JAMICA C. ASHLEY
All the talk of saving the planet must be working because recycling in North Carolina increased by 40,000 tons from last fiscal year with landfill disposal down by 12.2 percent.
The North Carolina Solid Waste Annual report outlined the state's recycling trends and provided a county-by-county breakdown of the total tonnage recycled annually.
"It is remarkable to see this kind of increase during a recession and it bodes well for North Carolina's ability to create jobs and grow the economy around the recovery of materials," said Scott Mouw, chief of community and business assistance in the N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. "
Edgecombe County ranked 75th in the state for its recycling with 1,030 total tonnage recycled with a population of 51,800.
Mike Cummings, acting solid waste manager for Edgecombe County, said that there has been a surge in recycling throughout the county. (Danny Bagley retired on Feb. 26.)
"There has been quite a few more people recycling in the last couple of months," he said. "It has not doubled but there are a lot more people getting involved."
The surge, Cummings said, could also be directly related to the ban on oil filters and plastic bottles in landfills.
"I believe that people are just being more conscious," continued Cummings. "We've talked it up and people are showing that they care about the environment."
There is no additional cost associated with recycling, just take the items to be recycled to the landfill closest to you.
"A lot of people are listening to us," Cummings said.
Pitt County ranked first with 47,467 tons recycled with a population of 155,570, Dare County came in third with 8,326 total tonnage recycled with a population of 33,955 and Watauga County came in eighth with 5,419 tons recycled and a population of 45,319.
Nash County was 59th with 3, 160 tons recycled and a population of 93,981.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the protection and expansion of U.S. manufacturing jobs along with an increase in the nation's competitiveness, a reduction in the need for landfilling and incineration, energy savings and decreased emissions of greenhouse gases are just some of the benefits of recycling.
Credit is being given to local governments for the collection of bar and restaurant containers under the Alcoholic Beverage Commission recycling program, recycling of plastic and oil filter collection and the boosting of electronics recycling.
Reduced consumption is being attributed to the recession along with the decline in recyclable materials.
Cummings said that the site on Colonial Road is now recycling cooking oil. The other sites are not yet equipped to recycle cooking oil but will be soon.
Among the other items that can be recycled are computers, televisions, tires, refrigerators, metal and oyster shells.
Cummings also asks that those recycling oil filters completely drain the used filters of oil, for up to 24 hours, prior to bringing them to the landfill.
Solid waste disposal across the state has reached historic lows, at a rate of 1.07 tons per capita this is the lowest disposal rate since 1995-96.
This decline is also being attributed to the recession. The state has increased the number of items banned in landfills as a means to encourage recycling and keep harmful materials out of landfills.
For more information on recycling in Edgecombe County or to drop off recyclables, call 827-4253 or visit one of the nine landfill sites located throughout the county.
