After two years of the program being suspended, the City of Lumberton has permanently discontinued curbside recycling. During the suspension, Lumberton residents were directed to use the recycling containers, the green carts with yellow lids, for bagged trash. These containers will now be used for yard trimmings. The green carts with green lids that were once used for yard trimmings will be removed. Residents are asked to leave these containers on the curb until they are removed. The grey carts with grey lids will continue to be used for bagged trash.
More than two years ago the city halted the program because of a substantial increase in household waste being generated as a result of Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order issued March 27, 2020. Two weeks after the order went into effect, the city saw a more than 75% increase in residential garbage tonnage, according to Rob Armstrong, Public Works director. The department had continued to explore resuming the program but as the pandemic continued, city officials stopped trying to anticipate a timeline for returning, Armstrong told The Robesonian in April of 2021.
Lumberton’s administration was in the middle of launching a program to educate the public on recyclable materials prior to the suspension in 2020. The Public Works Department had distributed thousands of fliers to city residents that detailed what can and can’t be placed in a recycling bin. The city decided to terminate curbside recycling because “the only recycling facility in our region, located in Fayetteville, stopped accepting many of the traditionally recycled materials,” Armstrong said.