On October 1, North Carolina will become the third state in the union to ban plastic bottles from landfills.

A similar law took effect last year banning aluminum cans from landfills in the state.

North Carolinians throw away over $41 million worth of plastic each year, according to the NC Division of Waste Management and the NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.

From the first of October, citizens are not supposed to discard rigid plastic containers, such as soda bottles, milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles, in regular trash bins with other non-recyclable items. Those same items will also be banned from landfills, such as the Robeson County Solid Waste Landfill, located near St. Pauls, where the Town of Red Springs takes some of its collected refuse.

The North Carolina General Assembly in 2005 passed House Bill 1465, which specifically forbids plastic bottles that have necks smaller than the body of the container and a screw top, snap-on cap or other type of closure.

The bill was designed to reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to save landfill space and reduce litter.

The new law has several benefits. It reduces solid waste output and saves energy and resources, and jobs and will have a positive effect on the state’s economy because the demand for plastic here is exploding.

#2 plastics, which include items such as laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs, are processed at the Envision Plastics plant in Reidsville, which is the second largest recycler of these type of plastics in the USA. #1 plastics, such as soda bottles, cooking oil bottles and peanut butter bottles, are recycled by Coca Cola in Spartanburg, SC, and then sent back to North Carolina where new bottles are made.

Clear Path Recycling, another recycling giant, is in the process of bringing new jobs to this region by building a plant in Fayetteville where plastic will be recycled and converted into polyester, which will then, primarily, be sold to a carpet company based in Kernersville.

The state does not have the ability to monitor citizens’ trash to make sure they are following the law, but solid waste inspectors will enforce the law during inspection visits to landfills. If those inspectors find mass quantities of plastic bottles, then the landfill will be put under notice of violation and could possibly be fined, which could eventually mean higher landfill use rates and higher garbage collection rates for citizens.

Organizations, such a a city, have two options for disposing of the plastic bottles. They can contract with a service to provide and pick up recycling containers. Or, if an organization, such as a city, would prefer to handle recycling themselves, they can take the items to a drop-off facility.

“The Town of Red Springs is aware of the law change,” says Interim Town Manager Tony White. “Red Springs offers a location to recycle newspaper, cardboard, plastics, and aluminum cans.”

The collection center hours are: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday-8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Tuesday and Thursday-3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Saturday - 8:00 a.m. - Noon.

“We encourage everyone to “Go Green” and recycle,” said White.

At least 95 percent of North Carolina residents have access to some type of plastic bottle recycling through local government programs. Unfortunately, North Carolinians currently only recycle 18 percent of PET plastic bottles.