From the Orange County Newsroom
In Summary:
Orange County has expanded its curbside recycling program to include paper and clear plastic to-go cups, providing residents with a more convenient way to recycle common beverage containers. Officials say the change is supported by advancements at regional processing facilities and is part of a broader national effort to reduce landfill waste. While cups are now accepted, items such as lids, straws, stirrers, foam products, and colored party cups are still not recyclable.
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On National Beverage Day (May 6), Orange County officially announced that paper and clear plastic to-go cups are now accepted as 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 made possible by advancements in processing capabilities 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 the beverage retailer Starbucks, which estimates that nearly 50 billion paper cups are currently 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.”
Related: Orange County launches "OC Loves Trees" initiative.
“Plastic and paper to-go cups are showing up in greater volumes at our facilities,” said Amy Boyson, Senior Communications 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, where they are sorted and baled, then sold to processors and manufacturers to be transformed into new products. Paper cups can be recycled into tissue or paper towels, while the plastic can be made into 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, which 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.
Key Points:
- Paper and clear plastic to-go cups are now accepted in Orange County’s curbside recycling carts
- Residents must empty liquids and place cups loosely in the bin, not bagged
- Lids, straws, stirrers, foam/Styrofoam, and colored party cups remain prohibited
- The change is driven by improved recycling capabilities at Waste Management facilities
- Officials say the update supports long-term waste reduction and recycling quality efforts
