March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), or trash, is made up of household items that we commonly use and then throw away or recycle. MSW essentially
includes all trash besides industrial, hazardous or construction waste. MSW trends over the past fifty years nationwide were used as a basis for measurement. MSW is important to an analysis of the state of the triangles capabilities to connect people with nature because waste reduction and recycling trends demonstrate the environmental progressiveness of a community.
When looking at MSW trends an assessment can be made on waste reduction rates and recycling program development across the country. The graph below demonstrates that since 1960, total MSW generation has gone up nationwide. Though t his is not surprising, when breaking down the disposal of
MSW between trash and recycling, millions of tons of recycling has increased: from 69.4 million tons in 2000 to 82.9 million tons in 2008 while millions of tons of trash is decreasing slightly: from 169.7 million tons in 2000 to 166.7 million tons in 2008.
300
250
200
Trash

On average nationally, each person generates
4.50 pounds of solid waste a day.

Recycling rates have increased from 10 percent of MSW nationwide in 1980 to 33 percent of
MSW nationwide in
2008.

Waste disposal to landfills has decreased from 89 percent of MSW generated in 1980 to 54 percent in
2008 of MSW generated.
150 Recycling
100
50
TTL MSW Generation
0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Source: EPA: MSW Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States 2008
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March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
An examination of trash disposal programs and recycling programs triangle wide demonstrate the best practices, or lack thereof, of waste disposal throughout the triangle. A survey of each county’s services was completed to understand the state of the triangle waste collection, a key indicator of the triangles capabilities to connect people with nature through environmentally friendly waste disposal practices.
County Number of
Recycling
Centers
Chatham County: 12
Curbside Recycling? Number of
Convenience
Centers
Number of
Landfills
Other Waste Disposal Practices
Durham County: 4
County: No
Municipal: 2 (Public: Haw
River, Siler City)
County: Yes
County: 12
County: 4
County: 1
County: 1
- Hotline for illegal waste disposal
- Environmental Enforcement Program
- Recycling Fee to Collect: Yard Waste, Inert
Debris
- Recycling No Fee- Tires, Scrap Metal and
Appliances, Motor Oil and Filters, Propane Tanks,
Electronics, Car Batteries, Pesticide Containers.
- Small Business Recycling Centers
- Swap Shop
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
- Solid Waste Advisory Committee
- Household Hazardous Waste Center
- Roll Off Container Rental Services
- Swap Shop
- No stationary container services
- Disposal Services: Tire, Appliance, Batteries,
Waste Motor Oil
Johnston County: 12
Municipal: 2
(Benson,
Smithfield
Lee
Orange
County: 6
County: 10
County: No
Municipal: 4 (Public: Pine
Level, Princeton
Private: Clayton, Selma:)
County: No
Municipal: 1 (Private:
Sanford)
County: Yes
County: 12
County: 6
County: 5
County: 1
County: 1
County: 1
- House Hold Hazardous Waste Centers
- School Recycling Programs
- Stop Junk Mail Program
- Swat-A-Litterbug Program
- Recycling Services: Tire, Electronics, Scrap
Metal, Appliance, Construction and Demolition
Waste
- Mulch and Compost Sales
- Hazardous Waste Collection
- Disposal for Household Garbage Recycling
- Salvage Sheds
- 24 hour drop off sites
- School Recycling Programs
- Roadside Litter Clean Up Programs
- Household Hazardous Waste Centers
- Backyard Compositing Program
- Electronics Recycling
Wake County: 15 County: No
Municipal: 12 (Public: Apex,
Cary, Garner, HS, Knighdale,
Raleigh, Wake Forest,
Zebulon
Private: FV, Morrisville,
Rolesville, Wendell)
County: 12
County: 1
There are several different combinations of public and private disposal services throughout the triangle. All counties in the triangle offer multiple recycling centers, convenience centers (otherwise known as dumps) and a landfill with public access for the disposal of specific goods. When it comes to curbside waste pick up, only Orange and Durham counties offer this service, while Chatham, Johnston, Lee and Wake offer private and public services.
There are seven municipalities throughout the triangle that contract private disposal services. Interestingly enough though, every municipality that has contracted services has curbside recycling as well. Evaluating if a county has public recycling centers or curbside pick up, and subsequently and evaluation at the municipal level should recycling not be offered at the county level, is interesting because it demonstrates the allocation of priorities and resources for recycling programs in each county triangle wide.
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March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
It is commonly stated that recycling costs more than disposal, but this has been proven to be a myth. After full cost analysis of recycling versus disposal is completed, it is apparent that operating a recycling program can cost less than a solid waste collection and disposal program. Additionally, the higher the recycling rate, the more likely that recycling program operations will be less expensive than solid waste collection and disposal.
Effective October 1, 2009 the state of North Carolina has banned all rigid plastic containers from landfills. This legislation developed in 2005, with its main focus on the recovery of plastic bottles identified as number “1”. On top of implementing this ban, the state will be inspecting landfills for these plastic bottles. In addition, there are several items that have been banned from disposal at landfills via legislation: used oil, yard trash, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, tires, lead-acid batteries, beverage containers, motor vehicle oil filters, wooden pallets and oyster shells. Legislation banning these items comes with the implementation of county facilities for the environmentally safe disposal of these items. Statewide legislation such as this positively affects the capabilities of the triangle to promote environmentally friendly waste disposal practices.
Throughout the triangle, waste disposal practices by county and municipal governments demonstrate the extent of the triangles capabilities to connect people with nature as such practices demonstrate the intent and commitment to create progressive and environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal. It was been demonstrated that this behavior is being promoted nation wide as tonnage of trash is going down while tonnage of recycling is going up. And though the numbers are not available triangle wide, it is obvious that waste disposal practices in the triangle could ultimately be more environmentally friendly as is demonstrated through recycling practices triangle wide.
Recycling practices are cited in this assessment because it is proven that when full cost analysis occurs, recycling programs are in actuality cheaper than waste disposal programs, concluding that there are environmental and economic benefits to recycling.
Only two counties offer curbside recycling triangle wide, with only 12 municipalities offering public curbside recycling. Though there are private curbside recycling programs offered through seven municipalities, not only are these programs voluntary but also higher costs are incurred on the side of the individual than if the program was public, thus there is a disincentive to recycling in these municipalities. Triangle wide information on trash disposal versus recycling disposal rates, broken down by county, is needed for a complete assessment on the full extent of the triangle’s capabilities to promote and create progressive and environmentally friendly behavior in waste disposal.
As the information demonstrates currently, the triangle is on the right track offering a variety of recycling services in each county, yet it has not reached the true extent of its capabilities to connect people with nature by participation in environmentally friendly waste disposal behavior.
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1. Ensure long-term environmental protection by improving future landfill technology and addressing public health and environmental concerns associated with closed landfills.
2. Substantially increase the amount of waste recycled and composted.
3. Reduce litter and illegal disposal by 50 percent from 2003-2004 levels.
4. Implement policies and procedures to provide information to the public and ensure public participation throughout the decision-making process regarding waste management facilities.
5. Create and continually maintain 20 years of landfill capacity in the state.

March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
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March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
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March 26, 2010 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE TRIANGLE
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