Almost one year after suspending the curbside recycling program, Lincolnton announces a new & improved monthly curbside recycling plan. The new program officially launches on Friday, June 7 with the first new curbside recycling collection route, but residents need to take action now to participate.

The new curbside program utilizes 96-gallon roll-out bins to collect recyclable materials using existing automated garbage trucks. Lincolnton will issue a new recycling bin to all residents that sign-up to participate in the free recycling program. Now is the time for residents to register for the program via the online registration form at www.LincontonNC.org/Recycling. 

Instead of picking up recycling on a weekly basis, the City will now collect the larger residential recycling loads on a monthly basis, the FIRST FRIDAY of each month.

"After lots of research, discussion with other municipalities facing the same issues and talking with residents that have diligently delivered their recycling materials to the pilot program drop-off location at City Park, we think the new program will offer many benefits to both residents and the City," said Richard Haynes, Assistant City Manager for Lincolnton. Haynes continued, "We discovered many residents would drop off recycling every other week or maybe just once a month. The large new roll-outs will make it easier to collect more materials before each collection day. And it will be easier to get the roll-out the curb than to carry the current bin containers."

Another advantage is that the recycling collection route can be mapped based on participating residents, so the trucks will have an efficient route based on collection addresses resulting in savings on gas and wear and tear on equipment.

A critical aspect to the program, and for all recycling programs, is properly separating recycling materials from regular solid waste garbage. Lincolnton will be recycling three main products; aluminum/metal cans, plastics #1, 2, & 5, and paper/cardboard/newspapers. Adding unacceptable materials to the recycling roll-out will contaminate the load, which means it goes to the landfill. There will be reminders and examples distributed in the coming months to help residents recycle smarter by recycling the right items.

Glass will no longer be part of the curbside program and residents are urged to take glass recycling to one of the Lincoln County Convenience Sites. 

The City will deliver recycling roll-out bins to residents starting in May. The first recycling collection route will run on Friday, June 7 and continue each month on the FIRST FRIDAY. More details, including recycling item lists, FAQ's and sign-up registration forms can be found on the City of Lincolnton website; www.LincolntonNC.org/Recycling.