – $86.02
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,657.06
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $29,762.35
Boca Raton
FY21 Total Revenue – $18,043.40
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 82,996.61
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $1,447,601.90
Boynton Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $10,371.97
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 41,117.38
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $694,200.56
Briny Breezes
FY21 Total Revenue – $211.97
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 881.15
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $14,840.20
Cloud Lake
FY21 Total Revenue – $21.25
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 88.12
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $1,483.96
Delray Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $13,058.56
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 53,983.12
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $907,264.09
Glen Ridge
FY21 Total Revenue – $42.37
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 176.24
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $2,968.13
Greenacres
FY21 Total Revenue – $6,274.94
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 26,115.56
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $442,787.73
Gulf Stream
FY21 Total Revenue – $254.34
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,054.47
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $17,274.57
Haverhill
FY21 Total Revenue – $296.83
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,233.60
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $20,775.65
Highland Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $1,356.67
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 5,863.81
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $100,074.86
Hypoluxo
FY21 Total Revenue – $699.52
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,953.70
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $50,178.86
Juno Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $1,102.34
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 4,555.28
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $75,309.51
Jupiter
FY21 Total Revenue – $11,235.46
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 45,829.54
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $761,249.42
Jupiter Inlet Colony
FY21 Total Revenue – $105.98
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 440.60
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $7,421.02
Lake Clarke Shores
FY21 Total Revenue – $593.54
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,571.73
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $43,996.51
Lake Park
FY21 Total Revenue – $1,099.78
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 4,251.92
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $72,774.12
Lake Worth Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $6,265.73
Total Tons Recycled since 2019 – 5,692.31
Total Revenue Share received since 2019 – $10,152.78
Lantana
FY21 Total Revenue – $1,992.70
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 8,556.39
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $151,892.10
Loxahatchee Groves
FY21 Total Revenue – $529.92
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,269.21
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $38,528.82
Manalapan
FY21 Total Revenue – $137.09
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 561.44
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $9,259.24
Mangonia Park
FY21 Total Revenue – $254.34
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,130.55
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $19,271.65
North Palm Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $3,369.21
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 15,740.25
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $267,580.52
Ocean Ridge
FY21 Total Revenue – $551.17
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,402.97
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $41,157.41
Pahokee
FY21 Total Revenue – $699.52
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 3,142.14
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $54,870.23
Palm Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $2,370.82
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 17,548.44
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $304,769.63
Palm Beach Gardens
FY21 Total Revenue – $11,468.67
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 45,784.56
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $762,777.73
Palm Beach Shores
FY21 Total Revenue – $445.18
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,923.44
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $32,626.66
Palm Springs
FY21 Total Revenue – $3,646.21
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 14,195.90
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $229,922.46
Riviera Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $6,465.66
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 28,003.75
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $482,031.82
Royal Palm Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $5,617.66
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 23,101.77
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $381,877.19
South Bay
FY21 Total Revenue – $402.82
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 1,677.30
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $28,744.63
South Palm Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $614.78
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 2,601.24
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $44,242.54
Tequesta
FY21 Total Revenue – $1,208.32
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 5,201.77
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $88,576.51
Village of Golf
FY21 Total Revenue – $63.62
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 288.02
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $5,289.16
Wellington
FY21 Total Revenue – $9,709.06
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 41,241.10
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $679,086.36
West Palm Beach
FY21 Total Revenue – $20,308.61
Total Tons Recycled since 2010 – 84,402.02
Total Revenue Share received since 2010 – $1,427,986.27
Westlake
FY21 Total Revenue – $148.35
Total Tons Recycled since 2020 – 74.28
Total Revenue Share received since 2020 – $148.35
Each municipality spends their portion of the Municipal Revenue Share as they see fit.
The net Municipal Revenue Share for each municipality consists of the total recovered residential materials revenue received by the SWA for each quarter less the processing cost for that quarter. That amount is divided by the total tons received to determine an average price per ton and multiplied by the adopted annual Municipal Revenue Share percentage (50% in FY 21) to set the program price for the quarter. The revenue received from recovered materials varies depending on market prices and availability.
Self-haul municipalities receive their Municipal Revenue Share based on the actual weight of acceptable loads delivered to an approved SWA facility. The other municipalities, who share a common hauler, share the balance of those revenues in proportion with their total equivalent residential unit (ERU), which is calculated with single family and mobile homes as 1 ERU each and multifamily homes as 0.75 ERU per unit.
In addition, more than 4.9M pounds of home chemicals were collected to be safely disposed of or recycled. The most dropped off home chemicals at one of the SWA’s seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers were:
- Latex paint – more than 2,425,000 pounds
- Electronics – more than 900,000 pounds
- Used motor oil – more than 550,000 pounds
- Cylinders/propane tanks – more than 230,000 pounds
- Used cooking oil – more than 49,000 pounds
- Pesticides – more than 47,000 pounds
- Cleaning products solution – more than 45,500 pounds
Though this effort is not a part of the traditional Municipal Revenue Share program, it does demonstrate that our county’s residents do take an active role to dispose of items the right way.
Learn what goes in the blue and yellow recycling bins at SWA.org/RecycleRight.
Learn what home chemicals require special disposal at SWA.org/HCRC.
