Recycling Renewal

Remember recycling? Of course you do. It wasn’t that long ago—January 2025, to be exact—that Winter Garden stopped picking up recyclables. Almost overnight, blue bins disappeared and good habits quietly slipped away. But what felt like the end of an era turned out to be a pause, until Robert Montgomery and Cory Sims decided the city deserved better. And just like that, Plant Street Recycling was born.

“Our goal,” says Robert, “was to fill that void as quickly as possible.” Planning began in February, and by July 1, the trucks were rolling. From the start, this was never just a business venture—it was personal. “It’s truly a family affair,” Robert says. “Our wives help with social media, and our kids jump right in, helping with the hand-sorting of everything we collect.”

Recycling matters because it works. Every can, bottle, and box diverted from the trash reduces the growing burden on landfills. Why toss an aluminum soda can when it can be reused again and again? The biggest hurdle, however, remains plastic. It’s everywhere—and it lasts forever. From PVC and grocery bags to six-pack rings, plastic comes in countless forms, and knowing what can be recycled versus what can’t feels overwhelming. For many people, that confusion became a reason to opt out altogether.

Family Values, Citywide Impact

“Cory and I grew up recycling—it was just part of daily life,” Robert explains. “We didn’t realize how much it mattered until it was gone.” The issue hit especially close to home when Robert’s daughter, devastated by the loss of recycling services, suggested the family move out of Winter Garden altogether. “Starting Plant Street Recycling was a much better solution,” he laughs.

The City of Winter Garden agreed. City officials embraced the idea, fast-tracking permits and granting a business license, with only a few guidelines—no weekend pickups and no overlap with regular trash days.

With more than 50 neighborhoods across Winter Garden, expansion had to be strategic. The team mapped out a steady growth plan, beginning with Stoneybrook West and adding new neighborhoods each month. The results speak for themselves. In just the first five months, Plant Street Recycling diverted an impressive 14,000 pounds of waste from local landfills.

Their secret? Hands-on sorting. No shortcuts. No guesswork. Transparency matters, too, with behind-the-scenes videos and a live landfill-savings calculator on their website.

Visit www.plantstreetrecycling.com  to see if your neighborhood is on the current schedule. If it’s not, don’t worry—they take requests, and expansion is ongoing.  Residential service is just $25 per month.

“I grew up in Winter Garden and I’m raising my family here, so giving back to this community matters to me,” Cory says. “Plant Street Recycling is one way we can do better now and leave something positive behind for our kids.

“Winter Garden is special,” Robert adds. “We want to protect it—and help preserve it—for generations to come.”