NC Set to Begin Ban of Plastic Bottles in Landfills

Starting the first of next month plastic bottles, as well as oil filters and wooden pallets will be banned from disposal in landfills in North Carolina.

At the present time the state of North Carolina recovers less than 20 percent of the plastic bottles generated in the state, despite large plastic processors located in the state. According to the state a main reason for the ban is to boost the recovery of bottles to meet the demand from the plastics processors.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in support of the ban, notes that a new PET plastics recycling facility is being built in Fayetteville, N.C., which will have the capacity to use 280 million pounds of PET plastic a year.

Another facility, Envision Plastics, is the nation’s second largest recycler of HDPE, and operates a facility in Reidsville, N.C.

According to the National Association of PET Container Resources, end users of recycled PET in 11 southeastern states have the capacity for 1.439 billion pounds per year. HDPE reclaimers in the United States can use more than 1 billion pounds annually, but due to poor recovery rates are operating at 69 percent capacity.

"Widespread compliance with the plastic bottle disposal ban will ensure a flow of plastic bottles to meet market demand for the materials and will result in additional job creation through the expansion of recycling collection companies," said Scott Mouw, environmental supervisor for the state Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. "The law represents a major growth opportunity for the state’s recycling businesses and for local government recycling collection programs as well."

State officials are educating public and private solid waste management facilities to separate the banned items from the waste stream before those items arrive at a disposal facility. If necessary, enforcement of the disposal bans will be applied primarily at disposal facilities such as landfills and transfer stations by the N.C. Division of Waste Management. The law does allow for accidental or occasional disposal of small amounts of banned materials. However, starting a recycling program for the banned materials is the simplest and easiest way to ensure compliance.

As for the other commodities, beginning Oct. 1, wooden pallets will only be permitted to be disposed of in a landfilled that is permitted to accept construction and demolition debris; oil filters, also banned from landfills starting Oct.1; and whole scrap tires, but does not apply to whole solid rubber coverings.

For further information on the materials being banned, as well dates for when enforcement begins, click on the following link http://www.p2pays.org/ref/38/37984.pdf