New Hanover County sees increase in contaminated recyclables

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — Officials are asking residents to recycle the right way.

The New Hanover County Recycling Center is seeing a sharp increase in contaminated recyclables when material not meant to be recycled are mixed with materials that are.

According to the plant manager, Daniel Walker, contaminations could be items like diapers, food, toys, and things that can tangle, like rope, ribbon, and Christmas lights.

“They’ll get wrapped up around the screen, the shafts, the routers, and it’ll cause wear and tear that has to be cleaned out on a daily basis every evening,” Walker said. “So that’s a bigger cost for us to clean it out and it’s also a safety hazard when you’re using a knife or a blade to cut some of that stuff out that get’s wrapped around very tight.”

Walker says this time of year, many people practice “wishful recycling,” not checking the county’s page to see where their items should go.

“Out with the old, in with the new is what I like to call it,” said Walker. “So you see a lot of toys coming in, a lot of clothing, a lot of food waste. Things of that nature. So pretty much, you’re getting your new items in, you’re throwing your old items out, it’s not being done properly.”

New Hanover County hopes you’ll recycle responsibly.

• Check their website to see if your items are recyclable.
• Take all items out of boxes or bags
• Empty, wash, and dry any recyclable containers.