Solid Waste & Recycling E-News: September 2023

• Did You Know?
• SWAG Meeting
• Seymour Center Composting Presentation
• Fall Shred-a-Thon
• Vermicomposting 101
• What’s in the Cart?

Seymour Center Composting Presentation

Orange County Solid Waste will be presenting at the Seymour Center Lunch Program on September 20^th from 11 am – 12 pm. Learn about food waste options in the County, the benefits of composting, and how to compost at home.

In order to attend, please register on the Orange County Department of Aging’s website using the following link. Enter "Composting" into the Keyword Search box to find the program. Please contact the Department of Aging at (919) 968-2070 for any questions regarding the Seymour Center Lunch Program.

Vermicomposting 101

Solid Waste recently had the opportunity to attend the Market Bunch Kids Club, a weekly interactive and educational program for kids at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, to discuss food waste, backyard composting, and vermicomposting. Families were able to learn about composting and hold worms from a vermicompost bin!

Vermicomposting is another great method for composting organic waste at home. In a vermicompost system, earthworms and microorganisms eat organic waste and process it into compost. Eisenia fetida, also known as the red wiggler, is one earthworm species most used for vermicomposting. In fact, only seven earthworm species are suitable for vermicompost bins; other worm species will not survive in a vermicompost bin. Similar to a backyard composter, red wigglers and microorganisms eat fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, tea bags, and coffee grounds.

There are many options for starting your own vermicompost. The cheapest option is to create a bin from a plastic storage tub by drilling air holes on the walls and drainage holes on the bottom and placing the bin on a tray. Manufactured bins can also be purchased. Worm bins are best kept at 55 – 80°F, so keeping the bin inside or in the shade during warmer months is recommended. Thankfully, as long as worms are fed the proper organic material and kept in a proper environment, vermicompost bins are odorless and pest free!

After 3-6 months of feeding worms, vermicompost can be harvested from the bin (leave the worms in the bins though) and applied to gardens, tree beds, potted plants, lawns, or used as mulch. Vermicompost provides many benefits to soil and plants, including improved soil structure, moisture retention, increased nutrient levels, carbon sequestration, soil erosion reduction, and a reduced need for fertilizers and pesticides.

If you’re interested in learning more about vermicomposting, please visit the NC Composting Council’s website.

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:

• Plastic ‘clamshell’ containers are not accepted in curbside/single-stream recycling. Clamshell containers are single-use plastic containers with an attached or hinge lid and can often be identified as fruit containers, tomato containers, egg cartons, or salad/lettuce containers. Please throw these away.
• Coffee bags cannot be recycled, unless they are 100% paper. Coffee bags are usually made of plastic and metallic-lined. Please throw them away.
• ClimaCell and TemperPack, thermal liners used for packaging perishable foods, is not accepted in Orange County recycling currently. The paper mills that receive Orange County recycling are not equipped to process this new material. Please throw away these packaging materials.
• Water filters are not recyclable. Please throw these away.
• Popcorn bags cannot be recycled. They contain a waxy coating and are usually contaminated with food residue. 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. 

Follow Us On Social Media

For more waste and recycling content, follow Orange County NC Solid Waste @ocncsolidwaste on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.