So, what to do with all that plastic?

By By Melinda Skutnick Mooresville Tribune
Published: October 01, 2009

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Starting Thursday, tossing plastic bottles into the garbage can with the rest of your household trash will be against state law. But this leaves many town residents asking the question, "What am I to do with my plastic bottles?"

As of Oct. 1, a North Carolina ban against the disposal of recyclable plastic bottles into landfills will go into effect. These materials will need to be locally recycled instead.

Now prohibited in the landfill, and your garbage can, are any plastic bottles or containers that carry a number one through seven in a diamond-shaped logo on the bottom of the bottle. Some examples are two-liter soda bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, salad dressing containers and shampoo bottles.

Only motor oil and pesticide bottles are excluded from the ban, said David Lambert, director of solid waste for Iredell County.

Although the ban hopes to promote statewide recycling, the majority of Mooresville residents do not participate in the town's limited pilot recycling program. Those households, said Lambert, will be personally responsible for the proper disposal of their plastic bottles.

Residents can either hire a private contractor to pick up their recyclables or bring their materials to the Mooresville Transfer Station on N.C. 150.

According to an official at the transfer station, homeowners throughout the county pay an annual fee toward the usage of the station's services and are yearly sent a decal that permits entrance and dumping or recycling.

Renters, she noted, will need to contact their landlord or residential manager in order to obtain the required decal.

Throughout Iredell County, only Statesville utilizes curbside recycling pick up throughout the city, according to the county's Web site. Troutman, like Mooresville, does not offer town-wide recycling. However, drop off locations for recyclables in Troutman are at Town Hall and at a public parking area on Wagner Street.

Lambert said officials with the solid waste and recycling departments of Iredell County hope the new statewide ban will encourage people to recycle despite the difficulty of mass enforcement.

The honor system will have to be utilized by residents to ensure no more than "incidental" bottles make their way into the landfill, he noted. However, if too many recyclables are being collected by trash haulers, higher taxes may result as the county landfill incurs steep fees or requires additional manpower to help sift through and sort garbage.

For more information on the ban or recycling locations, contact Iredell County Recycling Coordinator Diane Lewis at (704) 928-2023.

The Mooresville Transfer Station is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sundays from 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, call (704) 663-5314.