Solid Waste & Recycling E-Newsletter |
- Did You Know?
- Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule
- Mulch Sale
- What to do with Campaign Signs
- Recycle, Compost, and Follow Proper Disposal on Thanksgiving
- Repair Café in Hillsborough
- What’s in the Cart?
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Aluminum foil, trays, and pie pans are NOT recyclable in blue recycling carts or single-stream recycling at drop-off sites. Residents can bring clean aluminum foil, trays, and pans in the separate scrap metal containers at the Waste & Recycling Centers. Aluminum foil, trays, and pie pans with excessive food or oil should be disposed of as garbage.
Wondering how to dispose of a specific item? Download the Orange County NC Recycles app or use the A-Z guide on the website to search for materials and their disposal options.
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Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule |
Thursday, November 27: No recycling collection. Thursday recycling will be collected on Friday, November 28. The Landfill/Disposal Centers, Waste and Recycling Centers, and Administrative Office will be closed.
Friday, November 28: Friday recycling will be collected on Saturday, November 29. The Landfill/Disposal Center and Waste and Recycling Centers resume normal operating hours. The Administrative Office will be closed.
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Mulch and compost (sold at regular price) are available for purchase Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon at the Orange County Landfill located at 1514 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill. For more information visit the Solid Waste website or call 919-968-2788.
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What to do with Campaign Signs |
Campaign signs are NOT accepted in curbside/single-stream recycling. Read below to learn about ways to repurpose campaign signs or recycle certain materials at the Waste & Recycling Centers. As a reminder, Waste & Recycling Centers are only available for Orange County residential household use. No commercial or business use is allowed.
Metal Wire Stands
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- Do NOT put the metal wire stands in curbside recycling carts or single-stream recycling at drop-off sites.
- Separate the metal wire stands from the signs and recycle the metal in the scrap metal containers at the Waste & Recycling Centers.
- Repurpose the metal wire stands to support plants in your garden, like tomatoes and sunflowers.
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- Do NOT put the plastic campaign signs in curbside recycling carts or single-stream recycling at drop-off sites.
- Repurpose the plastic signs for arts and crafts projects, like a DIY birdhouse or storage bin.
- Reuse the signs for future election seasons by covering up the old messaging.
- If you cannot repurpose the plastic signs, discard them in the trash.
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Paper and Cardboard Materials
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Recycle, Compost, and Follow Proper Disposal for Thanksgiving |
Remember to recycle right, divert food waste, and follow proper disposal guidelines during your Thanksgiving holiday.
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Paper plates, paper towels, and napkins are NOT recyclable in curbside recycling carts or single-stream recycling at drop-off sites in Orange County. Paper towels, paper napkins, and fiber plates (uncoated without a plastic lining) can be brought to a Food Waste Drop-Off site for composting.
- Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a plate has a plastic coating. Generally, a good trick is to try and rip the plate in half. If it tears easily and without coming apart into layers, it is compostable. If it's hard, or the top layer comes off, it is likely plastic coated and is not compostable. When in doubt, throw it out.
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Frying a turkey? Orange County residents with 15 gallons or less of used cooking/fryer oil can bring it to the Walnut Grove Church Road or Eubanks Road Waste & Recycling Centers. The material must be liquid oil only. We do not accept bacon grease or lard. You will need to pour your material into the large Used Cooking Oil Drop-Off container at the site and then dispose of your cleaned, used container.
- Food scraps, including meat and small bones, can be brought to a Food Waste Drop-Off site for composting.
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Repair Café in Hillsborough |
On Saturday, Nov. 15 from 1 to 5 pm, bring broken items to the Repair Café at the Whitted Human Services Center at 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough. Examples of items to bring for repair include clothes that need mending, damaged electronics, furniture, jewelry, or small appliances. To register or volunteer for this free event, visit https://www.repaircafenc.org/events/hillsborough-nov-15
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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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- Dryer sheets are not recyclable and should be put in the trash.
- Waste reduction tip: Consider using reusable wool dryer balls instead of disposal dryer sheets.
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Aluminum pans are not recyclable in curbside or single-stream recycling at drop off sites. Residents can bring clean aluminum foil, trays, and pans to the separate scrap metal containers at Waste & Recycling Centers.
- Plastic baseball bats are not recyclable and should be put in the trash.
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Waste reduction tip: Bring functioning plastic or wooden baseball bats to the Salvage Shed for reuse or bring them to a thrift store or donation center.
- Popsicle sticks are not recyclable. Wooden popsicle sticks can be composted or put in the trash. Plastic popsicle sticks should be put in the trash.
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Waste reduction tip: Reuse popsicle sticks for an arts and crafts project.
- Coffee bags are not recyclable and should be put in the trash.
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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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