North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
ORGANIZATION
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) leads the effort to protect North Carolina’s environmental resources through regulatory programs designed to protect air and water quality, public health, energy strategy, and responsible behavior with respect to the environment. The NC DEQ has a goal to fill gaps in community glass recycling efforts.
PROJECT
The NC DEQ and GRF recently co-funded grants to several communities to increase access to glass recycling:
Village of Pinehurst: In late 2018, Moore County no longer accepted glass in the comingled recycling stream and set up seven drop-off sites throughout the county collecting 671 tons of glass in FY2021. Residents of Pinehurst were frustrated with the lack of a convenient drop-off location within the village limits. Pinehurst received $15,000 from NC DEQ and $5,000 from GRF to set up a drop-off glass recycling site within the municipal limits of the village including a 20 cubic yard roll-off container, concrete pad, and ramp/platform to allow resident access to the container.
Moore County: The county currently collects glass at seven drop-off sites and has a covered area at the county landfill to store glass before it is hauled to Strategic Materials for processing. The $33,500 grant from NC DEQ and $12,000 grant from the GRF will be used to expand the glass bunker, increasing the capacity and improving the quality (reducing contamination) of the glass recycling program. The grants will also be utilized to make improvements to the glass collection sites.
Pitt County: The county removed glass bottles and jars from the comingled stream in July 2020. In 2021, the county purchased containers and began collecting glass at 14 staffed convenience sites in the county. The county received $52,500 from NC DEQ and $18,000 from GRF in grants to construct a glass bunker at the transfer station to expand capacity to accept glass from outside communities and improve the economics of the program.
GLASS RECYCLING IMPACT
The following targets have been set by each of the communities:
· Pinehurst targets recovering 215 tons of glass collected in year one.
· Moore County anticipates a 10% increase in glass recovery (67 tons).
· Pitt County estimates increasing glass recovery and improving hauling efficiency from 2-4 tons per trip up to 20 tons per trip.
“The NC DEQ is excited to co-fund these projects with the GRF and support the long-term viability of glass recycling in North Carolina,” said Wendy Worley, Recycling and Materials Management Section Chief at the NC DEQ. “We anticipate these projects making a significant impact on glass recovery in the state and sending a strong positive signal to policymakers and the public about glass recycling.”
MORE INFORMATION
NC DEQ offers various resources to support recycling and other environmental activities including recycling business development and local government grant programs.
Website: https://deq.nc.gov/
Press Release: https://deq.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2022/05/31/deq-awards-235000-grants-glass-recycling-projects
Telephone: 877-623-6748
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ncdeq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NCDEQ/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCDEQ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-carolina-department-of-environmental-quality/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe2yGa2pZfn6dPqMqBKL6Mg