Solid Waste & Recycling E-News August 2022

Did You Know?
What To Do With Medical Waste
Recycling Stars Program Update
New Recycling App (Coming Soon!)
New Compactor and Grinder
Salvage Shed Rules

Air pillows are often used in packages to protect materials from becoming damaged in the shipping process. You may find a recycling symbol on the air pillow or language about it being made with recycled plastic – don’t let that confuse you! Air pillows, along with other plastic bags/film can NOT be recycled with your mixed recycling. A ‘How2Recycle’ symbol can be found on some air pillows indicating that they can be recycled via store-drop off. Some grocery stores offer plastic bag and film recycling as well as both Eubanks Rd and Walnut Grove Church Rd Waste & Recycling Centers. To find a drop-off near you, visit this page.

Make sure to deflate air pillows before recycling. They can also be saved and reused for packing materials.

What to Do With Medical Waste

Items such as needles, syringes, COVID-19 tests, masks, bandages, dressing, tubing and any materials covered in blood or bodily fluids can NOT be recycled. Inspectors for the Recycling Stars program have found medical waste in residential recycling carts. When medical waste is mixed in with recycling, it puts inspectors and recycling facility workers at risk if come into contact with sharps or other medical waste.

Please read the information below to learn how to properly dispose of various types of medical waste:

Needles & Syringes: If the syringe has a needle, use a hard-wall container with a lid (e.g. peanut butter jar or laundry detergent jug) to contain the needle. It is important to use a puncture-resistant container with a tight lid. Avoid using thin plastics like soda bottles because these bottles are easily pierced. Glass containers should not be used as they can break and cause a greater hazard. Cap the syringe if possible, drop it in the container, and screw the lid on tightly. You can dispose of it in your regular trash or at a syringe disposal drop box. There are used syringe disposal drop boxes available at the Orange County Human Services Centers in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. Visit this page for more information. Syringes without needles can be safely disposed of with household trash.

COVID-19 test (and any medical-related test): Please discard all testing materials in your household trash.

Bandages, dressing, and tubing: These materials, with or without blood and bodily fluids, can NOT be recycled. Please discard these materials in your household trash.

Medications: Prescription drugs must be disposed of properly. Bring unused, unwanted or expired medication to a drop box location in Orange County. Liquid medications must remain in their original containers. Place the liquid medication container in a closed Ziploc bag before placing in a drop box. Pill medications may remain in their original containers or can be placed in a sealed Ziploc bag. For more information, visit this page.

Recycling Stars Program Update:

Evaluations of recycling carts, as a part of the Recycling Stars Program, have provided insights regarding the preliminary effectiveness of the program. In one neighborhood, inspectors found plastic bags in 27% of the carts during the first evaluation. By the third evaluation, plastic bags were found in only 4% of the carts!

The Solid Waste Department will continue to share data as more evaluations take place throughout the County. As a reminder, please leave your recycling cart out until at least 3 pm to allow time for solid waste staff to update the cart stickers.

New Recycling App (Coming Soon!)

The Solid Waste Department is developing a new app called “OCNC Recycles” which will assist residents with recycling in the County. The collection calendar and A-Z Waste & Recycle Guide will be available on both the app and the website. The collection calendar tool allows residents to view their collection calendar and set reminders for their collection days. Residents can choose to be notified via phone or email as well as choose the time they are notified.

The new A-Z Waste & Recycle Guide tool will make it easy to search for specific items and provide residents with the proper recycling and disposal methods. For example, if you look up ‘batteries’, the guide will tell you that the item must be dropped off for separate battery recycling and will provide you with the closest location to bring them to. Another helpful feature will be the ability to send out timely alerts to specific areas in case inclement weather or other unforeseen events affect recycling collection.

In the coming months, the app will be available to download in the App Store and Google Play Store for free. For updates regarding the app, check the monthly e-newsletter, website, and social media.

New Compactor and Grinder

The Solid Waste Department is excited to announce the acquisition of two new pieces of equipment, a grinder and compactor, which will help save landfill airspace.
The grinder weighs 79,000 lbs. and is capable of processing vegetative waste as well as material brought to our C&D Landfill. It can grind approximately 300 tons of demolition material in roughly 6 hours. Unground waste takes up approximately 20-25% more airspace than ground waste.

The compactor weighs 90,000 lbs. and is designed to crush and compress materials to reduce underutilized airspace in landfills. After the material runs through the grinder, it is spread in thin layers and the compactor rolls over the ground material multiple times to ensure no airspace remains.

Grinding results in materials breaking down into smaller particle sizes and the compactor works to pack the particles in tightly. By grinding and compacting materials prior to landfilling, the County is saving 5 times the landfill space. This equipment helps the County utilize landfill space as efficiently as possible and as a result, will extend the life of the C&D landfill.

Salvage Shed Rules

When residents leave unacceptable materials at the Salvage Sheds, it causes issues for the site attendants and solid waste staff. If the sheds are continuously difficult to maintain, they will be at risk of closing. The Solid Waste Department understands the value that the sheds have in the community and would like for them to remain a part of the local reuse system.

Items like toilets, sinks, and large broken furniture should not be left at the Sheds. If you see someone leaving any trash or egregious items at the shed, please notify a site attendant.

Below are examples of items that are accepted:
(all items must be operational, functional and clean)

Small appliances (in working condition)
Kitchenware (silverware, Tupperware, and non-breakable plates, mugs and cups)
Books and magazines
Electronics (in working condition)
Small, non-upholstered furniture
Small sports equipment (no large items such as treadmills, and no helmets)
Toys (no stuffed animals)

Clothing and shoes can be donated in the bins next to the Salvage Shed (at Eubanks Rd. and Walnut Grove Church Rd. only). Clothing and shoe donations must be bagged, clean and odor free. You can also donate to any local thrift store.

Do NOT leave:

Household construction & demolition waste such as toilets and bathroom sinks
Pillows, bedding and bed-related items
Mirrors
Pane glass
Pianos
Large furniture (no more than 100 pounds)
Textiles such as rugs and carpets

When in doubt, ask an attendant

Additional Rules:

No disassembly of items for scrap metal
No Styrofoam, bubble wrap or other packaging waste
No paint or household hazardous waste
Center operator has the final say on item acceptability
Center operator has the discretion to ask those disrupting the Center operations to leave
Residents must wait for items to be placed in the Salvage Shed. No approaching others' vehicles.

Follow Us On Social Media!

Follow our social media pages for important updates on waste and recycling programs in the County, upcoming events & webinars, answers to FAQ’s, facilities schedule changes (due to holidays or inclement weather) and other important recycling news you can use!

@ocncsolidwaste on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Can't Get Enough Trash Talk?

Listen to OC Solid Waste Representatives the second Tuesday of each month from 8:15 am to 8:45 am on the ‘3-D News’ on local radio WHUP 104.7 FM, over the air and streaming online. Visit this link to listen online. If you missed the show, you can listen online since shows are archived for a month after airing.