How to Enroll in Orange County Public Schools After Moving to Lake Nona

Two different garbage services work in Lake Nona, and the Orlando on your mailing address does not tell you which one you have

By David Myers, Broker Associate · NonaOrlandoProperties.com · Last updated November 2026

Lake Nona homes get trash service from one of two providers. Addresses inside City of Orlando limits are served by the City's Solid Waste Division and billed monthly through OUC. Addresses in unincorporated Orange County are served by Orange County Utilities and billed once a year on the property tax bill. Both pick up garbage, recycling, yard waste and large items once a week each. Orange County moved to new collection days on December 29, 2025, pairing recycling with yard waste on one day and garbage with large items on another. Check your own days with the County's Collection Schedule tool or the City's Solid Waste Division at 407.246.2314.

Moving day in Lake Nona comes with a small puzzle nobody mentions at closing: who picks up the trash, and on what day? The answer depends on a line on a map. Part of Lake Nona sits inside the City of Orlando, and part sits in unincorporated Orange County, and the two run separate services with separate rules.

Here is how to tell which one serves your address, and what each one picks up, when and how.

Who picks up trash in Lake Nona?

Either the City of Orlando Solid Waste Division or Orange County Utilities, depending on whether the home is inside City of Orlando limits.

Every Lake Nona mailing address says Orlando, which is what makes this confusing. The City says so itself: addresses that say "Orlando" may be in unincorporated Orange County, which Orange County Utilities serves. Before you request a cart or report a missed pickup, confirm which service area you are in.

We do not publish a list of which neighborhoods fall on which side, because the boundary does not always follow neighborhood lines. Check the specific address.

How do I tell whether my Lake Nona home is City or County service?

Look at how the service is billed: City customers pay monthly on their OUC bill, and County customers pay once a year on their property tax bill.

The City of Orlando bills its solid waste customers monthly through the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). Orange County bills curbside service with property taxes; on a newly built home, the first bill comes from Orange County Utilities instead.

So if you are buying a resale home, the seller's tax bill or OUC statement answers the question. If you are not sure, enter the address in Orange County's Collection Schedule tool or call the City's Solid Waste Division at 407.246.2314.

What day is trash pickup in Lake Nona?

It depends on the street, so look it up: Orange County addresses use the County's Collection Schedule tool, and City addresses get their days from the Solid Waste Division.

Orange County changed collection days countywide on December 29, 2025. Every customer was assigned at least one new day. Recycling and yard waste now go out on the same day, and garbage and large items go out together on a different day. Service levels did not drop; each stream is still picked up once a week. If a neighbor's sticky note or an old listing says otherwise, it predates the change.

The County's lookup is at ocfl.net/CollectionSchedule. The City's schedule page is at orlando.gov, and the Solid Waste Division answers at 407.246.2314 or swcustomersvc@orlando.gov.

In the County, carts go out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 6 a.m. on collection day. Crews have until 8 p.m. to finish a route, so a cart still full at noon has not been missed yet.

What goes in the recycling cart?

Both services take empty plastic bottles and containers, metal cans, glass bottles and jars, flattened cardboard and paper, loose and never in a plastic bag.

In Orange County, recycling goes in the blue-lid cart and garbage in the green-lid cart. The County's accepted list covers plastic bottles, jugs and tubs; tin, aluminum and steel cans; glass bottles and jars; flattened corrugated boxes; and newspapers, junk mail, magazines, office paper, cereal and shoe boxes, and milk and juice cartons. Since May 6, 2026, the County also takes paper cups and clear plastic to-go cups, without the straws or lids.

The City's list is close: plastic bottles and containers with caps left on, glass bottles and jars with lids removed, cans, flattened cardboard and paper, including drink cartons.

Neither takes plastic bags, plastic film or foam containers. Plastic bags jam the sorting machines, so empty recyclables into the cart loose. The County also asks that you never put rechargeable or lithium-ion batteries in either curbside cart.

How does yard waste pickup work?

Yard waste goes out once a week in bags, bundles or your own cans, never in the garbage or recycling cart, and each service sets its own size limits.

In Orange County, the limit is three cubic yards per household per week. Cans and bags must be 50 gallons or less and under 60 pounds full, and cans need a tight lid and side handles. Limbs and palm fronds are cut to three feet or less and tied in bundles under 60 pounds. Open burning is not allowed in Orange County.

In the City, the limit is four cubic yards a week, set out by 6 a.m. Branches can be no more than 4 inches across and 4 feet long, tied in bundles of up to 40 pounds, and bags are limited to 40 pounds each. The City does not take dirt, rock, fencing, pressure-treated wood or contractor waste, and a garbage cart with yard waste in it will not be emptied.

A live Christmas tree goes out on the County's yard waste day; cut a tree taller than six feet in half first.

How do I get rid of furniture, mattresses and appliances?

Set them at the curb on the right day: garbage day for Orange County addresses, yard waste day for City addresses, within each service's limits.

Orange County collects furniture, mattresses, appliances, TVs and up to four passenger car tires with the garbage, up to three cubic yards a week (about the size of three stoves). Anything that fits in the garbage cart should go in the cart. Refrigerators and freezers are not collected at the curb in the County, because of the Freon; the landfill accepts them for a minimum charge of $10.

The City picks up two hand-loadable items free on yard waste day, without scheduling, including refrigerators, washers, dryers, sofas, chairs and dressers. Remove refrigerator and freezer doors first. Heavier loads that need the claw truck are scheduled by phone at 407.246.2314, with a cost that depends on the items. Large items go at the edge of the property, clear of the sidewalk, mailboxes and storm drains.

Unpacking boxes are the move-in version of this problem. Break them down flat and they go in the recycling cart; there is no separate box pickup.

Is trash picked up on holidays?

In Orange County, yes, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

When either holiday falls on a collection day, pickup shifts one day later for the rest of that week. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026: Thursday customers are picked up Friday, and Friday customers on Saturday. New Year's Day is a regular collection day.

City of Orlando customers should check the City's holiday schedule on the Solid Waste pages or call 407.246.2314, since the City sets its own.

Where do paint, chemicals and electronics go?

To an Orange County household hazardous waste site; the closest to Lake Nona is the Orange County Landfill at 5901 Young Pine Road.

Drop-off is free for Orange County residents, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a limit of 25 gallons of paint and chemicals per vehicle. Electronics with circuit boards go here too, not in the blue cart. Propane tanks up to 100 pounds are accepted at the landfill. Explosives, ammunition, fireworks, tires and prescription drugs are not.

Cooking oil does not belong down the drain either. The City of Orlando calls oil and grease the leading cause of sewer backups in homes.

How do I get a new or replacement cart?

City customers request carts online or at 407.246.2314; County customers use the County's damaged-cart form or the Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601.

The City repairs broken carts and replaces only ones with cracks, holes or unrepairable parts, usually within 10 to 14 days. In the County, the standard garbage cart is 95 gallons and a smaller 65-gallon cart is available on request. County crews do not take extra bags left beside the cart, so a household that regularly overfills should ask about cart options rather than stacking bags.

For electric, water and internet providers, see our Lake Nona utilities guide.

What the Neighbors Know

The quickest check on any Lake Nona address is the bill: a solid waste line on the monthly OUC statement means City service, and a solid waste assessment on the property tax bill means County service. The Orange County lookup tool covers the rest.

Comparing Lake Nona neighborhoods? Start with our Lake Nona neighborhoods guide and the neighborhood amenities chart.

Official Sources

• City of Orlando — Trash and Recycling
• City of Orlando — What Goes Where
• City of Orlando — Get Large Items Picked Up
• City of Orlando — Solid Waste Rate Adjustment
• Orange County — What Goes Where
• Orange County — Collection schedule change FAQ (December 2025)
• Orange County — New curbside collection days (December 2025)
• Orange County — Holiday collection
• Orange County — Household hazardous waste

Buying or selling in Lake Nona? Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form.