CHAPEL HILL – If you’re an avid recycler, or even just a casual one, you’ve contributed to Orange County reaching a state high in waste reduction of 59 percent, nearing its goal of 61 percent.

In the 1991-92 fiscal year, Orange County set a goal to reduce the amount of waste people produced.  At the time, the average amount of waste created per person was 1.36 metric tons.

“59 percent waste reduction means that in 2011-2012, as a whole, we had a waste reduction of 59% against that initial 1.36 tons per person,” says county solid waste planner Blair Pollock. “(We) measure what’s not there, if you will.”

Orange County offers an abundance of recycling options for households, schools, and businesses.  Pollock says composting food and vegetative waste is also an alternative form of recycling that saves space in landfills.

In 1995, when Orange County conducted its second waste characterization study, they found that still over half of the county’s waste was recyclable.  Pollock says that in the past 16 years Orange County has made big strides at improving recycling.

“Not only did we really step the rate of recycling in Orange County, but we also stepped up the overall rate of waste reduction,” Pollock says. “We’ve done things like mak(ing) compost bins available to people on an ongoing basis from our office and conduct(ing) backyard composting education along with that, and we’ve set up a whole variety of recycling programs.”

In the 2011-12 year, Orange County recycled about 31 percent of its total waste.  However, this number does not include commonly recycled cardboard and a few other items that are often disposed of through outside measures.

Pollock says the future of recycling in Orange County may change soon: “Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough just received several proposals from other recycling companies,” he says, “so they are evaluating those and making a determination whether they will continue with the collective program that has been pretty successful for the last 26 years or whether they will decide to strike out in a different direction.”

Still, the success of recycling programs in Orange County have made recycling and efficient waste management a taken-for-granted way of life. At events like the Carrboro Music Festival, Pollock says, readily-available recycling reduced the amount of waste produced by up to 90 percent.  And Pollock says UNC also holds high standards when it comes to waste to management and making recycling easy for people on campus, helping the county set a high standard of consciousness around recycling.

“Let me just add a shout-out to our stall work recycling friends over at UNC,” he says. “For as long as we have been managing recycling in the part of the county that’s not affiliated with the university, they’ve been doing, as a parallel track, a terrific job.”

For more information on Orange County Recycling click here.

Related Stories
‹
This is Tourism: Muriel Williman
Muriel Williman, Solid Waste Education and Outreach Coordinator for Orange County Government, has been working for the past 17 years to reduce waste throughout the Triangle. Through teaching and modeling principles of integrated solid waste management, source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting and leading local special events in zero-waste practices, Williman works to embed zero-waste practices […]
José Hidalgo Named Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year
José Hidalgo, a seventh-grade science teacher at A.L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough, was named the Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year Friday afternoon. Hidalgo was chosen from among 13 teachers who were named Teachers of the Year at their respective schools. “Hidalgo’s selflessness, dedication to his work, and ability to form strong relationships […]
Orange County: School Board Requests and Federal Funding Cuts
Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Wednesday, April 30. She discussed the business of this week's Board of Commissioners meeting, which also included the boards of education from Orange County School and Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. The school boards submitted budget requests for the upcoming year, and all three boards heard a presentation on the impact of federal spending cuts, and more.
Orange County: Capital Plan, Budget, Property Revaluation Outreach
Orange County Commissioner Sally Greene spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Wednesday, April 23, discussing county news and events. She talked about the commissioners' recent work session in which they hear from County Manager Travis Myron on the 10-year capital  budget.
Easter Weekend to Affect Local Government Services in Orange County
The upcoming Easter weekend starting Friday April 18 will affect several local government services around the community.
Orange County Approves Purchase of Hillsborough Site for Future Crisis Diversion Facility
The Orange County Board of Commissioners recently approved a land purchase for a future Crisis Diversion Facility. 
Orange County: The Site of the Future Crisis Diversion Facility + Discussing Tax Rates and Revaluation
Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford joins 97.9 The Hill News Director Brighton McConnell over the phone on Wednesday, April 16.
Orange County Preps for Revenue-Neutral Property Tax Rate Discussion; Board Chair Shares Threshold to Watch for Property Value
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will discuss the county's updated revenue-neutral property tax rate at its meeting on Tuesday, with the board chair revealing the threshold for how much property owners will see increases.
Orange County: Land Use Plans, Soccer Complex, Revenue-Neutral Tax Rate
Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Wednesday, April 9, discussing county news and events. She talked about the commissioners Land Use Plan, which they will continue discussion of in September. She also talked about a 34 acre soccer complex in western Orange County and how that fits into the budget going forward. She talked about the county's recent property revaluation, revealing the revenue-neutral tax rate for the county, and more.
Conversations We Need To Have: Orange County Equity and Inclusion Officer Paul Slack
Orange County's Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Paul Slack spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Monday April 7. He discussed the current work of his office, which includes a successful event for Women's History Month in March. He also talked about some upcoming events. They also talked about how they came to support the work of social justice and equity for underrepresented groups, and more.
›