Lady Lake is the latest community to end its curbside recycling program.
The Lady Lake Commission this week agreed to end the curbside recycling program with Waste Management that dates back nearly three decades.
A representative from Waste Management said the market for recyclable materials from the United States that had existed in China and elsewhere has collapsed. He said the collapse of the market has cost the company about $300 million in losses.
The commission had two options to consider, increase the trash collection fee by 65 cents per month to try to prop up the curbside recycling program or follow the lead of The Villages and begin sending trash to the Covanta waste-to-energy plant in Okahumpka. The Villages officially made the change earlier this month for residents living in Community Development Districts 1 through 11.
All waste products will go into a single bag. Because it is going to the waste-to-energy plant all of the material is now considered to be “recycled.”
The change will be effective Nov. 1 in Lady Lake.
