The collapse of the Chinese market for recyclables is having a ripple effect in The Villages.
The future of recycling in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown and the need for a long-term solid waste management plan will be the topic of a meeting set for 9 a.m. Thursday, June 20 at Laurel Manor Recreation Center.
The meeting will be open to all Villagers who wish to attend.
District Manager Richard Baier has called this, “The first step toward a long-range plan.”
The meeting will include a presentation of about 45 minutes by Jacobs, the waste hauler who in 2017 purchased CH2M Hill, the previous hauler. The Jacobs presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
In recent weeks, Baier has been updating community development district boards about the upcoming meeting and the need for developing a long-range plan.
Baier said there is still a market for recycled cardboard, but products that are less and less desirous are glass, plastic and aluminum.
Some communities in the country have forsaken recycling programs and are once again putting those materials into landfills and incinerators.
