The City of Winter Garden is contemplating the future of its recycling program, with officials citing increased costs and a high contamination rate of materials. As reported by ClickOrlando, the first reading of an ordinance that could mark the end of the city's effort to recycle was scheduled to be heard at a city commission meeting today. According to the proposed ordinance, a "significant portion" of recyclables collected by the city currently find their way into the landfill due to their lack of marketability.

Maryann Woloshin, a Winter Garden resident, expressed her disappointment to ClickOrlando, "It’s disappointing because we’ve been doing it all along for so long." Meanwhile, the CEO of O-Town Compost, Charlie Pioli, told My News 13, "It gets us closer to having to permit more landfill space, which is going to be a burden for taxpayers in Orange County." Pioli emphasized the long-term economic and environmental benefits of recycling.

As delineated in the ordinance, the city's stance on the issue points to market conditions that have led to a steep rise in recycling costs. This sentiment echoes issues faced by other municipalities, such as Deltona, which suspended its recycling program back in 2019. Similarly, Orange County reported an 85% rejection rate because of contaminated materials that same year, indicating widespread challenges in the region's recycling efforts.

However, in contrast to the city's perspective, Orange County officials are planning a new materials recovery facility to process recyclables at their landfill, which opened in 1971. Officials maintain that currently, recyclable materials are sent off-site, and the proposed facility could represent a stride toward improved waste management. Nonetheless, as the Winter Garden city officials say, the ordinance to potentially cut recycling services is in the "best interest of the public," with the next steps in the decision process scheduled for a second reading on Dec. 12 at city hall, as reported by My News 13.