24-HOUR RECYCLING DROP-OFF SITES
These sites are free and open to residents and businesses 24 Hours - 7 Days per week for the collection of conventional recyclable material only:
1. Cedar Falls Park: One mile east of Martin Luther King Blvd. on Weaver Dairy Rd.
2. University Mall: Mall parking lot, behind the gas station on Estes Drive
3. Meadowmont: Behind Harris Teeter
4. Carrboro Plaza: Behind ABC Store in southeast corner of the Plaza
5. Hampton Pointe: Behind Home Depot, Hwy 86 in Hillsborough
Look at the map below for additional location information.
Never leave items on the ground or garbage in the recycling containers-- that constitutes illegal dumping.
Residents can bring garbage and wide range of other materials for proper disposal, recycling and reuse to Solid Waste Convenience Centers.
Never place plastic bags in any of the dumpsters at drop-off sites. If you use plastic bags to collect your recyclables please remove them and discard the bag elsewhere. Clean, dry plastic bags can be recycled at local grocery stores.
Use the following material guides for proper drop-off recycling:
Recycle corrugated cardboard and brown paper bags together, in a separate dumpster.
| MATERIAL | SPECIFICATIONS | DO NOT INCLUDE |
Corrugated Cardboard |
Empty and flatten boxes completely for recycling. Pizza boxes are OK if they are clean and empty. | Remove any plastic or styrofoam packaging and discard elsewhere. No wax-coated boxes. |
Brown paper bags |
No wax coated or plastic bag. |
NEW as of JULY 2012
Recycle bottles, cans, jars, and all types of paper TOGETHER in a Single Stream!
| MATERIAL | SPECIFICATIONS | DO NOT INCLUDE |
 Tubs, cups and buckets #2, #4 and #5 |
Tubs, cups and buckets and other non bottle plastics #2, #4, #5 only. |
#1 or #6 boxes, clamshells, or styrofoam, no #7 PLA, no plastic bags. Recycle clean dry plastic bags at grocery stores. |
 Plastic Bottles, Jugs and Jars |
Plastic bottles have a neck smaller than the base. Leave the cap on! Flatten bottle or jug if possible and put the cap back on. | No plastic bags or any other non-bottle plastics. No cups, tubs or buckets. No clamshells or Styrofoam. |
Glass Bottles and Jars |
Clear, brown, green and blue glass bottles and jars only. Rinse clean. Lids and labels are OK. | No dishes, ceramics, cookware, window glass, drinking glass, light bulbs, pyrex or mirrors |
Metal Cans |
Aluminum and steel/tin food or beverage cans. Tuck metal lids inside cans and crimp the edge shut. Flatten what you can to save space. | No scrap metal, pots, pans or car parts. |
Aerosol Spray Cans |
Must be completely empty. Do not puncture or flatten. | |
Aluminum Foil and Trays |
Must be clean. Rinse off any food residue and crush what you can to save space. | No foil with food or lots of grease on it. |
Mixed Paper |
Any clean, dry paper that tears. Junk mail, office and school paper, manila folders. Envelope windows and staples are OK. Shredded paper with mixed paper is OK if it is in a paper bag. | No tissue or paper towels. No wax coated or laminated paper. Remove credit cards or other plastic items from junk mail. |
Single layer cardboard |
Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, paper towel rolls, frozen food boxes, etc. Remove any plastic or foil lining. | |
Drink cartons |
Flat-topped and gable topped drink boxes. Plastic spouts are OK. Rinse clean and flatten. | |
Newspaper |
Newspaper and associated inserts. | Remove plastic bags or rubber bands before recycling. |
Magazines |
24-hour recycling drop-off sites have Magazine Racks for the reuse and sharing of magazines in good condition. | |
Phonebooks |
Phone books and other paperback books are OK. Must be clean. | Remove from plastic bags before recycling. No hardcover books. |
