The Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a “Recycle Right NC” proclamation that supports a campaign re-commitment to recycling within the county’s small communities Monday evening. The cost-effective measure hopes to decrease the amounts of non-recyclable items, or contaminants, from being placed in recycling bins that compromise the quality of truly recyclable materials. It also creates safety hazards for the employees at the materials recovery facility where recyclables are sorted.
Greene County currently places all of its recyclables such as glass, plastic bottles/dishware, cardboard, etc. into one bin and garbage bags into another bin at the landfill. The materials are distributed and separated at other sites.
“It’s costing to recycle now. A lot of the small towns do not have the budget to pay for fees and recycling programs,” said David Jones, public works director for Greene County. “They’ve stopped. In my opinion, that’s what prompted the state to come up with this program right here. They’re trying to get those people back in it, trying to get everybody to do single-stream recycling.
“[That’s] what we do in our convenience sites.”