Solid Waste & Recycling E-Newsletter |
- Did You Know?
- Battery Fire
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Christmas and New Year's Recycling and Facilities Schedule
- Waste Sort
- What’s in the Cart?
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Material in an Orange County recycling collection truck recently caught fire while collecting curbside recycling. The apparent cause of the fire was a rechargeable battery charger that was disposed of in a curbside recycling cart and found at the ignition point in the truck. Thanks to the quick actions of the driver, the fire was extinguished, and there were no injuries or property damage. Batteries of any kind are NOT accepted in curbside recycling/single-stream recycling drop-off. Lithium batteries are a fire hazard and should never be put in single stream recycling or trash receptacles. For safe disposal, bring lithium batteries and devices containing lithium batteries to the Battery Drop-Off at any of the five county Waste & Recycling Centers.
To avoid fire hazard, only place lithium, lithium-ion, and button batteries in the receptacles labeled for lithium batteries. Separate and tape the ends/terminals (if button cell, tape the entire battery), before bringing to the Waste & Recycling Centers.
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If you cannot remove the lithium battery from the electronic device, place the entire device in the Electronics Drop-Off at the Waste & Recycling Centers.
For more information about proper battery disposal, visit the A-Z Guide on the website or in the “Orange County NC Recycles” free smartphone app.
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Orange County Solid Waste sponsored a waste sort of the County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough’s municipal solid waste. Items found in the waste collected were sorted based on their material stream, such as magazines, aluminum cans, food waste, batteries and textiles.
The results from this waste sort will help OCSWM find out the types and quantities of materials being thrown away and identify additional opportunities for diverting materials from the landfill. The data collected will likely be released to the public within a few months and will be included in the E-Newsletter next year.
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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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- Produce netting is not recyclable. Throw away this material.
- Waste reduction tip: Pick loose produce or use reusable produce bags.
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Dryer sheets are not recyclable. Please throw these away.
- Waste reduction tip: Use reusable wool or silicone dryer balls instead of single-use sheets.
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Fake plants are not recyclable. Donate unwanted fake plants to local nonprofit donation centers or Orange County Salvage Sheds.
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Cookie tins are not accepted in single-stream or mixed recycling, but can be recycled along with other scrap metal in the Metal Drop-Off bins at all five Waste & Recycling Centers.
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Waste reduction tip: Reuse cookie tins as gift boxes or for storage of materials like craft supplies.
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Paint is not recyclable. Full or partially full paint buckets should be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off at the Eubanks Rd. or Walnut Grove Church Rd. Waste & Recycling Centers. Empty metal paint buckets can be taken to the Metal Drop-Off bins at all five Waste & Recycling Centers.
- Waste reduction tip - Latex Paint: Latex paint may be dried out and then disposed of in your trash. Cat litter and other similar material are effective for absorbing latex paint allowing for disposal. Oil based paints and stains should always be taken to Household Hazardous Waste.
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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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