Orange County Utilities
Orange County Utilities provides water, wastewater, reclaimed water and solid waste services to enrich the lives of the citizens and guests of Orange County. Below are just a few of the sustainable programs and events available through Orange County Utilities.
Think 5 Recycling Program
Residents are encouraged to recycle right by only placing accepted materials in the blue lid recycling cart. The What Goes Where online tool helps residents verify if an item is recyclable to keep contaminants out of the program. This tool is also available in Spanish and Haitian Creole.
Household Hazardous & Electronic Waste
Through permanent drop-off locations and community collection events, Orange County offers residents a better way to dispose of household hazardous waste (HHW) and electronic waste (E-Waste) instead of placing them in regular household garbage.
Water Conservation
Protecting and conserving the water resources in Orange County is a critical component of the sustainability initiative and is achieved through education, incentives, regulatory measures. The website provides residents with helpful tips, resources, and programs for landscaping, irrigation, and household practices that can be implemented to conserve water. Customers are also encouraged to participate in the Water Wise Neighbor Program and learn Best Management Practices to become as water efficient as possible in their home.
Solar arrays
Orange County Utilities is currently home to two solar arrays, including a ground mounted system at the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility, and the largest floating solar array in the southeast region at its Southern Regional Water Supply Facility. The floating array has over 2,230 photovoltaic modules with a total system power of 1.2 megawatts. The system is attached to 66 plate anchors and is designed to withstand gusts of up to 130 mph and sustained winds of 50 mph. More solar arrays are planned for facilities located throughout unincorporated Orange County.
Reclaimed water
100% of wastewater is beneficially reused and supplies a viable alternative to the use of drinking water for residential and commercial irrigation, including golf courses and nurseries.
Electric vehicles
Orange County Utilities is investing in electric vehicles as a sustainable alternative to gas-powered ones. The newest addition to the Water Division’s fleet is an all-electric Ford Lightning pickup truck. This 4WD truck is powered by dual electric motors, has a 230 mile est. range on full charge, and saves an estimated up to 78 metric tons CO2 over the lifetime of vehicle. The Water Reclamation Division also utilizes two cargo vans that use 68kw lithium-ion batteries, can fully charge in 12 hours at 220V, have a 126-mile range, and are estimated to remove over 5,000 lbs. of CO2 annually per vehicle. Additionally, several electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at facilities throughout the Orange County Utilities service area.
Landfill gas collection
Through a network of over 100 gas extraction wells at the Orange County Landfill, this mixture of carbon dioxide and methane gas is sent to the OUC Stanton Energy Center which provides electricity to more than 12,000 homes.