City rolls out battery-recycling, pollinator gardens and compost workshops under Keep Oakland Park Beautiful

At the start of the March 4 meeting the commission and staff highlighted new sustainability initiatives under the Keep Oakland Park Beautiful program, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful that Oakland Park joined last year.

Molly, the city’s environmental and sustainability manager, told the commission the city deployed household battery-recycling collection bins at three city locations (City Hall first floor outside the chambers, the Oakland Park Library, and the North Andrews Gardens Community Center) and will accept common household batteries including AA, AAA, C, D, lithium and rechargeable batteries (not vehicle/lead-acid batteries). The bins were deployed the week of the meeting.

Staff also shared that the advisory board and volunteers installed the city’s first native pollinator garden at Lloyd Estates Neighborhood Park to support bees, butterflies and other pollinators; the city plans more pollinator gardens and will hold biannual hands-on composting workshops beginning in May. Participants in the compost workshops will receive a home composting kit.

Julie Leonard (public works director) and other commissioners praised volunteer turnout and emphasized that the battery program is free and that staff are working on expanded communications to reach residents, including door-hangers or water-bill messaging.

The presentation concluded with a note that the Keep Oakland Park Beautiful awards have been rebranded and an invitation to residents to participate in upcoming activities including the Broward County Waterway Cleanup on March 7.