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LATEST NEWS

Keep the Plastic Bags out of Big Blue - Better Recycling Tips

9/13/2014

 
Picture
Sept 13th 2014 - By Eric Bradford
Recycling is on the rise in the City of Asheville and that's no small feat. The City's "Big Blue Program" launched in 2012 has increased recycling by 87% over the previous year. Single stream recycling and better sorting technology has seen even helped to extend the life of the Buncombe County Landfill. All of this is incredible, but there are still ways that we can help this process along.

What CAN'T go in Big Blue

In an effort to keep recycling costs at a minimum for the tax payers, we need to restrict the incorrect items that we're putting into Big Blue. The idea that "if I don't know if it's recyclable so I'll let the recycler sort it out" is causing expensive issues at the local Materials Recycling Facility. 

For a complete listing of acceptable items, follow this link: What goes in.

Here are the items that are NOT accepted in Big Blue recycling bin.

1) Styrofoam (regardless of type and the number on the item)
2) Plastic bags, shopping bags, cereal bags, ziplock bags, shrinkwrap, dry cleaning bags, chip bags.
3) Plastic soda can rings
4) Plastic bubble wrap
5) Hard cover books
6) Non food related containers such as: motor oil bottles, batteries, caulking guns and paint cans
7) Garbage or Recycling Bags
8) Flower pots 
9) Hard, bulky plastics (kiddie pools, toys, buckets, chairs) 
10) Tooth brushes, plastic razors, cosmetic and soft plastic personal care containers.

These items clog up the sorting equipment, causing wasted time in hand sorting and in some cases equipment damage. At least twice a day our local recycling facility is forced to shut down the entire sorting facility to send in people with box-cutters to cut the plastic bags out of the machinery by hand and remove these items. 

Help us keep the costs of recycling down by sorting out those items not allowed in the bin. 

So where can I recycle some of these items?

  • Styrofoam (bulky packaging) - Hard 2 Recycle Event only
  • Packaging peanuts & Bubble wrap  - UPS Store, Pack-n-Post, FedEx / Kinkos
  • Clean shopping bags, cereal bags, ziplocks, shrinkfilm, dry cleaning bags) - Ingles Markets
  • Household batteries - Rechargeable Interstate Battery Alkaline Hard 2 Recycle Event only
  • Hard cover books - Hard 2 Recycle Event only
  • Flower pots - Home Depot or Lowes
  • Tooth brushes / Personal care items - Terracycle
  • Chip bags - Terracycle

For questions about recycling efforts in the City of Asheville and Buncombe County please email Eric Bradford at the Asheville GreenWorks. Or phone 828-254-1776


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​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves