WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – When the city of Winter Garden ended its curbside recycling program earlier this year due to rising costs and contamination, there wasn’t a backup plan — just a question from a concerned 10-year-old.
“My 10-year-old said, ‘Can we move to a different city? My friends in this other city, they can recycle there. Can we move there?’ I’m like, ‘No, we’re going to find the solution,” Robert Montgomery said.
That conversation sparked what would become Plant Street Recycling, a grassroots effort led by Montgomery and fellow Winter Garden resident Cory Sims. The two men now spend Wednesday mornings collecting recyclables throughout the Stoneybrook West neighborhood.
“We didn’t want to just show up and it’s like two guys in a truck trying to do something,” Sims explained. “We’re not trying to do something, we’re doing something.”
Sims drives the truck while Montgomery rides in a trailer, hopping off at each stop to hand-sort plastics, metals, cardboard and glass.
The city had discontinued curbside recycling in January, citing a $1 million annual cost. By March, Sims and Motgomery launched their own service, charging $25 a month for weekly pickup and two bins per home. Their first pick-up was July 2.
“In the phase that we’re at, it’s all effort and time with no monetary return right now,” Sims said. “I have to make sure I’m still providing for my family and running a full-time company outside of this one.”
Currently, nearly 50 homes in Stoneybrook West are signed up, but word is spreading fast throughout Winter Garden.
“We have hundreds of people on our waiting list saying, ‘Go to the next neighborhood,’” Montgomery said. “We’re being very purposeful with the way that we scale to ensure that before we go outside of this neighborhood, we’re able to deliver the product that we’re promising.”
That overwhelming interest even caught them off guard.
“I thought we’d have a good response, but the overwhelming response surprised me,” Sims said. “We just realized we’re not the only ones who want to see it succeed. The city wants to see it succeed. And everybody in Winter Garden does too.”
Every item is inspected by hand. If it’s not clearly labeled or if it belongs in the landfill, it’s not recycled.
“What we’re recycling is not wish-cycling, it’s real recycling,” Montgomery said. “We’re able to make a difference.”
While it’s sweaty, hands-on work, they say they’re learning and growing with every bin.
“Eventually, we’ll get to a point where if someone gives us something that isn’t recyclable, we’ll send them a little reminder that says, ‘Hey, next time let’s leave this one in the trash. Just send us the recyclables,’” Montgomery said.
What started as a question from a child has now become a mission with a focus on community, sustainability and legacy.
“There’s an opportunity to leave a legacy and leave something behind to know that when we’re done, that we actually made a measurable difference,” Montgomery said. “That’s very uplifting to me.”
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