ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County said recycling is costing more than it should, and that cost could be passed down to customers if it can't work things out.
Officials said too many residents are trying to recycle items that can't be recycled, and it's damaging recycling machines.
The county said many people put items in plastic bags, tie them up and toss them in the recycle bin. But the plastic bags jam the machine.
Officials instead want residents to dump the bag's contents into the recycle bin and throw the bag into the garbage bin.
"Hangers or chip bags or anything like that," said Jessica Kitt, a recycling specialist with the county. "When things like plastic bags get into the sorting facility, it gets tangled in that equipment. And that can shut down operations for days."
Resident James Gould knows a lot about recycling.
"I think it's really important to reuse everything we can on this Earth," he said.
But Gould still found plastic material in his recycle bin.
"Oh wait, this does have the recycle symbol right there," he said.
Instead of the triangle, residents are advised to look for numbers 1 through 5 on plastic, metal or glass containers.
The rest cannot be recycled.
"These get tangled in the equipment at the sorting facility," Kitt said.
The county also recycles paper and cardboard, but pizza boxes are an exception.
"The problem with pizza boxes is the oil and the grease that seeps into the cardboard and that makes it non-recyclable," Kitt said.
When residents try to recycle non-recyclable items, the county is forced to process the items twice.
"That material has to be treated as garbage, so that can raise costs," Kitt said.
Counties across the country are dealing with the issue.
Officials said residents should toss items in the garbage if they're unsure about whether they're recyclable.
Cox Media Group
