The Regulated Recyclable Material Ordinance
Orange County has an ordinance that requires the recycling of certain C&D materials: corrugated cardboard, clean wood (that is wood that has not been painted or treated) and scrap metal. The ordinance further states that construction and demolition projects must have a waste management plan in place, waste haulers must be licensed, and that these requirements will be enforced.
Effective July 1, 2008 the Town of Chapel Hill, on behalf of the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department, will begin charging a fee for review and processing of Regulated Materials Permits associated with all new building permits issued by the Chapel Hill Inspections Department. The new fee will be 8% of the building permit fee (based on the Town of Chapel Hill fee schedule).
The fee is authorized under the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance (RRMO) adopted September 26, 2005 by the Town of Chapel Hill and is similar to the fees collected by the Town of Carrboro and Orange County Inspections and is used to provide education, outreach and inspections association with the RRMO. The Town of Chapel Hill will retain a portion of the fee for administrative costs.
What Must Be Recycled?
What Are the Options for Recycling?
Certified MRF's
How Do I Get a Permit or a License?
List of Licensed Haulers
Enforcement and Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
What Must Be Recycled?
Clean Wood Waste
YES |
NO |
· Scrap lumber (2x4 type) |
· Crossties |
· Mill ends |
· Landscaping timbers |
· Oriented Strand Board (OSB) |
· Masonite |
· Pallets |
· Painted or Stained Wood |
· Plywood |
· Treated wood |
· Wood concrete forms with low amounts of plaster or concrete |
· Telephone poles |
· Regular construction nails, bolts, screws are OK |
· Wood with tar or other roofing materials |
Scrap Metal
Including, but not limited to cast iron tubs, aluminum gutters and siding, bedsprings, metal pipe, steel studs, tin roofing, and other items containing significant amounts of metal.
Corrugated Cardboard
Corrugated Cardboard has three layers; 2 flat on the outside and one wavy layer in the middle. Do not recycle pizza boxes, cardboard with a wax coating, or other contaminated cardboard.
It is illegal to intentionally contaminate any recyclable material as to make it non-recyclable.
Burning is NOT recycling!
What Are the Options for Recycling?
Jobsite Separation: Regulated recyclable materials separated at the jobsite and transported to the Orange County Landfill will significantly reduce the amount of tipping fees you have to pay. You may either take the materials to the landfill yourself, or hire a hauler. Click HERE for a list of licensed haulers.
Mixed C&D Materials Reclamation Facilities (MRF): Builders may choose to use a mixed recycling facility, bypassing jobsite separation, but only county certified facilities may be used.
Current Certified MRF's:| Company | Phone Number | Address | Map Link |
| MRC | (919) 838-6973 | 421 Raleigh View Rd. Raleigh, NC 27610 | MAP |
| Coble Sandrock | (336) 565-4750 | Foster Store Road, Liberty, NC 27298 | MAP |
| Shotwell Transfer II – Apex facility only | (919) 790-5702 | 1504 Salem St, Apex, NC 27502 |
Reuse/Donations: Regulated recyclable materials, depending on their condition, may be reused, resold, or donated to a charity. If you have unused or reusable materials, please call (919) 968-2800 x163 or visit the "A-Z Recyclery" .
Deconstruction Encouraged: Large demolition projects may be delayed up to 60 days in order to conduct an assessment of the recyclability or reusability of materials in the structure. For assistance with deconstruction assessments call (919) 968-2800 x165 or visit our deconstruction page.
How Do I Get a Permit or a License?
The County or the town in which you are building issues the RM permits with your building permit. You can apply for it at either the Zoning Compliance or Building Permit stage. The permit requires estimates of the types of waste anticipated and intended method to manage them. Your application will be processed within 10 days.
You can download the application here:
Orange County Recyclable Material Permit
You can pick up a permit application at Planning or Inspections Departments, but some municipalities may require you to submit it directly to the Solid Waste Management Department.
You can download the application here:
Solid Waste Management Plan
Waste haulers who operate in Orange County and use vehicles greater than 9000 lbs GVW to haul recyclable materials must be licensed annually by the Solid Waste Management Department. Each vehicle used for this purpose must be licensed. Violations incurred on any registered vehicle subject the company's license to suspension or revocation. Download the application here:
Haulers License Application
Enforcement and Penalties
No Mixed Waste Loads
Loads bound for disposal at the landfill that contain wood, metal, pallets, and/or corrugated cardboard will be charged double the tipfee . Tickets will be compiled and sent out with monthly bills for regular customers or the customer may choose to pay tickets individually.
No Permit at Building Site
Individuals found to be conducting building activities without the appropriate Recyclable Material Permit will be issued a civil citation.
Individuals found hauling recyclable materials without the appropriate Recyclable Material Collector's License will be issued a civil citation.
Jobsite Inspections
Solid Waste Enforcement staff and Inspections Departments regularly visit jobsites. These personnel will inform the Solid Waste Department when solid waste violations are noted.
Verification Tags
To ensure that loads of regulated materials are reaching certified MRF’s, Solid Waste Enforcement staff will place verification tags on roll-off containers, dumpsters, and trucks. These tags must be given to the scalehouse operator at the certified facility.
Illegal Disposal
Regulated Recyclable Materials produced in Orange County must be recycled properly. Proper disposal includes:
• Separating the materials for recycling at the Eubanks Road Landfill
• Hauling the materials to a County certified materials reclamation facility
• Reuse or Resale
 |
Land filling, burning, or hauling the materials to a non-certified facility are illegal actions and subject to civil penalties and revocation of permits! |
For more enforcement details, you can read the entire ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Orange County pass this ordinance?
In the late 1990’s it was recognized that the Construction & Demolition (C&D) landfill on Eubanks Road was going to be filled sometime in 2003. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners agreed to build a new C&D landfill but only if certain bulky materials (those materials that take up the most room in the landfill) were required to be recycled. As a result, the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance went into effect on October 1, 2002.
My business isn’t construction, but I still have wood, metal, and/or cardboard in my waste. Do I still need to recycle?
This ordinance is designed to regulate not a particular industry, but certain materials. Metal, wood, pallets, and corrugated cardboard from the commercial waste stream are subject to the same recycling requirement as those produced from construction and demolition projects. The Solid Waste Department staff can help you get a recycling program set up.
What about demolition waste?
Demolition waste includes a great deal of wood and metal, both recyclable materials, but separating these materials is often difficult. Demolition waste must still be recycled if free of contaminants. But the waste would not be considered free of contaminants if it is attached to other material in a way that it is not reasonably possible to separate.