CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Let’s talk some trash.
Tuesday is America Recycles Day, and the best way to celebrate the national holiday is to recycle items in your home.
The White House proclaimed Nov. 15th as National Recycling Day; recycling is easy to do, and doing so can change the world for a sustainable future.
Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Management Director Jeff Smithberger is encouraging others to start recycling with basic household items such as cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, plastic bottles with necks, cartons, paper and magazines, and glass bottles.
He said to make sure all recyclables are clean and empty. In addition, he urges others not to include plastic bags in your curbside recycle bin.
Smithberger said their current facility processes 100,000 tons of recyclables per year, which serves one million people in Mecklenburg County.
However, he is making a proposal to the board of county commissioners for new equipment.
“It would be in the same building, but all the old equipment, the old conveyor belts, the old screeners, the old optical sorters would go away," Smithberger said. "And we’ll replace with new technology. The new technology would be able to better sort, better separate, make cleaner type recyclables that don’t have contamination mixed in with them that make that a more saleable product for the end market.”
And when it comes to large items, there are four full-service facilities to drop off items such as a refrigerator, microwave, or mattress among appliances and furniture pieces.
A new recycling center is expected to open in the Steele Creek area sometime next year.
Contact KJ Jacobs at kjacobs3@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.