Rigid Plastics Recycling
Orange County collects non-bottle rigid plastics for recycling at Solid Waste Convenience Centers only. These items should not be recycled at the curb, at apartment complexes, or commercial recycling programs, or at the 24-hour recycling drop-off sites. The purple dumpsters at the unstaffed drop-off sites had to be removed due to contamination and illegal dumping.
Look for the purple roll-off containers
Rigid plastics are defined in Orange County as #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, and #5 PP non-bottle plastics and include the following items: Plastic buckets, cups and tubs, drums (empty), flower pots (must be larger than one pint), nursery trays (must be rigid, no soft bubble packs), lawn furniture (no PVC #3), laundry baskets, dish drainers, garbage cans, recycling bins, milk crates, soda crates, pet carriers, stadium cups, plastic toys, all totes and tote lids.
When recycling rigid plastics please follow these important rules:
Rigid plastics be empty and clean, free of dirt and food residue. When possible please remove metal such as screws, axles and bucket handles.
NO plastics #1, #3, #6, #7.
NO plastic bags.
No clear plastic PET#1 or PLA#7 clam-shell take out/fruit and lettuce containers.
No styrofoam
No battery operated toys (recycle these with electronics)
Do not recycle plastic bottles in the purple dumpsters! The "Rigid Plastics" collection is specifically for plastics that are NOT bottles. Recycle bottles with "Bottles, Cans and Jars" in the blue containers at drop-off sites, at the curb, or at apartment complexes.
Do not recycle rigid non-bottle plastics at the curb! Bring rigid plastics to Solid Waste Convenience Centers. Look for the bright purple containers.
Over-sized items such as plastic playground slides, plastic playhouses, kiddie pools, or large plastic drums (both ends removed) can be accepted at these three centers only:
Bradshaw Quarry Rd, Efland
Ferguson Rd, Chapel Hill
High Rock Rd, Efland
These locations have open boxes as opposed to the others with small windows for deposit.
Rigid plastics are recycled to make new plastic pots and buckets, plastic pipe and other products. Orange County sells the rigid plastics we collect to a market located in North Carolina. They tell us what kinds of plastics they can use, and we pass those rules on to you. The following are images of the wide range of items that fit the category "rigid plastics".
