Private company to bring recycling to Winter Garden

The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved and authorized City Manager Jon C. Williams to sign an agreement with Plant Street Recycling. 

The Non-Exclusive Franchise Agreement, Non-Exclusive Franchise Indemnity and Hold Harmless Letter of Credit Draw Agreement was approved during the commission meeting Thursday, June 12. Commissioners Colin Sharman and Lisa Bennett were absent. 

Plant Street Recycling LLC, a private company, approached the city to start collecting recycling material in the city. 

The company will be collecting and recycling aluminum cans, paper, paper board, glass and plastic. 

It has been in discussions with Stoneybrook West to begin operations in the gated neighborhood. 

Assistant City Manager Steve Pash said Plant Street Recycling expects to have approximately 200 customers upon its start. He said the company plans to use 14-gallon tubs that will be distributed to each customer. Pick-up dates will not interfere with any of the city’s garbage dates. 

Plant Street Recycling will use a pickup truck with an open trailer to put enclosed bins on to haul it. 

“They’ll do all the sorting in front of the house, much the same as it used to be, and then they’ll haul it to their facility,” Pash said. 

Pash said fees are planned to be $25 per household. 

The Non-Exclusive Franchise Indemnity and Hold Harmless Letter of Credit Draw Agreement holds the city harmless in case of accidents, and it requires Plant Street Recycling to have a $50,000 letter of credit once the company starts operating outside the gated neighborhood. 

The Non-Exclusive Franchise Agreement for Recyclable Materials Collection allows the recycling company to operate for city residents. 

The agreement is effective until Sept. 30, 2027, unless terminated earlier. The agreement might be renewed in one city-fiscal year increments for up to three additional years. 

Besides conditions the city put on the agreement, Plant Street Recycling also will need to follow the requirements for the Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection for the recycled materials, Pash said. 

“We’re looking forward to a big success in this one so we can bring it across the city,” Mayor John Rees said. 

Robert Montgomery, the owner of Plant Street Recycling, said the company is starting off in local neighborhoods. As the company is able to grow, Montgomery said the company will expand to more areas and get more involved in the city. 

“I’m expecting within the first 24 to 30 months that we would be able to involve about 40% of the city based on the surveys we’ve taken and the public demand for something along these lines,” he said. 

Legacy Home Rehabilitation Program and agreement

The Community Redevelopment Agency unanimously approved the Legacy Home Rehabilitation Program and agreement. 

The city will work with Rebuilding Together Greater Florida to benefit homes in the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood. Rebuilding Together Greater Florida is a nonprofit with a “mission to philanthropically provide repairs to homes of the under-resources, revitalize communities and rebuild lives.”

The Community Redevelopment Agency approved a budget of $1 million for Fiscal Year 2024 to support the Legacy Fund Home Rehabilitation Program. Home improvement work includes interior and exterior repairs of roof systems, windows, doors, electrical, plumbing, mechanical HVAC, environmental, ADA improvements, and other health and safety concerns. 

The agreement with Rebuilding Together Greater Florida is a one-year pilot to complete four full-repair projects to learn, assess and move forward assuming “everything works out positively towards the ultimate goal, which is to address 15 to 20 homes annually based on the set-aside budget for the Legacy Home Rehabilitation Program,” said Marc Hutchinson, the economic development director. 

There will be a maximum grant amount of $50,000 to the approved homeowner, and the grant will be in the form of a zero interest, 10-year forgivable loan that will reduce by a factor of 10% over 10 years. There will not be monthly repayments for the grant. 

Resident eligibility requirements include meeting Orange County’s income guidelines; the home must be owner-occupied with homestead exemption; single-family detached dwellings only; current on all taxes and liens; possess homeowner’s insurance but it might be waived; the property must have been built in 1979 or earlier; and the home must be located within CRA District and/or the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood. 

“Staff believes there’s mutual alignment in this partnership with shared goals among the parties for improving the quality of life for residents with well-needed home repairs and honoring the East Winter Garden Plan,” Hutchinson said. 

Jose Garcia, the CEO of Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, said his team is ready and prepared to start working with the city. 

“As we know, this is hurricane season, so we want to make sure we make these homes resilient and we prevent any more damage in the house,” he said. “We were very honored for the city staff for inviting us to talk about this and to consider us.”

Larry Cappleman, a member of the Community Redevelopment Agency, said the partnership is a “great opportunity to demonstrate some tangible results the community may see and fall behind.”

He said if the four homes in the pilot program are completed in less than a year, the agency does not want to wait to move forward with more homes in the program.