Plastic bottles banned from landfills

By: Sharon McBrayer | Morganton News Herald
Published: August 20, 2009

Morganton --

If you haven't been recycling your plastic bottles, you need to start or you could face legal ramifications.
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources put plastic bottles, along with motor oil filters and wooden pallets, on the list of items banned in landfills, according to information from the state.
Those items should be taken to recycling centers, state officials say.
"We encourage North Carolinians to help these disposal bans succeed by expanding and starting new recycling efforts," said Dee Freeman, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "Recycling is a proven job creator in North Carolina and if we do our best to recycle the newly banned materials, we will not only grow businesses in the state, but also protect disposal capacity, recover valuable resources, save energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
According to information from the state, "depending on the type of violator and the severity of the violation, the Division of Waste Management may, at its discretion, assess a range of administrative and/or civil penalties for violation of the disposal bans."
The town of Valdese offers curbside recycling to its residents for $1.30 a month, say town officials. The town contracts with Garbage Disposal Services and pays half the cost.
Brian Duckworth, director of public works for the town, said more residents in the town are taking advantage of the service. He said 68 percent of residents recycled in June compared to 62 percent who recycled in June 2008.
The town of Hildebran also started offering free curbside recycling to residents in July. The town contracts with Simply Green Recycling Service in Morganton to offer the service.
A little more than 100 residents have taken advantage of it so far, said Fredrick Rankins, town finance officer and deputy town clerk. The town has under 1,000 homes in its limits, he said.
Both towns have lists on their respective Web sites of items that can be recycled.
The city of Morganton has a recycling bin at Shuey Field on Golf Course Road, said Scott Lookadoo, director of public works for Morganton.
Lookadoo said there is another recycle bin not operated by the city in the parking lot of the Christian Outreach Center on E. Fleming Drive.
The county also offers recycling bins at its waste transfer site on Marsh Trail off Huffman Bridge Road in Morganton and its five convenience sites. Site location and times are listed on the county's Web site under general services.
Paul Crissman, chief of the solid waste section of the state division of waste management, said it's up to residents to eliminate the banned items from their trash. The point of enforcement would be up to the landfill or transfer station, he said.
The state's goal is not to catch people not complying, Crissman said, it's to educate people about not throwing away the items in their regular trash.
"The effort will be, hopefully, where waste is generated," Crissman said.
To see a full list of items banned from landfills, go to http://www.p2pays.org/ref/38/37984.pdf.

Plastic bottles banned from landfills

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