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Resident raises recycling commingling concern; town staff says Highland Beach reported ~400 tons recycled last year
Summary
Resident Jack Halpern told the commission he observed commingled recycling being combined with trash and asked whether Highland Beach is receiving any financial returns; town staff replied the town tracked about 400 tons of recycling last year and will follow up with Waste Management and publish county quarterly volume reports.
Resident Jack Halpern brought a recycling complaint during public comment at the Oct. 7 commission meeting, saying he observed maintenance staff placing yellow (recyclable) and blue (recyclable) containers together into a single bale and questioning whether the town’s recycling was being commingled and treated as garbage.
Halpern said Boca Raton recently received a $1.5 million return tied to recycling and asked whether Highland Beach could be receiving similar payments. He described visiting waste‑processing facilities and encouraged the town to verify contractor practices.
A town staff member responded that Highland Beach tracks recycling volumes through the county and that the town collected about 400 tons of recyclables last year but that the commodity market does not always cover processing costs. Staff said commingling at a building is not supposed to occur and offered to follow up with Waste Management and condominium associations; the town will publish recycling data and educational material via its app and condominium channels.
The exchange prompted agreement from commissioners to provide additional recycling education to residents and to follow up with the contractor on collection practices.
