Orange County cuts waste pickup to one day per week

ORANGE COUNTY — A pair of 95-gallon rolling carts will be the only allowed means of trash and recyclables disposal for about 205,000 unincorporated Orange County households, which will receive the containers between October and December, before trash pickup reduces to once per week Jan. 1.

Among affected residents in West Orange County will be those in certain enclaves of unincorporated territory and Horizon West.

This stems from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners vote in favor of the “1-1-1 Automated Garbage and Recycling Collection” July 28, following Sustainability Advisory Board recommendation.

According to Orange County staff, haulers must switch to compressed natural gas vehicles within 18 months of executing the contract, which would make vehicles quieter and less pollutive.

In this program, all recyclables will go in one 95-gallon cart, and residents must call the Solid Waste Hotline to schedule disposal of bulky items that do not fit the bins, up to three cubic yards. A new automated system will include a mechanical arm to dump carts, so to receive service, homeowners must place carts on the opposite side of their driveways from mailboxes, three feet in from the curb, away from cars and low tree limbs, with handles facing the house.

Residents will receive their collection schedules starting in November, and three distinct haulers will be collecting garbage and recycling throughout unincorporated Orange County.

“I am happy that Orange County can now offer this service to its residents,” said Jim Becker, manager of Orange County Utilities’ Solid Waste Division. “The new 1-1-1 collection program will offer homeowners a more convenient, efficient and environmentally friendly way to collect and dispose of their garbage and recycling.”

Among those opposing the change to weekly pickup is District 6 County Commissioner Victoria P. Siplin, the lone commissioner to vote against the change. She said residents expressed concerns with keeping garbage in their garages for a full week and having elders drag large cans to the street.

Although some area citizens agreed with those concerns and not being allowed to use personal cans, others welcome the changes.

“I am perfectly thrilled to see that the county is able to save $8.2 million per year by making these changes,” said Kama Hough, a resident of Lakes of Windermere in Lakeside Village of Horizon West. “I do feel bad for the folks who will be losing their jobs, but quite honestly, I never understood the need for pickup twice per week. I did see a need for increased recycle can space, though, and that’s what this plan will do. The only concern for me, to echo others, is having to leave the garbage in the garage. It would be nice to see that changed in the HOA rules.”

Those $8.2 million in savings divide to about $40 per resident, and nearby entities under the 1-1-1 program — such as Lake Mary and Oviedo — have seen increases in recycling. County staff believe the 95-gallon cart reduces pest and rodent trash infiltration, as well.

Oakland, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden and Orlando provide trash pickup twice per week, as does Seminole County. Lake, Osceola and Volusia counties offer weekly collection, as well as municipalities such as Clermont and Kissimmee.

The recycling cart will have a blue lid, and the trash cart will have a green lid. Both should be stored until the new year, and residents must keep carts for 90 days before a request to change the size. Swapping a 95-gallon cart for a 65-gallon cart will be a free option from April 1 to May 31, after which it would require a fee.

Each cart will have a unique barcode to help county officials locate and return lost or stolen containers.

Under this plan, the only averted pickup dates will be Thanksgiving and Christmas, with collection occurring the days after instead.

Free back-door service is available for disabled homeowners by application.

Commissioners chose the 1-1-1 program over manual 2-1-1 and automated 2-1-1 programs, both with garbage collection twice per week. Manual is the outgoing program, in which residents use personal cans and county-issued 18-gallon recycling bins. Automated 2-1-1 would otherwise be the same as the automated 1-1-1 program.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].