Local 10 | Louis Aguirre | November 12, 2025
SUNRISE, Fla. — Saturday marks National Recycling Day, a reminder of the importance of cutting waste and recycling correctly — a message that hits especially close to home in South Florida, where cities and counties are struggling to manage a growing solid waste crisis.
As Broward County prepares to roll out its new master plan to manage waste more efficiently, officials have enlisted a powerful new ally: the Florida Panthers, the two-time Stanley Cup champions who now hope to score big for the environment.
“When the Florida Panthers tell the fans that this is important — not just recycling, but composting — and we’re going to start doing it, this is the game changer for us here in Broward County,” said Mike Ryan, mayor of Sunrise and co-chair of the Broward County Solid Waste Authority.
Broward County, like neighboring Miami-Dade, is facing what Ryan calls an “absolute crisis” in solid waste management.
“We’re producing 20,000 pounds of garbage every minute here in Broward County. That’s over 10 billion pounds a year,” he said. “And we’re doing a terrible job on recycling and composting.”
To help shift habits, the Panthers are teaming up with the Broward Solid Waste Authority to use their platform — and their fans — to spread awareness about better waste management.
“There’s 2 million folks that come through this building every year, and that’s 2 million opportunities to educate the fan on what the best way to sort their materials are,” said Michael Prairie, senior director of sustainability and business optimization for the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers have already ramped up recycling and launched a composting initiative at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
“We are sorting all of our aluminum, plastic and food waste on event nights. We are currently baling aluminum and cardboard on site,” Prairie said. “We are diverting single-use plastic and glass to a mixed recycling facility.”