It’s To-Go Time: Orange County’s Curbside Recycling Program Now Accepting Paper and Clear Plastic Cups

Orange County, FL – On National Beverage Day, May 6, Orange County officially announces the addition of paper and clear plastic to-go cups as accepted recyclable items in its curbside collection program.

Expanding the program gives residents a convenient option to recycle clean, empty cups and paper sleeves used for fountain sodas and hot, frozen and iced coffee beverages in the blue lid recycling cart.

To prepare paper and clear plastic to-go cups for recycling, residents are asked to empty any remaining liquids/ice and place the cups loosely (NOT bagged) inside their recycling cart.

Still prohibited are straws, lids, and stirrers/stoppers as well as foam/Styrofoam™ and colored party cups, like those branded as Solo^™.

The changes are being made possible by advancements in processing capabilities offered at the area's recycling facility owned and operated by Waste Management Inc. (WM). Nationally, it is part of an initiative by partners including WM and beverage retailer Starbucks, which estimates nearly 50 billion paper cups are presently sent to landfills.

“Orange County is pleased to expand our residential recycling program to include paper and plastic to-go cups as acceptable materials,” said David Gregory, Solid Waste Management Division Manager for Orange County Utilities. “It’s a new take on the long running reduce, reuse, recycle for materials that have value and diverts waste from landfills.”

"Plastic and paper to-go cups are showing up in greater volumes at our facilities," said Amy Boyson, Senior Communicans Manager at WM. "We are executing on our plans to invest in new recycling infrastructure across North America to unlock recycling capabilities and solutions so that more material can be turned into new products."

Orange County's collected recyclable materials are transported to regional WM facilities that sort and bale recovered items, which are then sold to processors and manufacturers to transform into new products. Paper cups can be recycled into tissue or paper towels while the plastic can become new food containers or bottles.

Orange County has remained committed to recycling for more than three decades. In recent years, the award-winning Recycling Quality Improvement Program that features curbside feedback cards left by trained teams has substantially boosted recycling quality.

With this change in recycling, residents are encouraged to refresh their knowledge of the five types of items that belong in recycling carts (plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs; metal cans; glass bottles and jars; flattened cardboard; and paper) by visiting ocfl.net/recycles. Residents with questions can also email Solid.Waste@ocfl.net or call the Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 weekdays during business hours.