Southwest Florida counties are recycling at higher rates than others in the Sunshine State. A new study from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found Lee County has the second highest recycling rate in the state.

The number one spot went to Alachua County.

Two other counties in southwest Florida: Collier and Sarasota--also made it onto the state’s top ten list.

Ron Hendricks, who works at the state DEP, attributed the area’s high rate to two factors.

Hendricks said residents are more environmentally conscious in the top counties and counties like Lee, Sarasota and Collier have laws mandating commercial recycling.

He said having a law like that in place makes a big difference.

“The reason for that is,” Hendricks explained, “if you look at the pie-chart of where this solid waste comes from two-thirds of it is from the commercial sector—one third of it is from the residential sector.”

In 2008, the Florida Legislature passed a law that set a recycling-rate goal of 75 percent by the year 2020. The statewide average is currently around 30 percent.