SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): Waste Management (WM) is set to open its new recycling facility in Fort Walton Beach in June this year. The new facility is expected to provide big boost to recycling in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties. Incidentally, Okaloosa County has terminated its existing contract with Emerald Coast Utilities Authority and has entered into a new recycling contract with WM.

WM broke ground on the new recycling facility in April last year. The facility is expected to have a processing capacity of 120,000 tons per year of single-stream recyclables.

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The new three-year recycling contract promises to reduce contamination rates significantly. It must be noted that contamination had resulted in pause in services in several counties including Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Escambia. Also, high contamination rates had forced the City of Pensacola to cancel curbside pickup services.

Michael Beedie, senior manager of government affairs at Waste Management stated that the company intends to partner with the county, and the Keep Okaloosa Beautiful committee to run a co-ordinated education campaign aimed at educating residents on proper recycling practices, thereby reducing contamination.

As per estimates, Fort Walton Beach has a contamination rate of around 30-35%, with plastic bags being identified as one of the primary contributors to contamination.