Plastic bottles must be recycled in NC

by Nicole Stewart — last modified Jun 03, 2009 05:23 PM
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In 2005, environmental groups worked to pass House Bill 1465 which made it illegal to dispose of oyster shells in landfills. This bill also made it illegal to dispose of "rigid plastic containers" in landfills, starting October 1, 2009!

Rigid plastic containers are plastic bottles that have a neck smaller than the body of the container. For instance, coke bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, etc. 

Not only will this be great for the environment and save on precious landfill space, it will also help create a new economy in NC. From an article in the Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. to ban throwing away bottles:

Plastic-bottle recycling is big business both domestically and internationally, as corporations can cut their costs by reusing the containers instead of producing new ones from virgin materials, Mouw said.

The article continues:

A bit more locally, Clear Path Recycling in Fayetteville is building a $50 million plant that will rely heavily on the company's ability to amass recycled PET plastics from regional material-recovery facilities. After municipalities collect recycled waste from curbside pickup, materials are sent to MRFs where they are separated to be sold to corporations or recycling centers for profit.

Once Clear Path has acquired these plastics, they will be converted into polyester and sold primarily to national carpet manufacturing giant Shaw Floors, Mouw said.

The challenge of course - just as it continues to be for aluminum cans, tires, and white goods - is enforcing the law. What do you recommend as an incentive and/or penalty to make sure the law is enforced?

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Comments (4)

Anonymous User Sep 05, 2009 07:14 PM
    a incentive such as a deposit fee ( refundable ) is the best way to go about compliance to the law . remember when glass bottles had a deposit , that also incouraged thrifty people to pick up bottles for extra cash.
Anonymous User Sep 25, 2009 02:06 PM
If this is a state law, then the state should provide some type of recycling pick-up. Most cities have a recycling program but individuals who live outside the city are not offered this convenience and may not be near a recycling facility.
Anonymous User Oct 01, 2009 02:54 PM
I agree with the post before me about incentives to recycle. Granted, we shouldn't need an incentive to do something that is good for our environment. However, for something that will cause any minor inconvenience to an already chaotic life (a working single mother, for example) can be quite stressful. In Michigan, every grocery store has a recycling area with automatic machines where customers can take their recyclable bottles and receive a ticket showing the amount of money they are due. Then, at the register, this ticket can be used to cash out, or to apply toward grocery purchases. I think it would be wonderful if NC would implement a system such as this. Not only would we be helping our environment, but it would provide a great incentive to turn in those bottles, especially for those living on shoe string budgets.
Anonymous User Oct 19, 2009 07:26 PM
I agree with an incentive, charging a five cents deposit can come in very handy for the less fortunate. They can collect empty soda cans and bottles in exchange for monies.
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