The Division of Waste Management works closely with the department's district offices to implement state and federal laws to protect the environment from the improper handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes. This includes regulatory programs for waste facilities and pollutant storage systems, and non-regulatory activities such as financial and technical assistance for recycling and waste reduction. The division also oversees and contracts for the cleanup of sites contaminated with petroleum products, drycleaning solvents, or other hazardous wastes.

The Division of Waste Management has multiple program areas.

• The District and Business Support Program provides technical support services to the division and the district offices.
• The Petroleum Restoration program conducts activities related to cleaning up sites contaminated by discharges from stationary petroleum storage systems. These sites include those determined eligible for state funded cleanup using qualified contractors selected through competitive procurement or selected by the property owner or responsible party and contractors under direct contract with DEP. Sites also include non-program or voluntary cleanup sites that are funded by responsible parties.  
• The  Permitting and Compliance Assistance Program is responsible for implementing the state's financial assurance and financial responsibility programs for Solid and Hazardous Waste and Tanks programs.
• The Waste Cleanup program has five sections.
  • The Waste Site Cleanup Section manages state-funded investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste sites and coordinates with the EPA during cleanup of federal Superfund National Priorities List sites. This section also implements the dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Program.
  • The Site Investigation Section investigates cases of known or suspected soil and groundwater contamination statewide and issues technical reports to support district assessment and cleanup decisions. This section also manages the State-Owned Lands Cleanup program.
  • The Federal Programs Section oversees cleanup of Department of Defense and other federal facilities.
  • CERCLA Site Screening conducts site screening assessments on sites with confirmed or suspected contamination to document if there was a release of hazardous substances and to evaluate the site for possible inclusion on the National Priorities List.
  • The Brownfields Redevelopment Program works to reduce public health and environmental hazards in existing commercial and industrial sites that are not in full use, creates incentives to encourage voluntary cleanup and site redevelopment, obtains cleanup target levels, and provides an opportunity for environmental equity and justice.

As of September 30, 2022, the Department of Environmental Protection reports there were 53,556 known contaminated waste sites. Of this total, 36,737 (68.6%) sites had been cleaned, 12,274 (22.9%) sites were in active cleanup, and 4,545 (8.5%) sites were still awaiting cleanup.

Brownfield sites are sites that are generally abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination.

Restoration of Osborne Reef. The 2023 Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-126, Laws of Florida, which requires the Department of Environmental Protection to submit a status report to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House on the status of the Osborne Reef cleanup and tire removal project by December 1, 2023. At a minimum, the report must include

• a description of the condition of the remaining Osborne Reef structure;
• any restoration efforts undertaken to the reef structure;
• the number of tires retrieved since the project began; and
• an estimated timeline for the completion of the cleanup and tire removal project.

By July 1, 2024, the department will develop a comprehensive restoration plan for Osborne Reef to be initiated, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, upon the completion of the cleanup and tire removal project. At minimum, the restoration plan must include a preliminary plan for the restoration of the existing reef, which includes

• the restoration of any nearby natural reefs that were destroyed by the tire installation;
• the shifting of resources from tire retrieval to reef restoration; and
• the coordination with other coral reef restoration projects and resources.

Upon completion of the plan, the department will provide a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report must include an update of the restoration plan and any recommendations for statutory changes necessary to achieve the identified restoration goals.

Other Reports
Waste Management Database Reports
2020 Florida Brownfields Redevelopment Program Annual Report, Department of Environmental Protection, August 2020

Websites of Interest
Division of Waste Management Institutional Controls Registry (ICR) Mapping Site
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Land, Waste, and Cleanup Topics
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Contaminated Site Clean-Up Information
Southern Waste Information Exchange

Performance Information

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapters 376, 381, and 403, Florida Statutes

Division of Waste Management, 850-245-8705
Website