Waste Management Inc. of Florida has launched Green Broward, a local initiative to engage and educate the community on sustainability efforts and to help Broward County to Think Green and Think Broward. Green Broward will highlight ways to recycle right, offer opportunities for the community to get involved in sustainability efforts and serve as an informational hub on the ways Waste Management Thinks Green.

“Green Broward has been in the planning stages for a few months, but in the wake of Hurricane Irma it is more important than ever that we come together as a community to help build a sustainable future by maximizing the capabilities of our regional assets,” said Tim Hawkins, area vice president of Waste Management Inc. of Florida, in a statement. “Our Green Broward is a multifaceted effort in Broward County to teach people to recycle right, include the public in our sustainability mission and further engage our own team with the community in programs that will help make a difference here in South Florida.”

Green Broward was originally set to launch the week after Labor Day before Hurricane Irma struck. Immediately following the storm, the Waste Management team went to work to restore collection services. To date, the company continues to receive debris from Hurricane Irma at many of its regional facilities.

“We considered postponing longer; however, there was a collective belief among our team that the Green Broward initiative could play a part in the recovery effort,” said Hawkins in a statement. “This is our home, these are our neighborhoods and one way we can give back is to bring our professional knowledge and talents off the trucks, out of the transfer stations and into the community during this time of recovery.”

Waste Management has created GreenBroward.com, a website with helpful tips on recycling, renewable energy and other efforts Waste Management is already doing to Think Green.

“Our recycling education encourages residents and businesses to recycle more of the material that has an environmental benefit and a viable end market, such as paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and jugs and aluminum and steel cans,” said Dawn McCormick, director of communications for Waste Management, in a statement. “Increasing the collection of ‘good’ recyclables, and keeping non-curbside recyclables such as plastic bags, food waste, electrical cords and hoses out of household recycling containers, will help ensure the environmental and economic sustainability of recycling.”