Solid Waste E-News October 2021

Did You Know?
Fall Shred-A-Thons
Separate Glass Recycling – Impact Report
Got an Oops Tag?

Black plastic is problematic because it is not detectable by most sorting machines at recycling facilities. Additionally, there are limited uses for recycled black plastic because of its lack of color versatility, unlike clear plastics that can be turned into any color to meet the needs of the manufacturer.

Often black plastic containers are used as take-out containers. These containers can be used as food storage containers and can be helpful to send guests home with leftovers! Try to reuse the containers before discarding them in the trash.

Fall Shred-A-Thons

The Fall Shred-A-Thons are here!
Saturday, October 23^rd behind Home Depot in Hampton Pointe and Saturday, October 30^th at the Eubanks Park & Ride Lot (1768 Eubanks Rd).

These events are from 10am-2pm (or until capacity is met) and are limited to Orange County residents, small Orange County based businesses, and employees of Orange County, as well as employees of the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough.
There is a 3 bag/box limit this year to ensure that more individuals can participate in the Shred-A-Thons. We strongly recommend clear heavy 13-gallon sized plastic bags or boxes (banker-sized boxes). Do not use black/colored bags as they will not be accepted.
To ensure the safety of employees and residents, this event will be ‘contactless’, meaning that those bringing in paper for shredding will have to unload and dump their paper in the carts themselves. Please be respectful of others waiting in line. Do not cut in line and do not exit your vehicle until the person in front of you has finished dumping their paper and is driving away. Masks are required.

If you are not able to attend the Shred-A-Thons, the County offers free shredding services by appointment at the administrative office located on 1207 Eubanks Rd. in Chapel Hill. Shredding appointments are free and available from Monday-Thursday between 9am-2pm. For more information on the Shred Center and to schedule an appointment, visit this link.

Separate Glass Collection – Impact Report

Since the rollout of the Glass On The Side Program (GOTS) in September of 2019, Orange County has expanded service to over 100 commercial and residential facilities in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area. The residents, restaurants, and businesses that have committed to separating glass and reducing contamination levels have helped the County recycle more than 1.2 million lbs (600 tons) of glass separately.

Glass can be endlessly recycled with almost no change in its quality or durability. Separating glass from regular recycling increases its recycling rate to almost 100%. The glass collected separately is transported directly to the Strategic Materials Facility in Wilson, NC and recycled into a wide range of products including new bottles and jars, fiberglass insulation, reflective paint beads for highways, and sand-blasting media, mainly made here in NC.

The collective efforts to recycle glass separately not only helps the community, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions! For every 6 tons of glass that is recycled into new bottles and jars, 1 ton of CO2 is saved. Since the start of the GOTS program, approximately 100 tons of CO2 emissions have been saved. This is equivalent to saving 10,208 gallons of gas from being consumed or preventing 100,270 pounds of coal from being burned.

The Solid Waste Department wants to thank all residents, restaurants, and businesses that participate in the GOTS program! Residents who are interested in recycling their glass separately can bring their glass to any of the five Waste and Recycling Centers or any of the four 24-hr drop-off sites.

For more information on the benefits of glass recycling, visit this link.

Got An Oops Tag?

If you’ve ever received a tag on your recycling cart that says ‘oops’, that means a recycling driver noticed one of four things:

Contamination in your recycling cart – prohibited items such as scrap metal, plastic bags/wrap, food waste, Styrofoam etc.
Incorrect Cart Placement – the recycling cart must be placed along the side of the road without obstructing any driveway or bike lane. The cart should have 3 ft. clearance on all sides with the cart handle facing away from the street.
Overfilled Cart – The lid of the cart must shut closed and no items can be placed on the side of or on top of the cart. Only items placed inside the cart will be collected.
Bagged Recyclables – Recyclables were in plastic bags.

The driver will leave the oops tag and note which of the four rules were broken. If you have a question about why you received an oops tag or about information found on the oops tag, please contact our office at (919)968-2788 or email recycling@orangecountync.gov.

Can’t get enough Trash Talk? Listen to us on WHUP 104.7 low power FM (and streaming live) the second Tuesday of the month from 8:15 to 8:45 am on the 3-D News.