Really? That actually might be a good thing but, no, not quite. Plastic bottles are however, as of October 1, 2009, banned from landfills in the state.
What’s being banned? All rigid plastic containers. This includes any bottles with a neck smaller than the container itself.
The goal of the ban is to keep our 288 million pounds per year of soda containers, milk jugs and detergent bottles out of the landfills and into recycle centers. Another goal? The creation of jobs. We already have companies that recycle plastics such as Envision Plastics & Plastic Revolutions here in Reidsville.
Clear Path Recycling is building another facility in Fayetteville to recycle more than 280 million pounds annually, or about 5 billion bottles. When completed, the operation will have a capacity of 280 million pounds making it the largest recycling operation in North America.
Recycled plastic bottles become many things including new bottles, plastic shopping bags, carpet, fabrics and clothing. Right now, China buys up to 1/2 of the plastic bottles the US recycles.
So, are you going to have to worry about the plastic bottle police? No, state inspectors will be mostly watching landfills and trash haulers.
Also banned as of October 1 are oil filters and wooden pallets, both in demand by recyclers. A lot of items are already banned from North Carolina landfills such as aluminum cans which have been banned since the 1990′s.
You can read more at Earth911.
Recycling makes a lot of sense. We can’t keep disposing our trash in land fills as we are currently doing.
Sep 16th, 2009 / 3:09 pm
The amount of waste we generate everyday is impossible to comprehend…
Sep 16th, 2009 / 3:11 pm
It is interesting that it is cheaper in Seattle for trash pickup if you recycle. Recycled cans, bottles [both glass and plastic], and paper are picked up for free. You only pay for garbage that goes to the landfill. We have the smallest garbage can available and don’t fill it up every week. It works well here. Other communities should do this too.
Sep 16th, 2009 / 3:41 pm
it is sad but recycling is not available/practiced at many businesses across NC (ans other states)… unless you do it yourself.. but many people would not just volunteer to collect it and take it to a recycling center… it’s an inconvenience…
Sep 16th, 2009 / 3:56 pm
I don’t know why this is so difficult here. Recycling companies make HUGE money. You’d think they’d make recycling easier for everyone…
Sep 16th, 2009 / 4:22 pm
“Karen, maybe we should start a movement to incorporate that into cities. That is what we did in Arkansas, and it worked beautifully. The city supplied the containers, picked them up and got the money for the recycling…they also picked up the trash (on a different day) and we were charged by the can full. Sure makes a difference and it helped the city to expand their recycling depot. It is a big money maker back in them there hills!!!”
Sep 16th, 2009 / 6:36 pm
Good idea. We have company that picks up from us twice a month but only a small can… We have way more recycle than regular so I wish they came weekly. I don’t mind paying for it
Sep 16th, 2009 / 7:00 pm