Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

EverGreen, the Wilmington Star News Green blog, recently reported that beginning October 1, 2009, plastic bottles will be among the items banned from North Carolina landfills. Below is an excerpt from the post. For the complete article, including specific recycling information for Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties, click here. St. James Plantation, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc encourages all North Carolina residents to take advantage of their local recycling centers.

“Enforcement will happen largely at disposal facilities such as landfills and transfer stations, according to the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It would be next to impossible to keep watch on every individual’s trash, so it will become the responsibility of the trash collectors to weed out the bulk of banned items from the trash…

According to state statistics, every 17.3 seconds, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to reach the height of the Bank of America Building in Charlotte, while at the same time, North Carolina and the Southeast are home to plastic plants eager for material to make new products.

Specifically banned from landfills are ‘Recyclable rigid plastic containers…that have a neck smaller than the body of the container, and accept a screw top, snap cap, or other closure. The prohibition on disposal of recyclable rigid plastic containers in landfills does not apply to rigid plastic containers that are intended for use in the sale or distribution of motor oil.’

You can find more information on establishing a recycling program and take an online pledge to recycle from the state Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.”