Contact: Sheldon Smith
Phone: 373-4379

Plastic Bottle Landfill Ban Begins October 1
The ban is expected to increase recycling efforts and provide economic benefits

GREENSBORO, NC -- (September 21, 2009) -- On October 1, a North Carolina ban that prohibits
plastic bottles from state landfills goes into effect. The goal of the ban is to improve plastic recycling
efforts, which should lead to improvements in both the environment and economic conditions.

Currently, almost four out of every five plastic soda containers, water bottles, milk jugs and detergent bottles -- almost 288 million pounds -- are thrown away in North Carolina each year. Recycling saves our natural resources, keeps reusable items out of our landfills, and provides the materials needed to make recycled products. In addition, the growing demand for plastic bottles means an economic incentive for the many North Carolina companies that process and recycle bottles into a wide range of products. If all the plastic bottles used in our state were recycled, more than 2.4 billion additional plastic bottles would be kept out of landfills annually.

Greensboro residents have already proven their commitment to recycling; the city ranks seventh in the state for recycling efforts. Residents are encouraged to increase their recycling efforts in order to help the plastic bottle disposal ban succeed. Plastic bottles should be placed in the 96-gallon brown recycling container or taken to any one of the 17 recycling drop-off sites located throughout the city.

In addition to the ban on plastic bottles, used motor oil filters will also be banned from landfills beginning October 1. Motor oil filters should be disposed of at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center located at 2750 Patterson St.

For more information, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).

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