CHAPEL HILL - Orange County is switching to Single Stream recycling starting July 1.
Single stream recycling means that plastic, aluminum, metal, and glass products can now be mixed with paper and solid cardboard products in recycling bins. This means residents no longer have to separate their recyclables.
Orange County Solid Waste Management Planner Blair Pollock says this program makes it easier to recycle. Also, the change makes the recycling truck driver’s jobs easier.
“The only downside is that we expect to experience a little bit more residue,” Pollock says. “The value of the materials will drop because they will have more sorting time, but that will be outweighed by the amount of new materials and the convenience and the efficiency that our drivers will get from picking up quicker.”
Corrugated cardboard still needs to be kept separate from other recyclables. The cardboard guidelines haven’t changed. Residents should still empty and flatten boxes that are three feet by three feet or smaller and as many pieces that can fit into your bin are allowed.
Pollock offers some additional advice on how to help truck drivers increase efficiency.
“One thing that we would ask folks to do is to squeeze down all your plastic bottles and metal cans because we still don’t have compacting trucks,” he says. “And that helps save truck space, therefore they can stay on the route longer and there is less fuel used to go off route.”
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