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Resident urges Broward County to rethink methane-fired sludge dryer, calls for stronger recycling
Summary
Tammy Littery, a Coconut Creek resident, urged commissioners to question a proposed methane-powered sludge dryer at Broward County's North County Wastewater Treatment Plant and pressed for more aggressive recycling and education to reduce landfill volume.
Tammy Littery, a Coconut Creek resident, used the commission’s public-comment period on March 26 to urge local officials to question Broward County plans for a methane-powered sludge dryer at the North County Wastewater Treatment Plant in Pompano Beach.
Littery told the commission the county’s proposal would use methane from a nearby landfill to fuel the dryer. She said Waste Management already captures methane and converts it into electricity and questioned who would benefit financially from the proposed dryer. She contrasted the North County plan with the south county facility in Hollywood, which she said uses anaerobic digestion—a different process she described as more sustainable and cost-effective.
"Since the North County treatment plant has newly installed solar panels and may add wind turbines, it begs the question: do they really need methane to power a sludge dryer? And who benefits from this? Not Coconut Creek, Deerfield, or Pompano," Littery said.
Littery also urged local governments to boost recycling for cardboard and paper—citing a USPIRG figure that paper/cardboard are common landfill contents—and pointed to a manatee autopsy study she said found plastic obstructing the digestive systems of one in six animals. She recommended mandatory recycling of cardboard and office paper, double-sided printing, stronger public education, and mandatory employee training to reduce contamination and trash volume.
What the commission said: The commission thanked Littery for her comments; there was no county representative at the meeting to respond and no formal action by the commission on the county proposal was recorded during the session.
Context and caveats: Littery referenced national and regional studies (USPIRG, a manatee autopsy report, and The Lancet’s Plastics report) to support her points. The City of Coconut Creek has no recorded authority in this meeting to stop or approve county-level infrastructure projects; the commission’s role here was limited to receiving public comment.
Next steps: No city-directed follow-up or formal referral to staff was recorded in the meeting minutes. The concerns raised are on the public record and could be raised to Broward County or via subsequent commission agenda items if the commission or staff chooses to pursue them.
