Most North Carolinians are probably aware that certain items don’t go in the household trash. Tires, old appliances, and motor oil are specifically banned from landfills in the state, and others like car batteries carry disposal fees at the point of purchase. Starting Oct. 1, though, the General Assembly made it illegal to throw a plastic milk jug or an empty ketchup bottle in the garbage, too.
While the law’s penalties are vague and directed at the companies and municipalities that actually take trash to the landfill, the new rule expects every citizen to separate certain classes of plastic containers from their household trash and redirect them to recycling programs — even if local authorities don’t offer them or the program is distant or inconvenient.
According to the state’s Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, only 20 percent of plastic bottles are being recycled, “despite [the state] hosting some of the largest processors of these materials.” Scott Mouw, the environmental supervisor for DPPEA, said in a press release that, “Widespread compliance with the plastic bottle disposal ban will ensure a flow of plastic bottles to meet market demand for the materials and will result in additional job creation through the expansion of recycling collection companies,” calling the ban “a major growth opportunity for the state’s recycling businesses and for local government recycling collection programs as well.”
The plastic bottle ban was an amendment to existing landfill restrictions, passing the General Assembly by near-unanimous votes before being signed into law. Although the law took effect this October, it has been on the books since 2005. The statute contains other restrictions on discarded televisions and computer equipment that take effect in 2011, stemming from a different bill.
Other than its length — over four years in this case — that kind of delay is not uncommon, said Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, one of the bill’s original co-sponsors. “It was probably to allow local governments to plan for it,” she said. “It was also probably to gain more votes. There are people who might not have voted for it if it went into effect right away.” Insko’s district has the state’s highest per-capita collection of plastic bottles for recycling; she said trash collectors will actually leave recyclable items behind as a reminder if they find them mixed with household garbage.
Other counties trail far behind Orange’s collection of nearly 30 pounds per person each year. The pollution prevention division reports that Pamlico County comes in second, collecting less than half Orange’s amount, 14.76 pounds per capita. Only six counties reported as much as 10 pounds per person in 2007-08, and 19 — including Cumberland, Robeson, and Harnett counties, representing almost half a million residents — collected less than one pound per person. Mecklenburg and Wake recycled between 6 and 7 pounds each.
Some counties and cities have extensive recycling programs including curbside pickup and city-supplied recycling bins provided to residents. The town of Smithfield, for instance, recently resumed curbside service, which had been cancelled several years ago. Until recently, residents who wanted to recycle took their materials to a truck parked at the town’s complex near the water treatment plant. Convenience centers, including one in a business district along U.S. Highway 301 in Smithfield, are reserved for county residents with proper stickers.
Other areas don’t offer comparable convenience, and while some homeowners are enthusiastic about the new law, others express frustration at their efforts to comply. Jen Froio in Granville County said she recycles as a matter of conscience, “but I absolutely despise it!” Her town does not offer curbside pickup, she said, and the collection center is “teeming with flies” and does not accept mixed recyclables, forcing her to sort her garbage or find another drop-off point.
“I have found a recycling enter in another county that does accept commingled recyclables, she said. “I drive there every other month or so, wasting about two gallons of gas in my effort to preserve the environment. Ironic? I think so.”
Others shared similar stories. Elayne Humphrey moved from Cary to north Fayetteville five years ago and found recycling required a 20-minute drive to the downtown collection center; when gas prices peaked, they decided it was too expensive to continue.
Irene Paine of Angier said her family tried to arrange for pickup with their private trash contractor when they moved to Harnett County three years ago. “I was told that residents of Harnett County were still allowed to burn their trash, thus, no recycling was available,” she said. When they attempted to return to Wake County to drop off recyclables there, a sheriff’s deputy turned them away from a collection center. Harnett has since opened up several collection centers but does not have a designated recycling coordinator for the county.
Lowell Shaw oversees the recycling programs in Wake County from his position as solid waste facilities manager. Wake has 11 convenience centers scattered around the county and open to all — but only — Wake residents. He said it’s too soon to tell the impact of the new bottle ban
“To be honest, this is still relatively new,” he said. “It took effect in October so there’s no data yet to see if there’s a difference in volume. The infrastructure is there to handle it, though, and we definitely do want them to recycle their bottles.”
Most of his recent effort has been on education, he said, explaining the county’s recycling system and answering homeowners’ concerns.
“Some citizens are worried about what this means to them. No, we’re not going to look in their garbage,” he said with a chuckle.
The same afternoon, when a rural county manager’s office was asked for the recycling supervisor, the administrative assistant burst into peals of laughter. In spite of four years’ warning, not every county is fully on board with the state’s unfunded mandate to create, maintain, and operate recycling programs—and even where the county is ready, it seems, residents have their own complaints and difficulties to address.
Hal Young is a contributor to Carolina Journal.