The mission of FORCE is to provide a framework to promote organics recycling and research in a statewide effort to streamline compost processing, research, demonstration, marketing, and education in Florida. FORCE is Florida's organics recycling effort involving Sumter County, the Florida Department of Enviornmental Protection (FDEP), and Public/Private researchers.

A Force for a greener Florida

The program objectives of FORCE include environmental research related to organic feedstocks from agricultural, municipal and industrial sources, the development of a wide range of organic products for Florida's end-use markets, as well as promoting the integration of feedstocks and technologies.

Florida's organics, the largest portion of the waste stream, provides valuable feedstocks for the production of mulches, composts, growing media and soil amendments. With the state's continuing drought conditions each year, compost can be an important agent in conserving water and helping plants retain moisture.

FORCE will advance the state's organics recycling infrastructure by bringing together academic research, entrepreneurs, and users to evolve solid, practical solutions to problems. Over the course of this five-year endeavor, a variety of field projects will be conducted relating to organics recycling technologies and products.

The Benefits of FORCE to Florida

Food waste, yard waste and paper make up nearly 40 percent of Florida's municipal waste stream. The Florida Organics Recycling Center for Excellence (FORCE) project will demonstrate an array of organics recovery technologies and feedstocks in a variety of field applications. The FORCE project will benefit Florida in the following areas: