New Hanover County residents can now recycle single-use paper products typically used in the foodservice industry and No. 5 plastic containers.
New Hanover County Recycling and Solid Waste and the Foodservice Packaging Institute, which is the trade association for foodservice packaging industry in North America, have partnered together on the effort.
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Included among the materials that will be accepted for recycling now are paper-based items like to-go cups used at restaurants and coffee shops, along with cartons used to hold liquids like juice, milk or stocks and broths.
“The amount of usable space in our landfill is becoming smaller each day and we know that recycling is a way to help address this issue,” Recycling and Solid Waste Director Joe Suleyman said in a statement. “This new partnership is very exciting as it will help keep everyday containers so many of us use out of the garbage and our landfill, while also giving them a second life as a reusable product.”
No. 5 plastic containers are commonly associated with bottles used for hygiene products like shampoo, lotion and soap, as well as takeout food containers and tubs used to hold things like yogurt or sour cream. These plastics can be identified by the number 5 inside the recycling triangle logo on their surface. Spiral-wound containers, like the tubes used to hold stacked potato chips or unbaked dough, can also be recycled.
To help reduce contamination, individuals who are recycling any of the accepted materials are encouraged to make sure they are empty and lightly rinsed to remove leftover residue.
Last year, the team at New Hanover County’s Material Recovery Facility sorted and packaged more than 42,000 tons of recyclable materials that was shipped off for processing to be reused at facilities around the region.
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New Hanover County has seven recycling drop-off locations that can be used by all residents. In addition, residents in the Wilmington city limits can recycle through the city’s curbside recycling program.
Kure Beach and Carolina Beach also offer curbside recycling residents, and there are private recycling services that residents can contract with directly.
To learn more about recycling in New Hanover County, visit Recycling.NHCgov.com.
