Solid Waste & Recycling E-News: November 2023

Solid Waste Department Honored for Recycling Stars Program
Did You Know?
Thanksgiving Holiday Recycling and Facilities Schedule
SWAG Meeting: November 28^th
Shred-a-Thon Recap
America Recycles Day
What’s in the Cart?

Solid Waste Department Honored for Recycling Stars Program

The Southeast Recycling Development Council on October 19^th awarded Orange County Solid Waste the Public Recycling Champion Award for its Recycling Stars initiative. The Recycling Stars program is an individual education program designed to improve the quality of comingled recycling and reduce contamination in residential curbside recycling carts.

The program educates residents on the materials acceptable in curbside carts and which materials should be otherwise disposed through an intensive cart inspection program. Residents recycling correctly receive recycling stars and raffle entries. To date, the program has resulted in improvement in 59 percent of inspected curbside recycling carts.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, which had provided a $15,000 grant to support starting the Stars program, nominated Orange County for the award. In support of the nomination, the county made a presentation about the program at the Resource Recycling Conference in August.

“This award recognizes the dedication and hard work Orange County staff places on engaging and educating the community on how to recycle right,” said Robert Williams, Solid Waste and Fleet Director. “Being nominated and winning this prestigious award is a testament of the emphasis Orange County staff places on improving the quality of recyclable material being processed. Engaging with members of the community is an important start towards a Zero Waste community.”

More information about the program is available on the Orange County Recycling Stars Program webpage.

Orange County is unable to accept ASTM D6400 or D6867 Standard Specification compostable products; those materials should not be disposed of at the Orange County Food Waste Drop-Off sites.

Compostable products disposed of at the Orange County Food Waste Drop-Off sites must be BPI Certified Compostable. Use the BPI-Certification search engine to find certified products at https://bpiworld.org.

Save the Date! Attend our upcoming Solid Waste Advisory Group meeting on November 28^th from 6-8 pm. Hear from local elected officials and representatives on the “Road to Zero Waste” Solid Waste Master Plan.

The meeting can be attended in-person and virtually. The meeting is at 1207 Eubanks Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Virtual meeting information will be available on www.orangecountync.gov/recycling on the day of the meeting.

Shred-a-Thon Recap

The Fall 2023 Shred-A-Thons took place the past two weekends on October 21^st and 28^th. Over 20,000 pounds of confidential materials were shredded this fall. The shredded material is recycled into new consumer paper products, such as copy paper and paper towels.

Thank you to the Orange County residents, organizations, and businesses that participated in the event! If you were unable to attend the Shred-a-Thons, Orange County Solid Waste provides free shredding services to residents, Town and County departments and employees, and small businesses and organizations. The Shred Center is by appointment only and accepts confidential, un-shredded paper only. Please visit the Shred Center webpage for more information.

America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day, a national initiative dedicated to supporting and celebrating recycling in the U.S., is coming up on November 15^th! Recycling provides a multitude of benefits to the environment and economy. Recycling is an effective way to reduce waste sent to landfills or incinerators, conserve natural resources, save energy, and prevent pollution from mining raw materials.

Recycling also supports the local, regional, and national economy. The Carolina Plastics Recycling Council initiated the campaign Your Bottle Means Jobs in 2017 to illustrate the importance of the recycling industry to our economy. The plastics recycling industry directly employs roughly 3,500 people in the Carolinas. People work along the entire supply chain from collection and sorting to manufacturing and shipping. In addition, roles in sales, education, logistics, and other areas support the industry.

The Carolina Plastics Recycling Council recently announced a new campaign, Your Plastic Means Products, that is kicking off in 2024. The campaign will portray the recycled plastic supply chain from collection to recycling into new products, such as bottles and plastics, clothing, carpeting, and more. Learn more about Your Bottle Means Jobs and Your Plastic Means Products by visiting the Your Bottle Means Jobs website.

Additionally, celebrate America Recycles Day by recycling your bottles and other materials and refreshing your waste and recycling knowledge. Orange County’s free phone app called Orange County NC Recycles is one of the County’s resources to help residents and businesses in Orange County dispose of their waste responsibly. The app includes the A-Z Waste & Recycle Guide, a search tool that tells you how to dispose of materials, and the ability to view your recycling collection calendar. The What Goes in my Blue Recycle Cart? webpage on the Solid Waste website includes printable educational materials.

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:

Rigid plastic drink rings, also known as plastic can carriers or 6-pack rings, are not accepted in curbside recycling. Please consider reusing them or check if your local breweries/stores that sell individual canned beverages accept them for reuse. Otherwise, please discard these in the trash. Flimsy plastic rings cannot be recycled either and should be thrown away.
Pill bottles smaller than the width of a soda can/water bottle are not accepted in curbside recycling. These bottles are too small to be sorted properly at the Materials Recovery Facility.
Bubble wrap is not accepted in curbside recycling carts. Bubble wrap and other plastic wraps, films, and bags can damage facility equipment and slow down the sorting process. Please bring bubble wrap, plastic film, and plastic bags to one of the County’s Plastic Bag/Film Drop-Off locations or participating grocery stores.
Light bulbs of any kind are not accepted in curbside recycling.
1. Fluorescent light bulbs are considered household hazardous waste. Fluorescent light bulbs including tubes and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs, also known as "twirly" lights), up to 8 feet long, must be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off. Fluorescent tubes and bulbs contain mercury. Do not break or dispose of these products in a landfill. Do not include in household trash. Do not dispose of in Glass On The Side drop-off.
2. LED light bulbs and halogen light bulbs can be thrown away. Do not dispose of in Glass On The Side drop-off.
Sandpaper is not recyclable. Please throw this material 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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