Recycling Collection

Recycling collection occurs once-weekly on Thursdays. Holidays may affect this schedule. Make sure you're signed up to receive the Town's letters to be notified of such changes. 

Your recycling cart must be placed out no later than 7:15 a.m. on the scheduled service day to ensure pick-up.

Please place your recycling cart by your garage door, rather than at the end of your driveway or along the street. Waste Management's crew will pick up the cart from this area and return it there after emptying. This helps maintain the Town's clean and tidy aesthetic. When selecting the garage area location, bear in mind whether it may be difficult to spot from the street - good visibility helps avoid being inadvertently missed.

Recycling collection is provided by Waste Management, but for help with collection questions or issues, you can reach out to Town Hall by phone at (772) 581-2770 (ext. 2) or via townclerk [at] townoforchid.com (email). 

Note that trash collection is handled by a separate company with a different schedule.

If Waste Management neglects to pick up your recycling by 2:00 p.m. on a designated service day when you timely had the cart out, please use the "Trash/Recycling Issue Report form" at the bottom of this page, call the Town Clerk at (772) 581-2770 (ext. 2), or townclerk [at] townoforchid.com (email). All other trash-collection problems or questions may be directed here too. 

Town Hall operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the event an urgent problem arises outside of these hours, you may call Waste Management directly at (772) 569-1776.

Yes. Waste Management does provide a recycling cart - it's bright blue. The standard size is 65 gallons. If you are not satisfied with the cart size, you may request a different size (smaller [35] or larger [96]) by contacting Town Hall by phone (772) 581-2770 ext. 2 or townclerk [at] townoforchid.com (email). Previous homeowners should leave their recycling cart for new residents. Please contact Town Hall if there is no cart at your new Orchid property. 

Yes. You may request more than one cart. Contact Town Hall by phone (772) 581-2770 ext. 2 or townclerk [at] townoforchid.com (email )for assistance. 

Part of your recycling bill is paid through your Ad Valorem (Property Tax) bill. This portion goes to the County, which pays Waste Management for curbside collection. The second portion is paid to Waste Management by the Town and covers the upgraded garage-side service specifically.  You do not have to sign up for the service or pay any fees directly to the company or the Town. The Town utilizes its revenue streams (which may include property tax) to cover the cost. 

If you have recyclable material that does not fit in your cart (such as lots of boxes), please reach out to Town Hall staff by phone (772) 581-2770 (ext. 2) or townclerk [at] townoforchid.com (email). Removal will take place on a regular collection day. The Town will notify Waste Management on your behalf so that the pick-up crew knows to expect the item(s).  

If you don't want to wait for a pick-up, you may be able to take your outsize item to the Winter Beach Convenience Center at 3955 65th St, Vero Beach, FL 32967. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when it is closed. In addition to the materials you place in your regular residential recycling, Customer Convenience Centers accept a variety of Household Hazardous Waste, including rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, motor oil, water- and oil-based paints, items containing mercury, and medical "sharps" for safe disposal. You can also drop off items that are not accepted in your blue cart, such as white Styrofoam, plastic bags, plastic wrap, scrap metal, electronics, tires, and small yard waste. Construction debris is prohibited and must be taken directly to the County Landfill. 

With the Town's single-stream recycling program, there is no need to separate different recyclable items. Instead, all recyclable items are disposed in the same convenient cart! 

Materials that are recyclable in your cart:

• Metal food and beverage containers
• Glass food and beverage containers – brown, clear, or green
• No. 1-7 plastic containers (replace caps on containers if made of plastic, do not toss in separately)
• Plastic bottles (put bottle caps back on bottles, do not toss in separately)
• Newsprint
• Cardboard, flattened (greasy boxes (such as those that held pizza) are not recyclable)
• Magazines/Catalogs/Newspapers
• Cereal boxes
• Printer, copier, and office paper
• Paper mail

Note that materials should be clean: food containers should be rinsed before disposal into the recycle cart. 

These are some common items that cannot be recycled via your blue cart (this list is not exhaustive):

• Plastic bags, including shopping bag, newspaper sleeves, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, etc. (instead, take these to local supermarkets for recycling; look for the designated bins by the entrance, or take them to your local Recycling Convenience Center)
• Paper towels and napkins
• Styrofoam and polystyrene (including foam egg cartons)
• Unnumbered plastics
• Light Bulbs, including strings of lights for the holidays
• Mirrors, windows, or auto glass
• Glass cookware/bakeware
• Ceramics and porcelain
• Household electric items such as toasters, kettles, etc.
• Wood
• Coat hangers
• Clothing and shoes
• Heavy metals, such as used for tools
• Garden hoses
• Propane tanks

Even if your item is in the second list, you may be able to take it to the Winter Beach Convenience Center at 3955 65th St, Vero Beach, FL 32967. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when it is closed. In addition to the materials you place in your regular residential recycling, Customer Convenience Centers accept a variety of Household Hazardous Waste, including rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, motor oil, water- and oil-based paints, items containing mercury, and medical "sharps" for safe disposal. You can also drop off items that are not accepted in your blue cart, such as white Styrofoam, plastic bags, plastic wrap, scrap metal, electronics, tires, and small yard waste. Construction debris is prohibited and must be taken directly to the County Landfill. 

Clothing can be donated to charity shops or dropped in a designated collection bin found in parking lots around the County. 

If you're not sure whether an item should go in the trash, recycling, or must be disposed of otherwise, use the Carter's Corner search tool on the County's website (scroll down to it).