CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County's recycling service has been around for decades, but many people are questioning if the items that actually get put in their bins are recycled.
To get the answer, WCNC Charlotte's Verify team went to a Mecklenburg County recycling center to see the operation up close. The first thing you'll see is a massive pile that looks like it'll never get caught up as even more recyclables are dropped off and added to the mix.
However, there is a process that turns the overwhelming pile into perfectly colorful cubes. But how does it get there and does all of it really get recycled?
THE QUESTION
Does Mecklenburg County actually recycle items sent to the recycling center?
THE ANSWER
Yes, items sent to the Mecklenburg Recycling Center that qualify for recycling do get recycled.
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND:
For 40 years, Smithberger has seen how recycling has changed from just glass bottles to now an array of items picked up at your door.
"Our total amount of recycled material is over 250,000 tons of materials annually," he said.
Those items come to the plant on trucks and are dumped into that big pile. They're then sorted by machines before getting dumped onto a conveyor belt. That's where sorting workers pick out items that were missed by the machines.
"If they miss something, then we're the first line of defense," Smithberger said. "We have mechanized equipment that will separate those things as well."
Here is what's accepted:
- Plastic containers with necks
- Cartons and Juice boxes
- Empty aerosol cans
- Aluminum cans
- Cereal boxes
- Cardboard boxes
- Clean pizza boxes
- Glass bottles and jars
- Tin/Steel cans
- Brown bags and high-grade paper
- Junk mail
- Magazines and Newspapers
Unfortunately, not everyone's sending the right kind of stuff to the recycling center. There are shoes, water bottles with liquid in them, food containers and things you just can't recycle. Sometimes as much as 25% of the items sent in can't be recycled.
"Some days the contamination is heavier than others," Smithberger said.
From there, the recyclables end up in cubes that are sold to different manufacturers who will create new items. Everything else gets tossed in a tractor-trailer and hauled to the landfill.
While people are recycling the wrong items, some aren't participating at all. According to a 2024 Recycling Partnerships study, only 43% of U.S. households actually recycle.
You can see the list of where to drop off items and what's allowed here.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make sure the community has the correct information on news that impacts them. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.