N.C. Law to Ban Plastic Bottles from Landfills
Under a new law that takes effect Oct. 1, North Carolina will be banning all rigid plastic containers from landfills. This includes any bottles with a neck smaller than the container itself.
The legislation was created back in 2005, and will focus largely on the recovery of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This plastic, commonly identified by the number “1″ inside a recycling symbol on the bottle, is the resin of choice for most soda and water bottles.
This North Carolina landfill will soon have to adhere to the plastic bottle ban. Photo: Scelp.org
North Carolina is also building the nation’s largest facility to recycle PET bottles, which will able to process 280 million pounds of material per year. One of the primary partners in this venture is carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries Group, LLC, which can turn recycled PET into polyester for use in carpeting.
North Carolina is already home to the second largest high-density polyethylene (HDPE) recycling facility in the U.S., Envision Plastics. HDPE is the other commonly used plastic bottle resin, which can be found in detergent bottles and milk jugs.
The state will be inspecting landfills starting in October, but it’s unlikely that individuals will be fined for trashing plastic bottles unless they are caught unloading a large amount.
“It’s not going to be a Big Brother law, but the best way to be in compliance with the law is to recycle plastic bottles,” says Scott Mouw, environmental supervisor for the North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources. “Everyone wants to do the right thing, and the right thing is to recycle.”
North Carolina already has a substantial list of items banned from landfills, which ranges from aluminum cans to white goods. Also being added to the banned products list in October is motor oil filters.
While PET and HDPE represent the largest population of plastic bottles, a growing alternative are bioplastics. These are made of renewable materials that biodegrade in a commercial compost system.
RE3.org
posted on June 3rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
Thanks for the post about our upcoming plastic bottle disposal ban law in NC. We just created a new web site about it with all sorts of good information. Check it out here – http://www.p2pays.org/BannedMaterials/PlasticBottles/.
tom
posted on June 4th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
darn it, now i will have to start burning the stuff. oh well makes good kindling!
Brian Morgan
posted on June 6th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Completely on board with recycling – probably long before you were born.
We referred to the effort in many ways – thrift among other names.
There is one glaring error in your piece.
All of these laws are nascent “Big Brother” initiatives.
The best way to work with human nature is not to tell people that they want to do the right thing but rather to make it worth their while.
Will there be a user recovery fee rolled into plastics reclamation as has been the case with Al and glass?
If this is simply another case of telling people to turn in their plastic so a select group may profit as against rewards being distributed throughout the use chain, then this most definitely is a “Big Brother” law.
mike smith
posted on June 8th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I am so so lucky to be in such a unique position, i have been for 25 years trying to finalise my idea/invention and seem to be at the point where in 2-3 months time once the patent searches have been completed i will be able to show the world my process that will deal with the problem of plastics to landfill, it will mean that in the future that no plastic at all (YOU DID READ IT RIGHT NO PLASTICS EVER AGAIN TO LANDFILL ) this means scrap plastic will !, once the huge mountain has been dealt with, have a value it is a global problem that is no more, there is no need for it to be sorted the process will take a car bumper or dashboard to a pop bottle or a pc monitor with glass or screen and all its components, this seems hard to believe i know but it works, i have mede some samples and it works, people who have seen it are so impressed, i find it hard to believe that i have cracked it or maybe i can help save the planet and live comfortable at the same time, this is HUGE its a little daunting to a nobody from the midlands in England
but i am confident that this will change the way we deal with (scrap) or glass or any contaminated plastic produce,
regards mike smith
Greg
posted on June 8th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I don’t think this law will do much if anything. Look how many aluminum cans still end-up in the garbage. It may spur municipalities to include more access to recycling.
I agree with the Brian, that you need to make it worth people’s while. Deposit systems work much better. I lived in a State with that collected a deposit on every soda cans and bottles. You got your money back when you returned the empties. My grandmother made it my chore and would let me keep the money. We returned every single one. You never saw them on the side of the road and rarely saw people throwing them away. You would literally be throwing away money.
Some solutions don’t need to be complicated.
asad
posted on June 12th, 2009 at 9:43 am
If we don’t stop garbage from out break? we will weakup one day to find that our earth became look like place like dump, So I think this Law will limit and stop this war against our lovely earth.
fastfood
posted on June 26th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Thank you for creating this web site. It certainly fits the bill in so many ways that I’m amazed. I gather this is not a government web site as it is so complete and easy to navigate where as gov’s read so deeply into the process resulting in sites that amount to not much more than gibberish.
Shalar Sellers
posted on August 16th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Shalar’s view on recycling
I don’t think this law will do enough to make a difference. Every human on this planet has been recycling in one form or another, forever. Just review the history of humans and how they live their lives from one generation to the next. Sure we have used up a great deal of recourses, and it has ended up as spent energy, it is gone forever. Using Einstein’s famous formula E=mc2 the amount of fuel that we use up is converted into energy and used by all of us. “Just think of how much lighter the planet is now with out the mass of fuel that we have used, and the long term effects of that, hello Sun.” Yes recycling does help reduce the energy cost to reproduce these materials, and it will keep us from running out of each item in the near future. Please let’s not full ourselves into thinking that by putting it all back onto the consumer and our problems will be solved. The land fill owners, recyclers, and anyone else who stands to make a profit on the consumers efforts, should also do their part. I do not see that in this legislation. (No I have not reviewed a copy of the bill) Why was this issue not addressed? It’s all about the money. This is type of equipment is very costly and no one wants to spend the required capital to make it happen. The very least we could do is review the break even point. The benefits for future generations to continue to have these products available to them is worth it.
The local municipalities, land fill owners, and recyclers must do more to increase the consumers’ access to recycling. By purchasing recycling equipment, and no I do not mean another container for me to put something else in when I take my trash to the curb or to the waste collection center. This bill should have given mandates for the purchase of recycling equipment. Equipment that totally recycles house hold waste. Even the biomass could be used to produce fuel to operate the equipment. Then there would not be a need for landfills just collection centers like we have now.
Some solutions don’t need to be complicated; they just require some type of action by responsible people.
If you agree with these comments please pass it on. If not get back into your narrow minded box and please turn off the light.
Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to share my view with you.
Amanda
posted on August 21st, 2009 at 9:00 pm
I’ve been waiting on something like this! I can’t beleive how people dont care about the planet they live on. Not recycling and BURNING trash are some of the reasons why our planet is in such bad shape!!! I would love to see NC and all other states make it a mandatory program for schools, businesses, and communities to recycle even just the basics like plastics, glass, cardboard/paper, batteries, and oils!!! Not only will it help the environment but create jobs!!! I dont think people should be paid to recycle and i have mixed feelings about fees but something has to be done NOW!!! Even if it takes 20 years to see positive effects on our planet it will be worth it. This should have been put in place years ago. I recycle everything I can and try to encourage everyone i meet to do the same.
I really hope this law does some good and opens peoples minds!!!
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posted on August 30th, 2009 at 4:02 am
[...] N.C. Law to Ban Plastic Bottles from Landfills – Earth911.com earth911.com/blog/2009/06/03/nc-law-to-ban-plastic-bottles-from-landfills – view page – cached Guide to local resources including recycling centers, how to recycle, pollution prevention and how help protect the environment. — From the page [...]
karen
posted on September 13th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Anything we can do to help clean up the landfills is fantastic. Everything we do to help makes a difference. Future generations will fill the effects of changes we make now.
Thanks for your article.
Mike Mitchell for Hope Mills Commissioner » Blog Archive » Did You Know?
posted on September 18th, 2009 at 11:41 am
[...] 1. “The State of NC is banning certain plastic containers from landfills as of 10/01/09 and we must start a recycling program.” (In less than two weeks, what is our plan?) See http://earth911.com/blog/2009/06/03/nc-law-to-ban-plastic-bottles-from-landfills/ [...]
Angela
posted on September 30th, 2009 at 5:58 am
In Pitt county you have to pay for a bin for city pick up. If you want to more people to recycle then make it as easy and cost- effective as possible. Refuse collection agencies charging for bins and service is not helping the cause.
Kim
posted on October 1st, 2009 at 10:30 am
OK..I don’t get it. What happens if I toss a recyclable bottle into the trash? Is my garbage collector going to fish it out of my garbage and leave it in my yard? How is this going to be enforced? What is the penalty for non-compliance? Yet another meaningless government mandate that has no way of being enforced. Sounds good in theory but there is no practical application. Such is the way of the government. Sounds to me like what will happen is that landfills will have to pay fines when the banned materials are found and they will pass the cost along to the consumer which will in turn increase the cost of having your trash picked up. Nice.
I’m all for recycling, but for goodness sake, how about an incentive to recycle instead of telling people that they must or else (or else what?). Recycling incentives would be much more effective. Unfortunately, our legislators just don’t get it (again).
Naive
posted on October 2nd, 2009 at 4:21 am
Ok — I think this is a wonderful law, and i can’t understand why people are complaining about no incentives. I don’t get paid to throw my trash in the dumpster. Why should i get paid to put my plastic bottles in a different bin? I don’t understand why everyone thinks people should just get paid everytime they do the right thing. Do children get paid to get to school on time? No, they are taught what is respectful and what is not. How about teaching responsibility instead of making people more obsessed with doing everything for money?
Kristi
posted on October 2nd, 2009 at 8:58 am
Why should anyone be offered incentive to recycle. We consume so much each and every day…it’s our responsibility to give back as much as possible. If you don’t recycle, you’re simply irresponsible. Watch the freaking news.
Bob
posted on October 2nd, 2009 at 11:34 am
I don’t have a problem with recycling the bottles. I used to live in NY with the nickel deposit system and it worked just fine. In fact it was strange to me when I moved here that they didn’t recycle anything and I had to throw everything away. The problem in NC is that they created a law and did not give us any place to put the bottles. With the deposit system you took them back to the store and got your nickel back. What am I supposed to do with them? I am not going to have a pile of plastic bottles in my yard waiting for a solution and I am not going to burn my gas to haul them to Timbuktu either. The state needs to set up a convenient place to drop them off or institute a deposit system with the retailers like other states. Everything here is done half ass without being fully thought through. The government here is completely incompetent.
josh
posted on October 5th, 2009 at 9:51 am
why aren’t we burning trash to start with? and tires? and green people?
North Carolina Law to Ban Plastic Bottles from Landfills | Collect. Connect. Recycle.
posted on October 5th, 2009 at 11:57 am
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Vanessa
posted on October 6th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
What are you talking about Bob?? I have someplace to bring it – it’s called my recycling container. And then when the trash comes to pick it up, the recycling person comes as well and takes that. Why do you all need an incentive to recycle?? Don’t you think helping the planet and doing good for where you live is incentive enough??
jay
posted on October 7th, 2009 at 7:02 am
They need to do a better job recycling at schools, and how much is the fine? Are people going to search your trash to see if you have bottles in it?
Rachel
posted on October 9th, 2009 at 7:31 am
i dont see how this is going to work there is to much of a gray area
Marissa
posted on October 9th, 2009 at 7:32 am
I love this earth. lets go greennnnnnnnn
pld
posted on October 10th, 2009 at 6:39 am
I have been recycling for a long time-I do not find it inconvenient-I have lived in NC for the past 2yrs and hopefully remain here till the end. The thing that I find so dishearting is the amount of abandent mobil homes everywhere. In the Sneads Ferry area alone I can show you at least 100 in a 5 mile radius. These abandend structures are made of wood, alumine, glass, steel, etc. Isn’t there anyway to involved the removal of these eye sores in a program for recycling. NC is a beautifull state with much ecolizical benifits if they where all taken advantage of. The land that is blited by these a structures could be put to a much better use if sometime was done about their present state, I am sure that much wild life have found home within them, but that habitate would be ablilte to live on the live without them being present. I have been told that it would cost 5K per unite for removal. Any thoughts on what could be done.
Greenhoof » Blog Archive » North Carolina Bans Plastic Bottles from Landfills
posted on October 13th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
[...] Via: Earth911 LINK [...]
North Carolina Bans Plastic Bottles from Landfills | SquareCows
posted on October 13th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
[...] Via: Earth911 LINK [...]
lloyd slone
posted on October 19th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
instead of making new laws to force people to do recycling why not put more people to work in the land fills separting the recyclable materials this would help the economy and the employment of nc
Chris Wright
posted on October 29th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Wow. Just another way for environmentalists to begin to control every aspect of your life. We are already going to have to spend extra moola for these ridiculous cap and trade taxes…all for what?? Lowering the temerature of the Earth by a single degree. C’mon…let’s quit falling for these radical politician’s ecofatalist lies. I’ll stop throwing away plastic bottles as soon as Al Gore stops flying his fuel burning planes around. I didn’t know our boys in Afghanistan were dying for the government’s right to punish citizens for throwing away plastic bottles. What’s next….putting a ban on paper. This slope is very slippery.
New Law Bans Plastic Bottles | The Apartments at Weston Lakeside
posted on November 1st, 2009 at 12:40 pm
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