Orange County Solid Waste Management
On May 1, at the Home Depot Recycling Site in Hillsborough, Orange County residents or local government employees in Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough can have their confidential paper shredded and recycled at no charge.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Earth Day event is co-hosted by the Chapel Hill Police Department and sponsored by a donation from the DKE Fraternity at UNC to pay shredding costs.
There is a 10-box limit per customer. Remove all diskettes and any other plastic items, large metal clips and binders. Staples, paper clips and incidental plastic such as window envelopes are OK.
May 2 is Carrboro Day! Volunteers combing the event grounds (known as Roving Recyclers) make it a low-waste event, so contact Muriel at 968-2788 or recycling@co.orange.nc.us if you want to help. You can sign up for our new electronic "recycling alerts" on the Orange County Web page www.co.orange.nc.us/email/SubscribeForm.asp . The alerts should average once per month and include things such as holiday schedule changes, announcements of shred-a-thons, etc. All during Earth Week there is a TON of great stuff on campus, check it out at: http://www.carolinagreen.unc.edu and look for the "Green News."
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Orange County has shipped off its second load of recyclable #2 and #5 non-bottle plastics collected in the bright purple Dumpsters (dubbed "Barney Boxes" by recycling staff) at drop-off sites and Solid Waste Convenience Centers, to Plastic Revolutions in Reidsville, N.C.
Plastic Revolutions has been recycling industrial "injection molded" plastics since 1990, making a variety of industrial products including bumper stops, crates and sheathing for cable. They just began accepting post consumer injection molded plastics from Orange County in March. The materials they want include a variety of high-density polyethylene #2 and polypropylene #5 buckets, cups, crates, toys, tubs and even the flexible, opaque solid plastic clothes hangers are typically #5 polypropylene.
While the quality of materials collected at the staffed Convenience Centers is about 90 percent recyclable, the unstaffed drop-off sites are only 50 percent compliant at best. We continue to be plagued with construction debris and other non-recyclable material in the big purple Dumpsters at the sites. Sad to say, if this type trashing of the Barney Boxes continues, we may have to stop the recycling of non-bottle plastics at the unstaffed sites.
Please report illegal dumping to either your local police department or the County Solid Waste Department. All three town police departments have been notified of this activity and they pledged to increase patrols of the recycling sites.
Help us out however you can, educate your friends and neighbors -- only #2 and #5 non-bottle rigid plastic items, no clear #1 clamshells like what strawberries come in, no plastic bags, no junk. See our Web page for pictures: http://www.co.orange.nc.us/recycling/rigidplastics.asp.
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The oyster shell recycling program at the Orange County landfill is now entering its third month and has collected more than 4 tons of shells in nine loads. Squids Restaurant in Chapel Hill has been the most consistent program user, delivering more than 5,600 pounds. Shells may be delivered for no charge during landfill operating hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday. All loads must go across the scales regardless whether you want the $1 per bushel state tax credit. You must have a weight ticket to apply for the tax credit.
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Last weekend's Earth Action Day at Southern Community Park was a smashing success and that included recycling and waste diversion with only the minor exception that SOME PEOPLE still throw plastic bottles in the trash even when the recycling bin is RIGHT NEXT TO IT -- at Earth Day no less!
Staffed trash sorting stations at Earth Action Day helped resolve complex questions about what is compostable, what is recyclable and what still must be landfilled. The use of compostable Polylactic Acid, or PLA cups by one vendor made this sorting more challenging that usual. Using paper is cheaper and simpler and the county's compost contractor, Brooks, likes it better than PLA. Some PLA doesn't break down in their commercial compost even after years. It certainly is not going to break down in your backyard bin.
For those planning environmentally sound parties, celebrations and festivities this spring, as a general rule, if the cup or other serving items are going to be landfilled, then it doesn't matter much if they're compostable or made from petroleum. If compostable food and serving materials are all separated and destined for a bona fide commercial compost program, then by all means, use only compostable materials to serve food and drink. You must staff your garbage sites to have successful sorting. Even if there's no composting possible, always provide separate, well-labeled containers for recycling cans and bottles and feel free to use a drop-off site for those if there is too much for the curb. With two weeks notice, we can loan you a set of recycling bins for events for more than 100 people in Orange County.
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If you're moving soon, think about what you'll leave behind. Very little of it should end up as waste: You can recycle all the cans, bottles and paper at the curb or at your apartments' roll carts or at drop-off sites. Unopened foodstuffs can be donated to the IFC pantry at 110 W. Main St. in Carrboro. Electronics and reusable goods can go to the convenience centers and hazardous materials to the recycling at the landfill. Furniture, clothes and other salable goods are in high demand by the local thrift shops including PTA, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, GoodWill, OCIM and Club Nova.
The need is great and so are the resources. Time is short. Do your part. Leave a small footprint when you move! Turn your waste into community wealth.
