Solid Waste & Recycling E-Newsletter |
- Did You Know?
- Shred-A-Thon
- Memorial Day Recycling and Facilities Holiday Schedule
- International Compost Awareness Week
- Fork-It-Over Program
- What’s in the Cart?
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Black plastics can not be recycled in your blue recycling cart or at any County recycling site. These containers, often used for take-out, should be reused or discarded in the trash.
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Bring your confidential documents for free and safe destruction and recycling.
Orange County residents, small businesses and local government employees only (including Chapel Hill in Durham County).
You must handle your own paper. Must be in clear plastic bags, paper bags, reusable bags, (up to 13 gal) or boxes (no larger than banker box). No black trash bags. Limit 4. One trip per household or organization.
Confidential paper only. No newspaper, receipts, junk mail, magazines or catalogs. No plastic or metal binders, plastic folders, plastic notebook covers, large metal clips, notebook rings, credit cards, or electronic media.
Paper is shredded on site. Shredded paper is used to create new paper products, such as paper towels, bath tissue, and more!
Saturday May 11, 2024 from 10am - 2pm (or until capacity is met)
Behind the Home Depot at Hampton Pointe
625 Hampton Pointe, Hillsborough, NC 27278
Drive-thru service only
Saturday May 18, 2024 from 10am - 2pm (or until capacity is met)
Eubanks Park & Ride Lot
1768 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Drive-thru service only
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Memorial Day Recycling and Facilities Holiday Schedule
Curbside recycling will not be collected on Monday, May 27 2024. Recycling collection will be delayed by one day this week. The Waste & Recycling Centers, Landfill & Related Services, and Administrative Office will be closed on Monday, May 27 2024.
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International Compost Awareness Week |
Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) from May 5th – May 11th, 2024!
ICAW is the largest education initiative of the compost industry aimed at raising awareness around the benefits and uses of composting and compost. This year’s ICAW theme is Compost…Nature’s Climate Champion. According to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, which inspired this year’s theme, compost plays multiple roles in combatting climate change:
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- Decreasing methane, a greenhouse gas twenty-five times as powerful as carbon dioxide.
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Helping with climate change mitigation. Compost serves as a “carbon bank” by storing carbon and removing it from the atmosphere.
- Reducing fertilizer inputs and reducing the pollution created to manufacture those inputs.
- Increasing resilience against the effects of climate change, including drought and extreme weather.
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Tune into some of the North Carolina Composting Council’s (NCCC) events during ICAW to learn more about composting:
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- Vermicomposting, Compost Tea, & Make Your Own Soil Mix:
- Premieres May 9th on NCCC's YouTube Channel
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Description: NCCC will premiere this video on YouTube on May 9th at 12pm. Hear from Sierra Nevada Brewery in Asheville, NC about their compost pile, vermicompost bin, and compost tea-- as well as some educational clips from Root Bound Plant shop in honor of Raleigh Plant Week!
- Registrants will be emailed a link to the YouTube Video released on May 9th.
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Register for free at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/0b5f97d1-ecfe-43b4-93a4-5988e11d6f9b
- Community Composting & Drop Spots
- May 10th from 12-1pm
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Description: Join the NCCC on May 10th from 12-1pm on Zoom for a compost conversation about community composting and community drop spots! The webinar will feature a presentation from Orange County Solid Waste discussing the residential food waste drop-off program. Speakers from Wake, Mecklenburg, and New Hanover Counties will discuss their programs as well.
- This session will be virtual, and participants will receive the meeting link by email.
- Register for free at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/0b5f97d1-ecfe-43b4-93a4-5988e11d6f9b
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See more ICAW events hosted by the NC Composting Council here.
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Are you planning a party or special event soon? Try reducing your waste by replacing single-use disposable utensils with stainless-steel silverware through Orange County Solid Waste’s free Fork-It-Over program!
Borrow up to 200 sets of mix-and-match forks, knives, and spoons for free. Call or email Orange County Solid Waste well in advance if you are interested in using the Fork-It-Over program. Silverware must be picked up at the Solid Waste Administration Office, located at 1207 Eubanks Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Silverware must be washed, clean, sorted and returned to the Solid Waste Administration Office.
Solid Waste also accepts donations of stainless-steel silverware for the Fork-It-Over program. Donations help the program support more and larger events! Call or email Solid Waste if you would like to donate silverware.
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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. The program’s goal is to improve the overall quality and quantity of recyclables collected from households around the County. Residents that recycle properly are awarded a star sticker. Residents also receive feedback on unaccepted items found in their recycling cart via a letter or ‘Oops’ tag attached to their cart. For more information on the Recycling Stars Program, please visit our website.
Some contaminants that inspectors have found recently:
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BPI-Certified Compostable Plastics. Compostable plastics are not recyclable. BPI-Certified Compostable products can be brought to one of Orange County’s six free food waste drop-offs, available for residential waste only.
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Coffee pods are not recyclable in your curbside cart or at single-stream recycling drop-off. Some coffee companies offer recycling programs for their coffee pods.
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Additionally, coffee pods made of aluminum can be disposed of in the metal drop-off containers at the Waste and Recycling Centers. Coffee pods made of plastic must be thrown away.
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Paper and plastic straws are not recyclable. BPI-Certified Compostable straws can be brought to one of Orange County’s six free food waste drop-offs, available for residential waste only. Please discard straws that are not BPI-Certified Compostable in the trash.
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Drink cups, both plastic and paper, cannot be recycled. Cups that are BPI-Certified Compostable can be brought to the food waste drop-offs. Cups that are not BPI-Certified Compostable cannot be recycled or composted through Orange County Solid Waste.
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Caps and lids can only be recycled in your curbside cart or at recycling drop-offs if they are attached to their container. Screw caps and lids back onto plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, and jars and glass bottles and jars.
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Do not recycle loose metal can lids. Loose lids can contaminate other material streams during the sorting process. To recycle in your curbside cart or at recycling drop-offs, place metal can lids in a metal can and crimp the can completely shut. Metal lids can also be recycled via metal drop-off.
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Drink cup lids are not recyclable. Please throw these away, unless they are BPI-Certified Compostable.
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| Become a Better Recycler! |
Download our free app called Orange County NC Recycles in the Apple or Google Play Store where you can:
• Use the A-Z guide to find out the right way to dispose of your materials
• View the recycling collection calendar and receive reminders
• Learn about the Waste & Recycling Centers
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Follow Us on Social Media |
At Orange County NC Solid Waste on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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Can't Get Enough Trash Talk? |
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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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1207 Eubanks Rd | Chapel Hill, NC 27516 US
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