Florida repeals yard trimmings ban

In a move that many are complaining comes at the behest of waste disposal interests, the Florida Legislature has overturned Governor Charlie Crist's veto of House Bill 569, a repeal of a yard trimmings disposal ban in the Sunshine State, by an overwhelming vote of 114-5 in the state House and 39-0 in the Senate.

HB 569 repeals the state's 22-year-old disposal ban on yard trimmings and other green waste — originally justified so the compostable material could be landfilled for eventual methane capture. The repeal came during the special session called by the new, veto-proof majorities that Republicans won in the recent elections. A total of seven other bill vetoes were overridden by the state legislature.

In his veto message — now overturned — Crist said, "Although the bill requires landfills to capture and make beneficial use of methane gas to qualify to accept yard trash, it directs materials to landfills that would otherwise be recycled … I have not been presented with compelling reasons to abandon this longstanding state policy that provides an opportunity to reach our recycling goals."