Segment was published on June 17, 2026
South Florida, like much of the world, is grappling with a growing solid waste crisis.
Some cities recycle. Some don’t. And as landfills near capacity, officials say solutions need to be found quickly.
Broward County believes it has one.
The county’s Solid Waste Authority has unveiled a master plan aimed at tackling Broward’s growing trash problem, but its future depends on whether enough cities choose to embrace it.
Broward County generates about 20,000 pounds of waste every minute, or roughly 5 million tons a year, and officials say the situation is reaching a critical point.
“We’re at a critical juncture right now,” said Mike Ryan, mayor of Sunrise and chairman of the Broward Solid Waste Authority.
“We’re running out of landfill capacity and we’re running out of the ability to burn our way out of this,” Ryan said.
The crisis prompted action in 2023 when Broward County and 28 cities joined forces to create the Solid Waste Authority, launching an effort to reduce waste, boost recycling and divert more trash from landfills.
“When we realized what a crisis we are facing, both economically and environmentally, the cities came back together to try to figure out can we fix this fragmented system and work better together than separately?” Ryan said.