Sunrise leaders urge regional action after Solid Waste Authority draft outlines waste crisis and options

Mayor Michael J. Ryan on Tuesday delivered an update on a draft Solid Waste Authority master plan that city staff and an executive committee have developed to address Broward County’s recycling, waste diversion and long-term disposal challenges.

The presentation framed the county’s situation as both environmental and economic: high reliance on landfilling and private operators has left municipalities vulnerable to market volatility, the mayor said, and reversing that will require coordinated municipal flow control, expanded transfer and processing facilities and stronger recycling and organics programs.

Ryan said the draft master plan is based on 11 task-specific white papers developed over 18 months and that it does not presuppose site expansions for new waste-to-energy (WTE) plants but does consider modest, existing-site options. He urged immediate, synchronized education and source-separation programs, stepped-up processing for construction-and-demolition (C&D) debris and yard waste, and more materials-recovery capacity to lower contamination rates and hauling costs.

"We must change behavior to create volume reduction so as to divert from landfilling and waste to energy in every way possible," Ryan said, adding that Palm Beach County’s different path — a public authority that owns transfer stations, WTE and recycling facilities — has delivered higher recycling rates and greater system control.

Commissioners pressed details and next steps. Commissioner Joseph Scudo said Sunrise and other western Broward cities have been promised regional transit and infrastructure gains in the past, and warned that the county’s capital planning decisions have repeatedly left west-county communities with little leverage. He and other commissioners urged the city manager and staff to use Sunrise’s influence with neighboring municipalities, the Broward Workshop and the League of Cities when negotiating county plans and ILA terms.

City Manager Mark Lebowski said the interlocal agreement (ILA) process and the county’s public presentations are ongoing, and confirmed the draft plan assumes a combination of flow-control strategies, new and upgraded transfer and processing facilities, organics management, and expanded C&D recovery at potential county sites including the BIC property.

The commission discussed the history of regional waste arrangements, noting past decisions that left much infrastructure in private hands. Several commissioners and members of the dais emphasized that without joint municipal action on flow control and coordinated procurement, the county risks repeated price shocks and continued reliance on private monopolies.

The mayor and staff said the immediate next steps are: continue city-level review of the draft papers; coordinate with Broward County and municipal partners on flow-control language and funding scenarios; and ask staff to return with implementation steps, timelines and budget estimates for pilot programs such as harmonized recycling signage and expanded C&D processing.

The presentation and subsequent discussion did not commit the commission to a particular procurement or facility but signaled support for continued intergovernmental work to preserve local options and reduce landfill dependence.

Ending: The commission directed staff to continue reviewing the draft and to report back with recommended next steps and schedule options for piloting coordinated education and diversion programs. Several members said they would use existing regional bodies and business leaders to press for a plan that serves the west side of Broward County as well as the shore communities.