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1. What kind of plastic can I recycle?

Only plastic triangle types #1, #2 and #5. No other plastic can be recycled. Thin plastics like clear food packaging (ex. Saran Wrap), 6-pack rings, baggies, and bread/frozen food/dry cleaning/grocery bags get tangled in the recycling equipment and cause machinery damage. Soiled paper (food debris, grease) can't be recycled with clean paper pulp since the grease can't be removed. Look for the "triangle" symbol and number on items before recycling.

2. Will you pick up my recycling with my regular garbage?

NO, recycling will be picked up once per month on the First Friday of each month. The service starts Friday June 7, 2019.

DO NOT place your recycling roll-out at the curb with your regular garbage. And DO NOT place any regular household waste in the recycling roll-out.

3. What is recycling contamination?

Many items can be considered contaminants. Contamination happens when non-recyclable items are mixed in with recyclable items; the wrong materials are put into the system (plastic grocery bags, hoses, propane tanks, etc.) or the right materials are prepared the wrong way (recyclables in plastic bags, food left in containers, etc.). Placing regular household waste in the recycling bin is a major cause of contamination.

Innocent looking paper smeared with food or grease cannot be processed with clean paper. So used napkins, paper plates, pizza boxes are NOT recyclable. Plastic grocery bags get tangled in recycling machinery and cause equipment damage. Plastic six-pack rings get tangled and also cause equipment damage.

Stick to the list of acceptable recycling materials and don't put anything else into your recycling bin. Too much contamination is the reason manufacturers reject tons of recyclables each year.

When in doubt, leave it out - and put in the trash.   

4. Why doesn't Lincolnton recycle glass?

The simple answer is weight and sorting. Glass weighs too much, especially in a "single stream" or co-mingled recycling program. In addition, the glass recycling market has declined. 

Municipalities used to be paid for their recycling loads, which helped subsidize the cost of the recycling program. Now the City of Lincolnton actually pays a "tipping fee" to unload recycling at a MRF (Materials Recovery Facility). Tipping fees are based on weight and paid by the ton of material. So, although glass is 100% recyclable, the cost to add heavy, unsorted glass to Lincolnton recycling loads is too expensive for the city and taxpayers until the market recovers. The city monitors the recycling market and hopes to add glass back to our residential curbside recycling program when the glass market improves. 

City residents are encouraged to drop off pre-sorted glass recycling at any of the Lincoln County Convenience Sites.

5. Why can't I recycle a cardboard pizza container? Cardboard is on the recycle list.

If the pizza box hasn't been used and it's a CLEAN pizza box, it can be recycled. Once a pizza has been placed in the box, there is residual grease and food material left in the box. So the food material that seeps into the cardboard make it a DO NOT recycle item. 

6. What about cars/vehicles? What can I do with an old vehicle?

Veteran Car Donations specializes in car donations to benefit veterans. They accept both working and non-working vehicles to provide assistance to veterans and their families. If you'd like to learn more about this resource, here is the link:https://www.veterancardonations.org/locations/north-carolina