JUNO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- To coincide with National Recycling Day, Florida Power & Light (FPL) Company today announced savings of approximately $8 million in 2013 as a result of its recycling and refurbishing efforts. FPL, one of the state's largest recyclers, saved nearly $6 million by recycling materials and more than $2 million by refurbishing old parts and manufacturing its own hardware items last year. These savings help keep customer bills low.

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"FPL is helping to keep thousands of tons of materials out of Florida's landfills and reducing the need for new goods," said FPL Vice President of Environmental Services Randall LaBauve. "Our recycling and reuse program results in substantial environmental and economic benefits. It's not only good for the environment, but the savings help FPL provide the lowest typical residential electrical bills in Florida."

"For years, FPL has been a leader in Florida for efficient and effective operations that reduce its environmental impact. The company is a role model for how other corporations can adopt these sustainable practices and experience similar savings, revenues and community-wide benefits," said Tim Center, executive director of Sustainable Florida.

At FPL's Corporate Recycling and Services (CRS) facility in Riviera Beach, Fla., operations are centralized to maximize recycling and minimize fuel used for transportation. The same trucks that deliver 95 percent of new materials into the field for construction and maintenance projects, return loaded with used materials to be recycled and/or reused.

In 2012, FPL's centralized CRS facility in Riviera Beach recycled or reused:

• 6 million pounds of scrap metal; equal to six Boeing 747s
• 301,250 pounds of paper and cardboard; equal to about 150,000 Sunday newspapers
• 1,150 streetlights; enough to light up the city of Coconut Creek, Fla.
• 7,000 cubic yards of non-treated wood; equal to the length of 700 football fields
• 250,000 gallons of mineral oil; equal to four million 8 oz. bottles of baby oil

Other FPL Recycling Initiatives

• Artificial Reefs -- Since 2005, FPL has partnered with county and state agencies in creating four artificial reefs. In October 2013, FPL donated 25 concrete power line poles to create a new artificial reef – the third one in less than a year – off the coast of St. Lucie County. FPL has donated 2,700 tons of material, or the equivalent of 1,800 mid-sized cars, to St. Lucie County's artificial reef program, which is funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and private donations.
• Power Plant Demolitions -- FPL recycled 98 percent of all materials, or more than 190,000 tons of concrete and metal, from three power plant demolition project sites in Florida including Port Everglades, Riviera Beach and Cape Canaveral.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities. As of year-end 2012, its typical residential customer bills are the lowest in Florida, and based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company