At dawn, garbage trucks rumble through neighborhoods, lifting bins with hydraulic sighs and swallowing refuse. By the time most people are pouring their first cup of coffee, the curbs are clean, the plastic carts and blue bins empty again. But behind this quiet efficiency lies a complex, costly system – one that powers homes and shapes landscapes.
In Southwest Florida, household waste doesn’t vanish; it’s transformed. Lee and Collier counties take divergent paths: Lee burns its trash to generate electricity; Collier buries it then harvests methane. Both counties also manage recyclables, hazardous waste, and yard debris through private haulers with county oversight. Education campaigns aim to reduce contamination, and storm-debris plans are essential for hurricane recovery.
Lee’s waste-to-energy incinerator produces $10 million to $20 million in electricity annually, powering about 30,000 homes. Collier’s landfill captures methane to power roughly 3,000 homes. One system shrinks the mountain; the other compacts it under soil. Both begin with the same early-morning choreography at the curb…