Recycling survey
By Willo Kelly
Outer Banks BlueGreen
Did you know?
BlueGreen Eco Fact #1: It is illegal to put aluminum cans, plastic water bottles/other plastic containers and oyster shells in North Carolina landfills.
BlueGreen Eco Fact #2: Establishments that sell alcoholic beverages are mandated by state law to recycle all of their glass.
BlueGreen Eco Fact #3: Dare County is the only North Carolina county that has its own glass crusher. The crushed glass can be picked up free and used for landscaping, driveway surfaces, etc. Look at the sparkling entrance to Jockey’s Ridge.
BlueGreen Eco Fact #4: Out of 100 North Carolina counties, Dare County ranked No. 1 last year for per-capita recycling. This ranking is somewhat skewed because it is based on the weight of recyclables per year-round resident and does not count seasonal population numbers.
Recycling is the easiest way to reduce waste in our landfills. Considering the environment of the Outer Banks, you might wonder why recycling is not mandatory.
The Towns of Duck and Southern Shores provide curbside recycling service. Other Dare County towns have recycling “centers” and have contracted with a vendor to provide curbside service to those who voluntarily pay for it.
There is still so much more we can do to increase and improve recycling on the Outer Banks and your help is needed.
BlueGreen Outer Banks – Tomorrow Matters Inc. has worked with East Carolina University’s Center for Sustainable Tourism to develop a survey to find out what Outer Banks residents and visitors think about recycling.
A baby step to getting us closer to perhaps community-wide recycling would be to click here and take the BlueGreen Recycling Survey.
See what people are saying:
Join the discussion:
M. Liverman says:
Would be happy to recycle if the county would provide curbside bins and service. Until then…
Barb says:
At my home in Maryland, we have a very inclusive recycling program, paid for by the county. I decided a couple of years ago to try harder to recycle anything the county would accept. It’s amazing the amount of stuff that is recycled. It’s just my husband and me now, and we fill a 70 gallon container with paper and cardboard every two weeks as well as an approximately 20 to 30 gallon container with bottles and plastic every two weeks. We cut our garbage service back to once per week as a result. Now, when I vacation (thankfully in a town that provides recycling) I can’t imagine putting recyclables in the trash.
Selena K says:
Here in NH we can pay OBX Hauling/Bay Disposal about $8 a month to come with the truck every Tuesday (they are mostly on time) to pick up our yellow-lidded recycle bin here from the house.
I know I can take my stuff to the nice recycling trailer at the municipal bldg, and used to, and it was a PITA because we recycle so much that the big recycle bin fills up faster than our regular trash bin does. I’d be going to the trailer every other day, otherwise! It is a good deal, IMO, and well worth it. I don’t mind paying it.
Better than some of the other every day rip-offs we endure, like the cable bill for example!
Maslin says:
What if curbside recycling were free and trash service cost $8/month?
Rob Morris says:
I’m with you, Maslin. Editor’s forum.
Shannon says:
I was under the impression that we are not allowed to throw plastic bottles and other recyclables in our regular garbage bins.
Lea Linden says:
Our family pays the $7.50 a month for Outer Banks Hauling to pick-up our recycling once a week. Just in our household alone, the amount of trash we generate after having this service is nominal. Most people want to recycle, but only if it is hassle-free and free of cost to them. So what to do? Provide recycling bins at beach accesses and at rental homes. These two items would significantly decrease the amount of trash in the landfills. It would also make the guests of our community aware of the need to preserve the local environment.
On a side note: The crushed glass sounds like a great idea for a landscaping project we are thinking about!
Taylor says:
“BlueGreen Eco Fact #3: Dare County is the only North Carolina county that has its own glass crusher” This is a very dumb move. Now none of those bottles are being recycled and we are still using natural resources to produce new bottles. Instead we crush the bottles and use the glass to make tacky driveways. Even the polished product is sharp; you won’t find me walking barefooted on it or want to stumble and fall!
Bob Samuels says:
The glass from the county crusher should be deposited about 20 yards off our beaches; therefore solving part of the problem of beach nourishment (CAMA would love it!). This action could also provide the OBX with a new ad gimmick “Visit our unique rainbow colored beaches” competing now with the pink sand beaches of the Bahamas, the black sand beaches of Hawaii beaches:) Whatever your feelings are toward recyling/glass crusher, it’s important to remember that our landfills are limited and costs to “tip” into them are increasing everyday. Anything and everything we do as an individual, community, county, state, etc. will help to pave a brighter future.