Latest News
- The March Edition of the Orange County Solid Waste Management Monthly Electronic Newsletter. View it here! You can sign up for our monthly list-serv by registering on this page
- The semi-annual "Waste Matters" published in May 2012. View it here!
-
Outdoor Compost Bins are available for sale at the Orange County Solid Waste Management office, 1207 Eubanks Rd. Chapel Hill. They are $50 each, cash or check only please, Monday-Friday 8-5. To learn more about the "Earth Machine" outdoor composting unit that we sell, visit www.earthmachine.com.
- Orange County decided on December 7, 2009 to not site a Solid Waste Transfer Station in Orange County of its own at this time.
Click here for more information on the Transfer Station Site search process.
Walnut Grove Solid Waste Convenience Center is open for full service!
Remodeling, site improvements, new equipment installation, new signage, and final paving have been successfully completed at the Solid Waste Convenience Center on Walnut Grove Church Road in Hillsborough.
The gates will open at 7:00 a.m. on Friday May 10, providing full service to Orange County residents.
The Walnut Grove Solid Waste Convenience Center includes the following amenities:
- Fully paved surfaces to control dust, mud and runoff
- Compactors with low loading height for household waste, bulky items, corrugated cardboard, and single stream recycling
- Dropped-level containers for yard waste, tires, scrap metal, bulky waste, and large appliances for easier disposal
- Separate routing for County trucks, plus improved entry and exit for added safety
- Household Hazardous Waste collection for paint, pesticides, chemicals, fluorescent lights, and other toxic items found in the home
- Food waste collection for composting (the first residential food waste drop-off in NC)
- Used cooking oil collection, which will be converted into biodiesel
- Plastic bag and plastic film recycling
- Clothing and shoes drop-off for charities
- Lumber Salvage – an annex to the Salvage Shed for sharing solid sawed lumber
Orange County made these changes to improve efficiency and safety of disposal and collection, while expanding recycling opportunities for County residents. The overall plan concept adopted by the Board of Commissioners in 2010 includes two larger district Centers and three neighborhood centers.
Improvements to the remaining convenience centers will take place in phases over the next several years. The Walnut Grove site was chosen because the County owns the property, and it will provide improved recycling and waste collection services for the residents in the northern part of the County.
Orange County to host first-ever Off-Campus Reuse Rodeo for Student Moveout!
The Orange County Solid Waste Management Department is inviting the public to its ReUse Rodeo Student Move-out week!
The event will take place four consecutive days from Tuesday, May 7- Friday, May 10, from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. each day at the Hargrave’s Center Mitchell Lane parking lot in Chapel Hill.
Student move-out is a notorious period of wastefulness where some residents just dump and run. Before you ride out of town, we hope you will look through your belongings and choose to donate, instead of contributing to the landfill! The goal is to reduce move-out waste and help support reuse in our community,” said Muriel Williman, event coordinator.
Whether you are moving out or cleaning up, take advantage of this special collection! Local non-profits will be on hand to accept materials that you don’t need, but perhaps someone else in our community could use.
The following items are requested to be in GOOD CONDITION:
PTA Thrift Store
- Clean clothing, belts, bags, and shoes
- Furniture and shelving
- Working housewares - toasters, coffee pots, dish sets, microwaves, lamps, area rugs, sheets, etc.
Back-to-school at the Hargrave’s Community Center
- Blank notebooks
- Unused paper of all colors and types
- Lightly used book bags
- Binders
- Pens, pencils, erasers, glue sticks and other unused school supplies
The Inter-Faith Council
- Unopened food
- Unopened personal care products
- Clean, reusable cloth bags
Compass Center for Women and Families
- Cell phones (with chargers if possible)
Job Training Programs
- Working computers and accessories
If an item is not on this list, do not bring it to the Rodeo! Non-profits reserve the right to turn away items that are not in good and working condition.
The event is sponsored by the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department in cooperation with the above referenced non-profits, the Town of Chapel Hill, and the Hargraves Community Center.
Students that live on campus should take advantage of the UNC Chapel Hill "Dont Ditch it, Donate it!" program
Orange County Ranks Best in the State for Waste Reduction!
The Orange County Solid Waste Management Department is recognized as being number one in the state for waste reduction, reaching 59% of its 61% aggressive reduction. The County is disposing only 0.56 tons/person compared to the base year of 1991-92, when the disposal rate measured 1.36 tons.
In the region, Wake County achieved a 25% reduction rate, Durham County rate is at 21%, Chatham County is 37%, and Alamance County with 26%. Orange County’s 61% waste reduction goal was adopted in 1997 by the County and by the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough as part of the County’s original Comprehensive Solid Waste Plan.
“It is to the credit of proactive residents and innovative County services, such as the conversion to single stream recycling that we are leading the state in our waste reduction efforts. Years ago some said our 61% goal was unrealistic, but we now anticipate the day when all of Orange County can celebrate achieving our lofty goal and setting the bar even higher,” said Gayle Wilson, director of Orange County’s Solid Waste Management Department.
“Being good stewards of the environment and reducing the amount of waste hauled to the landfill have been priorities for the Commissioners and County residents. We recognize that one person's waste is another person's raw material, and can be recycled rather than discarded,” said Barry Jacobs, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners.
The County’s recycling and waste reduction programs date back to 1987, starting with five unstaffed drop-off sites for newspapers, glass bottles and aluminum cans. Now programs include curbside recycling for more than 80% of single-family households and 95% of apartment complexes, 10 drop-off sites, permanent household hazardous waste, an innovative program for reclaiming construction and demolition debris, and electronics collections.
“Orange County’s waste reduction achievements are due in large measure to its steadfast investment in recycling services and its leadership in implementing effective recycling policies,” said Scott Mouw, director of the State Recycling Program. “Orange County’s diversion of valuable materials from disposal is helping us to create jobs and rebuild North Carolina’s economy.”
To review the North Carolina Solid Waste Per Capita disposal report for 2011-12, please visit http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=4649434&folderId=9377383&name=DLFE-58182.pdf
Student Move-out Waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Resources!
The end of April marks the end of the collegiate Spring semester. It’s time for the population in Chapel Hill to drop and for the number of available parking spots to rise. It is also time for a huge slug of move-out goodies to hit the landfill. Do your part to make move out less waste-full. Use the following guidelines to reduce waste, support local charities, and recycle as much as possible!
If you are interested in an end-of-year-move-out collection point at your apartment complex for clean, dry clothing, canned foods and usable household goods, contact our office and we will work with you to set up such a site and help provide publicity to your residents as they prepare to move out. Our office would provide a set of labeled, clean roll carts during the month of May. Your obligation would be to publicize the program, locate carts in a secure, dry area that is easily accessible for residents. Periodic policing will help ensure that the contents are usable and sanitary. Orange County Solid Waste would set these carts out April 29 and pick them up May 12 and bring the donated materials to various local charities. Let us know by April 25 if you would like a set of roll carts for clothing, canned goods and small household items.
Reusable furniture and other household items in good condition can be offered for reuse at “Salvage Sheds” located at three of the five Solid Waste Convenience Centers. Used mattresses can NOT be left at Solid Waste Convenience Centers
- Eubanks Rd. (1 mile west of Hwy 86/ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill),
- Ferguson Rd. (near intersection of Old Greensboro Highway, three miles west of Carrboro), and
- High Rock Rd. (1/4 mile west of Mill Creek Rd. in Efland).
Solid Waste Convenience Centers have recycling collection for bottles, cans, jars, mixed paper, newspaper, magazines, non-bottle plastics such as yogurt tubs and stadium cups and corrugated cardboard. Recycle all batteries, motor oil, antifreeze, televisions, computers, cell phones and other electronic devices there too!
Electronics can also be recycled at the Orange County Landfill on Eubanks Rd. in Chapel Hill. Hours there are Monday – Friday 7am to 4pm and Saturday 7:30am to noon.
Clothing and household items in good condition can be donated to local charities and pick-up can be arranged for large loads.
- PTA Thrift Shop Village Plaza, S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill (919) 942-6101
- Club Nova Thrift Shop, 103-C West Main Street, Carrboro (919) 967-6985.
Furniture and appliances in good condition can be picked up by the Habitat for Humanity Hand-Me-Up store. Appliances must work and be less than 10 years old. Call (919) 403-8668 to schedule a collection if you can’t drop your items off at 5501 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard, Durham, NC 27707
Donate unopened cans and boxes of non-perishable food items and unused personal care items to the Inter-Faith Council Food Pantry at 110 West Main Street in Carrboro, between 9-5 weekdays. If you need to make special arrangements for weekend drop-off, call them at 929-6380 ext. * 16. Unserved perishable food can be brought directly to the Community House Facility at 100 W. Rosemary St.
Styrofoam packing peanuts and bubble wrap should be brought to local packaging companies like “Pack It Ship It” at MidTown Market on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, or UPS packaging stores throughout the County. Packing materials should not be left at the recycling dropoff sites.
Metal cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars and all clean, dry paper including, newspapers, phonebooks, envelopes, junk mail, class notes, can be recycled at all five of the 24-hour recycling drop-off sites.
- Cedar Falls Park: Weaver Dairy Road
- University Mall: Mall parking lot behind the gas station on Estes Drive
- Carrboro Plaza: Behind ABC Store in southeast corner of the Plaza
- Meadowmont: Behind Harris Teeter (this is the least used site)
- Hampton Pointe Shopping Plaza: Hwy 86 in Hillsborough behind Home Depot
If the site is full, please take the recyclables to another site (usually Meadowmont site or Hampton Pointe site at Home Depot in Hillsborough are underutilized). Never ever leave plastic bags at a drop-off site. Take clean, dry empty plastic or paper bags to grocery stores to be recycled.
Hazardous Waste such as “CFL’s” (compact fluorescent lights), paint, hair spray, bug spray, drain cleaner and any flammable, toxic or corrosive liquids should be taken to the Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) Collection at the Orange County Landfill on Eubanks Road. HHW is open Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturday 7:30 am to noon.
Please contact our office if you have any move-out questions!
(919) 968-2788
Special Event Planning for Waste Reduction
Spring “special event” season is approaching and many planners want to do right by their event goers, and the environment. The Orange County Landfill is closing on July 1 of this year, and Orange County has the highest waste reduction rate in the state at 59%. It is simply a priority among many of our residents. The marketplace has recognized that trend so store shelves are full of products that claim to be “green” -- but sometimes the labeling is misleading, and if the event doesn’t go the full distance with recycling and composting, “green” purchasing is not going to make a bit of difference. Here are some myth busters and basic guidelines to help out.
Buying products labeled “compostable” does not make you green. If you buy “compostables” make sure they are labeled “certified compostable” and are going to a commercial composting facility. Corn-based #7 PLA cups usually have a green band around them and claim to be compostable. They are… but only in a commercial composting facility, not in your backyard bin, and certainly not in the landfill. They cannot be recycled either! Unless they are actively separated from the rest of the trash and brought to a collection point for a commercial composter (with permission or by contract), they will go into the landfill. There they break down slowly and produce methane. It’s no better for the environment and more costly for consumers than serving with petroleum-based plastics and tossing them in the landfill.
“Biodegradable” and “compostable” and “recyclable” do not mean the same thing. Two groups of materials have been developed in terms of degradable plastics. The first group includes plant based resins like #7PLA in corn based cups discussed above. The second includes petroleum-based conventional plastics that have chemicals added (known as oxo-degradables) which, when exposed to heat and oxygen, break apart the carbon bonds resulting in micro-fragments of plastic and metals. The fragments will remain in the environment but will not be seen as a visual contaminant.
There are serious concerns amongst plastics, composting and waste management experts that these products do not meet their environmental claims. European Bioplastics considers terms such as “biodegradable” and “oxo-biodegradable” without reference to existing standards as misleading, and as such not reproducible and verifiable. Testing by the Association of Post-Consumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) shows that these plastics are NOT RECYCLABLE. APR states “they [oxo plastics] are a contaminant in the recycling stream. Claims of recyclability are unfounded, untested, and possibly misleading as outlined in the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guide.” The principal concern is that a recycled resin containing degradable additives renders any product made with those resins unsellable because the product has reduced quality and shortened service life.
With all the plastics recycling in North Carolina, this is a big concern for businesses here. The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources has just released the report: “Study on the Effects of Degradable Plastic on Recycled Feedstocks” which can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/lia/denr-legislative-reports. Pursuant to that, a new bill is being prepared to go the legislature this session to require OXO plastics to be labeled as not recyclable and any plastic labeled as degradable or compostable to comply with American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D6400-04, "Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics."
What is an organizer to do? Know your waste stream! Identify what is going to be served and therefore what will be thrown out at your event. Replace disposables with durables or recyclables wherever possible. Many local caterers are becoming accustomed to this request. If you have recyclables, make sure you have containers for collection, and a system for proper recycling after the event. For example, instead of fountain drinks and plastic cups, serve beverages in bottles and cans and have recycling containers next to every trash can. At the end of the event bring them to one of Orange County’s 24 hour recycling drop-off sites. Serving hotdogs? Good choice—finger food requires no plates or utensils, but the buns are going to come in recyclable plastic bags. Stuff empty bun bags into another plastic bag, and recycle at a participating grocery store. Serve condiments in bulk containers rather than disposable packets. Want to go the distance and have compost collection? Purchase appropriately and ensure that the compost collection containers are watched so that absolutely no plastic or metal goes in!
Orange County Solid Waste Management can help. We loan recycling containers for special events and consult with planners to reduce the waste stream, identifying systems for diverting waste through reduction, recycling or composting. Larger public events in Orange County have worked with the Solid Waste Department to reduce their waste as much as 95%! Each has their own method - Hillsborough Hogg Day works closely with food vendors to make sure they serve only on compostable ware. Organizers of Farm-to-Fork and Terra Vita provide compostables directly to the vendors, but also reduce waste by providing each event goer with only one utensil (it’s not “Farm to Forks!” the organizer will explain). All three of these events rely on Solid Waste staff and trash-savvy volunteers at sorting stations to keep it all separated and moving smoothly.
CLICK HERE for the Guide to Using Durable, Disposable or Compostable Serving Ware for Special Events
Single Stream Recycling effective in Orange County as of July 1, 2012
Residents and businesses in Orange County will no longer have to divide their recycling into two separate containers-- all paper, magazines, newspaper, phonebooks, cartons and junk mail can be commingled with plastic bottles and jugs, metal cans, aluminum trays and foil, glass bottles and jars at the curb, in carts, and at drop-off sites.
This system of recycling, commonly referred to as “Single Stream”, will make recycling easier and more convenient for residents and businesses, while also saving trips and reducing lifting strain for recycling collection staff. Recycling trucks won’t fill as fast because everything goes into one compartment, thus reducing transportation costs. The technical sorting capability at recycling processing facilities (known as Material Recovery Facilities or MRFs) has improved greatly using a combination of automated equipment and manual labor, so a wide range of commingled materials can be efficiently separated and processed to achieve high-value marketable commodities.
Curbside residents can still recycle corrugated cardboard at the curb. The same rules apply as in two-stream -- empty and flattened boxes that are 3’x3’ or less, and 10 pieces or less, unless you can fit them all in your bin.
Businesses, apartment dwellers, and other multifamily site residents with recycling collected in blue County-owned carts still need to recycle their cardboard separately either in a designated dumpster or at a recycling drop-off location.
Orange County Solid Waste has made a significant investment to publicize this exciting new change. Hopefully residents and businesses received the latest issue of "Waste Matters", our 4-page newsletter that was mailed at the end of May of this year. Curbside recycling customers received a full-color postcard with curbside recycling details. Informational recycling decals were replaced at all apartment complex and commercial cart sites. Anyone with questions, comments or concerns or who would like copies of any of these new outreach documents is encouraged to contact the Solid Waste Management Administrative office at (919) 968-2788 or e-mail recycling@orangecountync.gov.
County Removed Plastics Recycling Dumpsters from Recycling Drop Off Sites, now only availble at Solid Wasdte Convenience Centers.
Due to excessive contamination levels, sometimes exceeding fifty percent, Orange County Solid Waste Management will permanently remove the large purple roll-off dumpsters for recycling rigid plastics from four unstaffed recycling sites on November 1. Banners have been placed at each site stating that the rigid plastic containers will be removed. All other recycling collection containers will remain at the unstaffed sites.
The purple dumpsters for recycling resin types #2, #4 and #5 cups, tubs, buckets, pipe, lawn furniture and other non-bottle plastics will remain at the five staffed convenience center sites along with all other current recycling and trash services.
Orange County has been collecting the non-bottle rigid plastics for recycling from both staffed convenience center sites and unstaffed recycling sites since February 2010 and averages about 13 tons per month incoming material, of which about nine tons of which are suitable for sale. This is the highest rate of contamination from any public recycling program. The contaminants must be manually sorted by County staff and landfilled before the good material can be sent to market.
Only about 10% of the material in purple dumpsters from staffed sites is contaminants. The majority of contaminants come from the four unstaffed sites at Carrboro Plaza, Cedar Falls Park, Meadowmont and University Mall. The dumpster at the Hampton Pointe recycling site behind Home Depot in Hillsborough was removed a year ago for excessive contamination, but contamination at the other four sites did not improve even with extensive public education.
Since the County established this program ongoing efforts have been made to educate the public about the proper materials including placement of high quality signage, extensive paid advertising, articles in local papers, shows on local radio and two major efforts staffing the usually unstaffed drop-off sites with temporary personnel to educate site users.
Rigid plastics #2 (HDPE), #4 (LDPE) and #5 (PP) for which there is a reliable, regional market that Orange County sells to include items such as five gallon buckets, kitty litter buckets, plastic storage totes, plastic lawn furniture, black pipe, and kiddie pools. These items are not recycled when put in curbside recycling bins with cans and bottles, only when kept separate and brought to the staffed Solid Waste Convenience Centers. See the County web page for a full list of acceptable plastics in the purple bins: http://www.orangecountync.gov/recycling/rigidplastics.asp to request a pictorial brochure.
Solid Waste Convenience Center Hours
A table of the hours is shown below for easy reference.
Hours of Operation for Orange County Solid Waste Convenience Centers
Location |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
Bradshaw Quarry Rd. |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
7am-5pm |
1pm-6pm |
Ferguson Rd. |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
7am-5pm |
1pm-6pm |
High Rock Rd. |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
7am-5pm |
1pm-6pm |
Eubanks Rd. |
7am-6pm |
7am-6pm |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
7am-5pm |
1pm-6pm |
Walnut Grove Church Rd. |
7am-6pm |
7am-6pm |
CLOSED |
CLOSED |
7am-6pm |
7am-5pm |
1pm-6pm |
The changes in hours reflect the request by users of the sites for re-opening on Sunday so people working weekdays could more conveniently get to the sites. All centers will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and all centers will be open Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Only the convenience centers at Eubanks Road and Walnut Grove Church Road will be open on Mondays. The Monday closing of Ferguson Road and High Rock Road sites was to accommodate the other expansions of hours while limiting new staffing expenses. The Bradshaw site was already closed on Mondays.
Other Solid Waste Convenience Center news includes the improvements slated for the Walnut Grove Church Road Convenience Center later this fiscal year. Improvements will include paving the site, expanding it to improve traffic flow, installing compactors with lower loading height, creating a two-tiered unloading area for heavy and bulky items to improve accessibility, adding recycling collections for cooking oil, food waste and plastic film, and a household hazardous waste collection center. This set of improvements will be designed and permitted this fall, with work beginning in the spring of 2012 weather permitting.
Improvements to the other four sites may follow in future years pending approval by the Board of Commissioners and available funding.
North Carolina Electronics Ban in effect July 1, 2011; Electronics recycling details for Orange County.
Computer equipment and televisions will be banned from disposal in North Carolina landfills as of July 1, 2011, as required by NC Session Law 2010-67 passed last year by the General Assembly. As of July 1, televisions, computers and computer equipment such as laptops, desktops, monitors, printers, scanners, and peripherals such as mice and keyboards cannot go in the trash or be disposed in any NC landfill.
Orange County residents can recycle their electronics at all 5 of the Solid Waste Convenience Centers located throughout the county, during hours of operation. Visit http://www.orangecountync.gov/recycling/centers.asp for details.
Orange County residents, businesses, and other non-residential entities can recycle their electronics at the Orange County Landfill, 1514 Eubanks Rd. in Chapel Hill, Monday- Friday from 7:30a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Please call ahead to make an appointment for large loads so we can process those right away.
Collected electronic items include any audio or visual data carrying devices such as computers, monitors, mice, keyboards, televisions, IPods, scanners, printers, speakers, cables, copiers, cell phones, telephones, stereos, fax machines, CD and DVD players, cassette players, VCRs and electronic media such as cassette and VHS tapes, CD’s, DVD’s, and their cases. Look for the black trailers labeled “Electronic Recycling”.
Orange County has been providing residents with electronics recycling since 2002. Orange County will recycle close to 1,000,000 pounds of electronics this fiscal year. That is approximately 11 tons per week, or 8 pounds per person, per year. Orange County contracts with a North Carolina based electronics recycling firm called Synergy Recycling, LLC www.synergyrecycling.com. Synergy is certified with numerous environmental and employee health and safety standards, and their downstream markets are also certified to be environmentally sound and non-polluting.
Other components of the law are designed to create statewide recycling opportunities for discarded electronics and to place significant responsibilities on electronics manufacturers to help fund and create those opportunities. All computer manufacturers are required to offer at least a free mail-back program for their own equipment, and some will offer additional kinds of recycling options. A number of retailers also offer recycling of electronics, as do some nonprofit and charitable agencies. A comprehensive list of recycling options for residents and businesses in the state of North Carolina can be found at: http://www.p2pays.org/electronics/.
Orange County Now Accepts Oyster Shells at Landfill for Recycling
Any resident or business from Orange County may bring loads of separated oyster shells to the Orange County Landfill at no charge, for recycling. Collection will be allowed during only regular landfill operating hours, Monday- Friday 7am to 4pm and Saturday 7:30am to noon. Those bringing shells must go across the landfill scales. Shells will be returned to the North Carolina coastal waters by the State Division of Marine Fisheries to help rebuild the State’s oyster fisheries.
Those bringing oyster shells may be eligible for a tax credit of $1.00 per bushel where a bushel equals about 55 pounds of shells or about 8 gallons. Visit the Division of Marine Fisheries website or call 800-682-2632 for the details. Orange County Landfill scalehouse staff will provide the necessary weight receipt for claiming a tax credit for the shells. Clam, mussel or scallop shells may be included.
Orange County has instituted this program to help local businesses and residents comply with the State of North Carolina’s ban on the landfilling of oyster shells that became effective October 1st, 2009. The State implemented this disposal ban to prevent oyster shells from being discarded in landfills while there is heavy demand for oyster shells as material for building mounds or “oyster reefs”. This ban was in part a response to the declining oyster stock in North Carolina and in part to help the health of our costal brackish-water ecosystems by rebuilding oyster beds.
Christine Miller of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, an advocacy group promoting coastal water quality protection, says, “Oyster shells are baby oysters' preferred place to live, so recycling the shells is the best possible thing to do with them. It's good to see another inland county getting involved”. NC Division of Marine Fisheries Director Louis Daniel said he is pleased that the Oyster Shell Recycling Program continues to expand west of Interstate 95 adding, “It is our collective responsibility, as citizens of this state, to collect these shells and ensure that they are placed back into coastal waters to provide a place for oysters to attach and grow.” The NC Division of Marine Fisheries is the State agency responsible for operating the State’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Once Orange County landfill has accumulated a truck load (min. 17 cubic yards), the State will then collect the shells at no cost to the County and use them to reseed oyster beds at the coast in public waters, research areas and areas currently closed to fishing.
There has been demand for this service from the few large generators of oyster shells in Orange County including Tom Robinson Seafood and the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group. Greg Overbeck, co-owner of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group that includes Squids Seafood restaurant said, “We’re very happy that Orange County is participating in this effort to rebuild North Carolina’s oyster beds and we really appreciate everything they’ve done to make this possible“. In addition to these large generators, smaller generators including Orange County households will have access to oyster shell recycling by delivering the shells to the Orange County Landfill’s oyster shell collection point.
Mattresses and box springs will no longer be accepted at Solid Waste Convenience Centers, effective July 27, 2009
As of July 27, 2009, mattresses and box springs will no longer be accepted at staffed Orange County Solid Waste Convenience Centers. Orange County residents will need to bring mattresses and box springs directly to the Orange County Landfill, 1514 Eubanks Rd. in Chapel Hill (between NC Hwy 86 and Old Hwy 86) for a charge of $22 per pickup truck load. Other items may be included in the load to fill it up, not to exceed 1,000 pounds. Hours of operation are Monday thru Friday 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 am to 12 noon. All loads entering the landfill must be tarped.
The Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill will both collect these items at the curb from their residents for a fee. For more information contact Carrboro Public Works by phone: (919) 918-7425 or email: pworks@ci.carrboro.nc.us or if you live in Chapel Hill, contact Chapel Hill Public Works by phone: (919) 969-5100 or email: publicworks@townofchapelhill.org.
The Town of Hillsborough will collect these materials at the curb from their residents at no additional charge. Contact Hillsborough Public Works by phone 919-732-2104 Ext. 222 or via email to place a work order request: hillworkorders@ncrrbiz.com.
If you are replacing an old mattress and box spring with a new one, most companies when delivering the new mattress will remove and discard the old mattress and box spring at no additional charge for their customers.
Futon cushions will still be accepted at the Convenience Centers and should be placed in the appropriate container as directed by Convenience Center staff. Mattresses and box springs may not be left in the salvage sheds, nor are they an acceptable item for local charities. If you feel your mattress is still in good usable condition, consider posting it on www.freecycle.org on the Orange County, NC “freecycle” list.
Orange County wins 2009 American Forest and Paper Association Award for Best Community Paper Recycling Program
On May 5, the 2009 American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Community Recycling Award was presented to Orange County, North Carolina. The annual awards recognize outstanding community, business, school, and college/university paper recycling programs across the country.
In 2008, the 128,000 residents of Orange County recovered approximately 8,750 tons of paper for recycling. This success resulted from a combination of education, outreach, and accessibility for residents. The county recycling program includes weekly curbside collection in urban areas; biweekly curbside for rural locations, multi-family units, drop-off sites, and government buildings; and collection from “park and ride” locations and city buses.
“We are pleased to recognize the success of the Orange County paper recycling program,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. “Recycling is one of America’s great environmental success stories, providing ‘green jobs’ and giving new life to used products. Continued support of our existing infrastructure – and programs like the one in Orange County – is crucial to our ability to continue to meet global demand as the economy rebounds.”
Gayle Wilson, Orange County Solid Waste Director said, “Our program’s success is a little like the chasing arrows recycling symbol, “The public asks for a program, the Board provides funding and backing, the staff executes it and the public responds by recycling more. Each round of positive feedback encourages further program success.”
Rob Taylor, County Recycling Programs Manager adds, “Citizens consistently provide high quality recyclable paper to the County’s recycling programs. Our markets praise us and recognize that quality with the best pricing they can offer.’
Thanks to programs like this one and the efforts of millions of Americans, AF&PA recently announced a record-high 57.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2008.
For a video and information about the 2009 AF&PA Recycling Award winners, along with how-to guides, interactive features, and additional resources related to paper recycling, visit www.paperrecycles.org.
AF&PA is the national trade association of the forest, paper, and wood products industry. representing companies and related associations that engage in or represent the manufacture of pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood products.
Residential Corrugated Cardboard Banned from Landfill Disposal beginning March 1
In an effort to preserve landfill space and conserve resources, residential and household corrugated cardboard is now banned from landfill disposal. Starting March 1, 2009 Orange County will begin enforcing the ban on disposal of residential corrugated cardboard at the Orange County Landfill, and will also prohibit collection of corrugated cardboard in any licensed waste-hauling vehicle.
Curbside corrugated cardboard recycling at the curb became available to all residents with curbside recycling in November 2008. There is a ten piece limit per set out and all boxes set at the curb must be emptied and completely flattened, and no pieces may be larger than three feet by three feet. Larger boxes or loads may be dropped off at recycling sites or the Orange County Landfill on Eubanks Road. Boxes set at the curb for recycling should be placed inside, under or between recycling bins. Do not stack near garbage carts. Empty pizza boxes, free of cheese, may be recycled, but they are not subject to the ban, so they may also be placed in the garbage cart if they contain excessive food contamination.
Commercially generated recyclable corrugated cardboard has previously been banned from collection and disposal as waste as part of the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance which has now been extended to include residential cardboard. Extension of the ban to include residential corrugated cardboard will result in a total ban in Orange County on landfilling recyclable cardboard.
Beginning in 1996, the County banned landfilling of non-residential cardboard. In 2002 the ban was extended to include collection and hauling, and added the materials scrap metal and clean wood under the County’s “Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance”. The ban has been in effect at the Solid Waste Convenience Centers since 2003. This extension of the ban to curbside residential waste was enabled when curbside cardboard recycling collection was initiated in November 2008. Staff estimates this recycling collection expansion combined with the pending landfill ban will shift as much as 500 tons annually to the County’s recycling program.
Sanitation divisions in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro have all been notified of the impending ban on disposal of residential cardboard. Harv Howard, Solid Waste-Fleet Maintenance Services Superintendent for the Town of Chapel Hill said, “Residents of Chapel Hill have been notified throughout December of the ban and been informed that they can recycle boxes at the curb or take them to the drop-off sites or convenience centers. The Town is no longer collecting garbage carts with recyclable cardboard in them.”
Loads of waste containing concentrations of more than ‘a large armload’ of cardboard will be subject to a double tipping fee penalty on the whole load. Haulers destined for disposal sites other than the Orange County Landfill will be subject to a series of escalating penalties if County inspectors find them in violation of the ordinance as they randomly spot-check waste containers collected by these haulers.