June 8, 2007

FKEC Provides Free Recycling Bins to Community

Florida Keys Electric Cooperative recently began distributing free recycling bins as a public service to the Keys community. FKEC gave away 500 bins at the Green Living & Energy Expo in March, offered free bins at the company's annual meeting in April, and donated bins for both Earth Day at Cheeca Lodge and the Upper Keys Relay for Life event. The cooperative also gave bins to classes at Key Largo School, Marathon High School and Stanley Switlik Elementary School.

FKEC’s Maria Jones (back center) delivers the cooperative’s 20 donated bins to Jan Mulvihil’s fourth grade class at Key Largo School for a project in conjunction with Girl Scout Troop 63.

"Although FKEC has no intentions of getting into the trash hauling business, the free bins are being provided as a service to our community," said CEO Scott Newberry. "We care about the Keys environment and are focused on becoming a greener utility, so we felt this was an appropriate service to offer our members."

Earlier this year, Newberry and COO John Stuart learned that many residents were no longer able to acquire bins from their waste management company in Monroe County and decided that the cooperative should help. FKEC ordered blue recycling bins with co-op logo for community members who need them.

At Marathon High School, students put room numbers on the bins and distributed them to classrooms. "We've had a plethora of positive feedback from students and teachers for implementing this recycling program," said Marathon Middle/High School science teacher Amy Urban.

At the recent Relay for Life event, representatives of the Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE) organization used the bins for recycling at the event and gave them away to those who needed them.

"We gave out 60 recycling bins [at Relay for Life] and made announcements that we were trying to make the event as trash-free as possible," said GLEE founder Diane Marshall. "We filled one-and-a-half 96-gallon carts with plastic, a half 96-gallon cart with aluminum, a dozen bottles, and a 2-foot-by-3-foot pile of cardboard."

If you are interested in recycling and are unable to acquire a bin, visit FKEC in Tavernier at mile marker 91.6 oceanside or in Marathon at mile marker 34 oceanside.

Residents in the Village of Islamorada can still acquire free bins from Onyx Waste Services.