Solid Waste & Recycling E-News January 2022

Did You Know?
Christmas and New Year's Recycling and Facilities Holiday Schedule
Road to Zero Waste Plan Update
Clothing Drop-Off
Give the Gift of Compost
What’s in the Cart?

Road to Zero Waste Plan Update

Last week, the Road to Zero Waste Plan survey closed and the County held its final public meetings. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and public meetings.

Orange County appreciates your feedback and has already started reviewing responses. The County will synthesize survey data in order to understand what programs and services residents and employees are most interested in. Updates on the Road to Zero Waste Master Plan will be announced via the website, E-News, and social media.

Clothing Drop-Off

According to Friendship Used Clothing Collections, roughly 4 million tons of textiles are discarded each year in the United States. According to Orange County’s most recent waste characterization study, textiles make up 5.3% of the County’s waste stream. Help reduce the County’s waste stream by acting more sustainably with clothing, shoes, and other textiles. Instead of throwing away old textiles, repurpose them into cleaning rags or other supplies. Donate clothing, shoes, and textiles that can be re-worn or reused to local organizations or resale stores.

Residents can also bring clothing, shoes, bedding, and towels to the clothing and shoes drop-off sites at Eubanks Road, High Rock Road, and Walnut Grove Church Road Waste and Recycling Centers. Items must be clean and bagged before placing them in the bins. Soiled items are not accepted. Items are picked up by Friendship Used Clothing Collection in Garner, NC. Orange County receives revenue based on the rag value of the material. That revenue is then donated to local nonprofits.

Holiday Sustainability Tips

Celebrate the holidays more sustainably with these helpful tips:

Choose non-coated wrapping paper, paper bags, newspaper, or kraft paper for gift wrap. These materials can be recycled. Coated wrapping paper (metallic, glossy, or glittery paper) cannot be recycled.
Make decorations out of recyclable or compostable materials. Paper snowflakes, dried oranges, pinecones, or popcorn garland are great sustainable alternatives.
Reuse decorations, instead of buying new ones every year or throwing them out. Donate unwanted clean usable decorations to the County’s Salvage Sheds or local thrift stores.
Use reusable silverware, plates, glasses, and table decorations. Through the department’s Fork It Over program, residents can borrow full sets of stainless-steel silverware for free. Reservations required.
Cook holiday meals and treats using locally sourced ingredients from local farmers’ markets and other vendors.
Gift experiences, secondhand goods, or homemade treats instead of new items or material goods.

Give the Gift of Compost

Are you looking for eco-friendly gifts this holiday season? Check out the Earth Machine, a backyard compost bin designed to allow for the composting of food and yard waste. The 80-gallon bin is designed to process organic waste on its own and produce quality compost – all you have to do is add the material. Earth Machines can be purchased for $50.00 through Orange County Solid Waste.

Another option is to consider giving a kitchen top bin for collecting food waste. Orange County sells these 2-gallon bins for $5.00. Residents can bring food waste to the County’s three drop-off locations or the Chapel Hill, Eno River, or Carrboro Saturday farmers’ markets. Visit our Food Waste Drop-Off Sites page for more information.
To purchase an Earth Machine or kitchen top bin, please contact our office at (919) 968-2788 or recycling@orangecountync.gov.

What’s in the Cart?

A monthly review of the most common and obscure findings in recycling carts.

As part of the Recycling Stars Program, solid waste staff evaluate curbside recycling carts to educate residents on proper recycling. Some contaminants that inspectors have found:

Paper ice cream cartons are not recyclable because of the waxy, plastic lining. Please put these items in your garbage.
Chip/snack bags are not recyclable and should be thrown away. Most chip bags are made of metallized film, so they cannot be taken to plastic bag drop-offs.
String lights are a tangler! Do not recycle curbside. Dispose of broken lights at the Waste and Recycling Centers electronics drop-off. Donate working lights to local thrift stores.
Aerosol cans cannot be recycled in your cart. Please dispose of empty cans at the scrap metal drop-off and full or partially full cans at Household Hazardous Waste to be recycled safely.
Pool floats cannot be recycled. Reusable floats can be donated. Otherwise, please throw them away.

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.

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