Historical Electronics Grants

Countywide Comprehensive Electronics Recycling Grant

In section 403.71851, F.S., titled "Electronic recycling grants," the 2001 Florida Legislature authorized the department to utilize certain grant funds "to Florida-based businesses with five or more years' experience in electronics recycling…for demonstration projects with one or more counties for countywide comprehensive electronics recycling…that provides service to the private sector, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies and the residential sector." In May 2001 a $200,000 grant was awarded to Creative Recycling Systems Inc. (Tampa, Florida).

This countywide comprehensive electronics recycling demonstration project initially focused on Orange County and selected adjacent and nearby counties. The 3½ year project expanded to eventually include nine counties as opportunities presented themselves. Service offerings were tailored to the needs of each county and leveraged existing infrastructure and programs to the greatest extent possible. The project targeted both household and business users of electronic equipment. Many of the services that were developed during the project have continued on after the project ended. 

• View final report details the activities, results and lessons learned.

Section 403.71852,F.S., titled "Collection of lead-containing products," encourages local governments "to establish collection and recycling programs for publicly and privately owned lead-containing products, including end-of-life televisions, computers and other electronic products, through existing recycling and household hazardous-waste-management programs."

In response to these statutory directions, the department has awarded time-limited grants to counties with household hazardous waste programs that satisfy certain criteria and that submitted acceptable proposals. The intent is for these funds to seed the development of sustainable and ongoing electronics collection and recycling programs at the county level. Grant programs and allowable expenditure categories must meet certain minimum criteria.

The department has awarded more than $1.9 million in grants to 23 counties for programs serving 25 counties. An additional $200,000 has been awarded to a private electronics recycler to provide a comprehensive countywide recycling demonstration project.

This project is centered on Orange County and will provide electronics recycling services to nearby counties to complement or expand existing programs or to initiate new electronics recycling program as logistics and program economics allow. The total amount of department funding for electronics recycling programs is more than $2.1 million, since 1998.

Please contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection if you are interested in a copy of the report for the counties involved in the end-of-life electronics management grant program.

Related Links

• Electronics Waste.
• Hazardous Waste Resources.
• Hazardous Waste Publications.
• Household Hazardous Waste.