Miami-Dade’s Solid Waste director has resigned, but not without issuing a warning about the future of waste disposal in the county.
Director Michael Fernández resigned Monday in a lengthy letter to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava saying the county could soon run out of space to properly dispose of trash.
Fernández said the February fire at the county’s Resource Recovery Center in Doral forced Miami-Dade to rely more on landfills inside and outside the county to dispose of trash.
The facility, which burned large amounts of waste collected by the county, has been out of service since the fire broke out.
Fernandez said the county needs to partially reopen the facility and explore landfill expansions, otherwise future construction projects could be affected by a law that requires Miami-Dade to have five years of waste disposal capacity in order to pass. future housing projects.
“At this point, the county will have to issue a moratorium to stop all development in Miami-Dade County or start plans that have been suggested in the past, which would increase disposal capacity, such as landfill expansions,” he wrote. Fernandez.
Fernandez also said a rate increase of $12.50 per household per month may be necessary to close a $40 million shortfall in the solid waste collection fund and build a surplus for the department.
