North Sumter County Utility Dependent District Board members on Monday began to share their views on the future of recycling and trash collection in The Villages.

NSCUDD paired with Jacobs, the waste hauler in Community Development Districts 1 through 11 in The Villages, to offer detailed presentations for residents in June, August and October. Those presentations made it clear that the recycling market is not nearly as stable as it once was and the future of continuing to landfill is in question.

John Wood, who works for Jacobs and is serving as a consultant to the District on the formation of a long-term waste management plan, offered some recommendations including hiring an education specialist to increase awareness about recycling, step up recycling efforts at District facilities as an example to the rest of The Villages, start charging a fee for bulk waste collection and optimize truck routing and truck sizes for improved efficiencies. It was also suggested that flexibility in the recycling collection would be important in the future, and that at the present time, the collection of money-losers like newspapers and glass could be ceased. You can see Wood’s entire presentation at this link: Villages Solid Waste 11042019

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“Send it all to the landfill? Nobody wants that. It’s not acceptable in today’s society,” said NSCUDD Board member Diane Spencer. “We need to simplify recycling and de-emphasize the landfill.”

Board Chairman Charlie Smith said he wants to hire an education specialist to energize and focus recycling efforts.

“We need to make sure people know what needs to be put out at the curb,” he said.

NSCUDD Board member Matt Friedland, who has been the driving force behind the Villages Homeowners Advocates annual electronics recycling effort, also spoke out in favor of recycling.

But it’s clear that recycling comes at a price.

It costs $80 per ton to recycle and $28 per ton to landfill in the NSCUDD area.

“It costs money to be green. You have to spend money to have that positive impact,”  Wood said. “The benefits of recycling are not recognized in The Villages. The benefits of recycling are recognized globally.”

NSCUDD Board member Richard Rademacher said he wants more information, particularly on the costs. He pointed out that Sumter County residents of The Villages were recently walloped with a 25 percent property tax increase. He noted that NSCUDD recently voted on a series of rate hikes for trash collection.

“Before we make a decision, I would like to see detailed costs. I want to see the figures Jacobs is going to charge us for the services,” he said.

Residents also got a chance to share their thoughts with the board.

Dan Warren of the Village of Gilchrist pointed out it took until 2011 for The Villages to begin a recycling program.

“We as individuals all have some personal responsibility when it comes to recycling,” he said.

Community Development District 2 Supervisor Jim Cipollone said that as The Villages continues to expand at a rapid pace, the challenge will become more daunting.

“The more residents, the more trash we’re going to have. More trucks. More trash,” he said.