Rigid Plastics Recycling Bin to Be Removed in Hillsborough

NOTE: The following was provided by Orange County Solid Waste Management. For more information, call 968-2788.

Due to ongoing contamination and illegal dumping of waste, the large purple bin for recycling Nos. 2 and 5 non-bottle rigid plastics will be removed Nov. 12 from the recycling site behind The Home Depot at the Hampton Pointe shopping center.

All other recycling services will remain at the site. Purple recycling bins for recycling Nos. 2 and 5 non-bottle plastics will remain available at the other four unstaffed county recycling drop-off sites and the five solid waste convenience centers.

Residents who wish to recycle cups, tubs, buckets, toys, lawn furniture and other plastic items that are Nos. 2 and 5 may take them to one of the other nine locations where the materials are accepted. The county regrets discontinuing the service in Hillsborough. The program started in February.

“It’s been a public education challenge, but with rigorous outreach efforts, contamination and garbage going into the purple containers at all the sites have decreased to acceptable levels — except the site behind Home Depot at Hampton Pointe,” Recycling Programs Manager Cody Marshall said. “The purple dumpster at that site continues to collect more garbage than recyclable materials. It is unfortunately used for dumping everything from household waste and construction debris to large old televisions stripped of their copper wiring along with the proper plastics. We have not had this problem in any other containers at this site or to this degree in the purple dumpsters at any other site, staffed or unstaffed. This level of illegal dumping is unacceptable. It is unsafe and costly for the county and, as much as we don’t want to do it, we believe that removing this container is the most effective way to solve the problem.”

County staff are notifying people whose contaminating materials can be identified to collect and properly dispose of the materials. These people also are subject to civil penalties and potential criminal penalties.

The county is committed to providing a broad variety of recycling services easily accessible to as many residents as possible. The program for Nos. 2 and 5 plastics was added after reliable domestic markets for those plastics were identified.

For the most part, those using the new program at drop-off sites have responded well. Contamination rates are well below 10 percent at staffed sites and have dropped to less than 25 percent at unstaffed sites, except in Hillsborough. Incoming material to the program averages 15 tons a month. The contents of each container are dumped and contaminants are removed by Orange County recycling staff before being baled for shipment and sale to the recycling industry.