Recycling works best when everyone follows the same few rules. For Windermere residents, the answers come from two official sources: the Town of Windermere, which explains when pickup happens and how to set items out, and Orange County, which explains what the recycling program accepts. This guide pulls the two together in one place. For more everyday information, see the Residents page on this site.
When recycling is collected
The Town of Windermere says recycling is picked up on Tuesdays. That is the day to plan around each week. If you keep a routine of putting the cart out the evening before or early on the day itself, Tuesday is the day it should be ready.
The Town's garbage information page is the place to confirm pickup details, and it is the source for the day named here.
Getting items to the curb
The Town gives a clear timing rule: all items must be at the curb by 7am for pickup. The practical meaning is that setting your cart out after 7am risks missing the collection. Setting it out ahead of time avoids that risk.
A simple routine helps:
- Check that your recycling is ready before Tuesday.
- Move the cart to the curb so that it is there by 7am.
- Bring the cart back in once it has been emptied.
The Town's rule applies to all items, not only recycling, so the same 7am deadline is a good habit for everything you set out.
What goes in the recycling cart
Orange County runs the recycling program and publishes a What Goes Where guide. Its list covers items for the blue lid recycling cart. One entry on that list is plastics: bottles, jugs, tubs, and clear to-go cups (no straws or lids).
That entry has a few parts worth reading slowly:
- Bottles are accepted.
- Jugs are accepted.
- Tubs are accepted.
- Clear to-go cups are accepted, but without straws or lids.
The note about straws and lids matters. A clear to-go cup can go in the cart, but the straw and the lid should not go in with it. If you finish a drink from a clear to-go cup, take the lid and straw off and keep them out of the recycling.
For the complete list of everything the program takes, use the County's What Goes Where page. This guide does not repeat items beyond the plastics named above, because the County's list is the official and complete answer.
What does not go in the cart
Two rules from the official sources define what stays out.
First, the Town says soiled items such as pizza and takeout boxes cannot be recycled. A box with food on it does not belong in the cart, even if the box would otherwise be accepted. If it is soiled, it needs to go somewhere other than the recycling.
Second, Orange County says the recycling program can only accept the items on its list. This is a firm limit. If an item is not on the County's list, it should not go in the cart, even if it seems like it ought to be recyclable. Adding things that are not accepted can cause problems for the program, so when in doubt, check the list first.
A quick checklist before Tuesday
- Is the item on Orange County's list? If not, leave it out.
- Is it a clear to-go cup? Remove the straw and the lid.
- Is it a pizza box or takeout box with food on it? It is soiled, so it cannot be recycled.
- Will the cart be at the curb by 7am?
Why the rules matter
The Town and the County both stress the same idea in different ways. The Town stresses clean items and a firm curb time. The County stresses that only listed items are accepted. Following both keeps the cart useful and helps pickup go smoothly on Tuesdays.
If you are ever unsure about a specific item, the County's What Goes Where page is the first place to look, and the Town's garbage information page is the place to look for pickup timing.
Who to contact
- For pickup day and curb timing, see the Town of Windermere garbage information page: recycling is picked up on Tuesdays and items must be at the curb by 7am.
- For what the recycling cart accepts, see Orange County's What Goes Where page.
Sources
Compiled from the official sources below.