Effective today, the Moore County Department of Public Works is closing the "swap shop" operated for a number of years at the Hillcrest recycling center in Carthage.
Marcus Jones, director of public works, said the county is replacing the swap program with a recycling unit for plastic materials.
"We've been getting a lot of requests to add plastics to the recyclables we accept, and the Carthage site has become very congested in recent years," Jones said.
Jones said several nonprofits in Moore County can address the needs met through the community swap program.
Habitat for Humanity, Coalition for Human Care and Red Cross are among the groups that accept used clothing and household items either to help needy people or for sale at reduced prices to help pay for operational costs.
The swap shop is similar to a yard sale, except that the "merchandise" is not for sale. It's free. The swap shop is a place where people can leave usable household materials for other people to pick up. In other words, people swap their "trash" for what becomes someone else's "treasure."
If anything, the program has suffered from too much success.
Jones said the area set aside for the swap shop sometimes fills up to overflowing, especially on weekends.
On occasion, the overflow has made it impossible for vehicles to get in to the site to service the recycling containers, and Solid Waste personnel have had to haul some of the materials out to the landfill.
That is nuisance enough, but other problems have developed as well.
On occasion disagreements have developed between patrons of the swap shop, and it was necessary to call law enforcement to straighten out the dispute. The altercation usually occurred when two individuals claimed the same item. At times loitering has also been a problem.
The county has received several written complaints about congestion at the site.
One of the tales circulating about the swap shop centers on salvaging items for resale at yard sales by individuals taking advantage of what is supposed to be a friendly neighborhood exchange of goods.
"That yard sale report is legend," Jones said. "We have no proof it ever happened, at least it hasn't been reported to me."
Cost to Recycle
Jones said the swap shop poses a possible liability to the county, not only because of the occasional altercations, but also because of communicable diseases transmitted from donated materials.
Likewise, the county has received more and more requests for recycling of plastic goods. Interest in recycling plastics showed up in a 2004 customer survey.
A notice has been posted at the Hillcrest site advising patrons that the swap shop will be closed permanently at the end of this month.
Although the county makes no money off disposition of recyclable materials, the program is a necessity because of environmental conditions.
"Every time we take something out of the waste stream, we save some money, even if it's just on tipping fees," Jones said. "Part of my mission statement is to be a steward of the environment."
The county is able to sell some recyclables at good prices and others at cost. For some items, the county must pay for their disposal.
"It costs more to recycle," Jones said. "It probably costs even more than we realize, but the people of Moore County have told us it's important."
Federal and state laws mandated recycling about 10 years ago, and in the last three years Moore County, including unincorporated areas and municipalities, has seem a 4 percent reduction in its trash flow.
"That reflects a good recycling effort," Jones said. "Our goal was a 1 percent reduction. "That percentage is especially good when one realizes that Moore County is a rapid growth community."
Hillcrest will not be the first county recycling site to accept plastics. The Eagle Springs site has accepted plastic for quite awhile, and plans are being made to recycle plastic at West End. Jones says that the Department of Public Works has received numerous requests for plastics recycling from residents of Seven Lakes.
When the new program goes into effect July 1, the Hillcrest site will accept plastic items marked 1 through 7, and the items may be co-mingled. Black plastic is the only plastic that cannot be accepted.
Prices paid for recyclables fluctuates according to market conditions, said Brenda Beane of the Solid Waste office staff.
At latest report, the county was being paid 50 cents a pound for aluminum and $25 a ton for cardboard, including both corrugated and lighter material, such as cereal boxes. In the January-March period, the county collected 68.63 tons of cardboard and was paid $1,715.75.
The county pays to dispose of green and brown glass. For clear glass, there is no charge but the county does the hauling.
The News & Observer of Raleigh picks up newspapers at no charge. The newspaper also picks up magazines, but they must be separated from newspapers.
Watching for Opportunities
Recycling is a complex marketing effort, and Solid Waste personnel keep an eye on opportunities.
Aluminum, cardboard and mized paper are taken to a facility in Wagram, glass goes to Lee Iron and Metal in Sanford. Metal items are hauled to the landfill to be stockpiled for pick-up every two or three months by Metal Recycling of Monroe. In April, the company was paying $48 a ton for metal.
More recently the county was receiving one penny per pound for lead-acid batteries (aitomobile).
"It just depends on the market," Beane said.
Even when the county is paid for recyclables, it does not cover all the expense involved, such as maintenance of vehicles and containers, operation of sites and the wages of truck drivers and other personnel.
Tires can be taken to the landfill, but there is a pickup at container sites once a year. White goods are accepted free of charge, because the county receives a refund from the state for the recycling fee attached to all purchases of new white goods, such as refrigerators, ranges and freezers.
Even such specialized materials as used motor oil and paint cans can be handled, but under limited conditions.
Motor oil is accepted to the Hillcrest site. Paint cans can be accepted but the lid must be removed, the paint must be used up and sand or kitty litter used to dry the container.
As for pesticide containers, the county landfill will accept empty containers if they have been rinsed. They are kept at the landfill until the container fills up, and at that point, usually twice a year, the containers are hauled to the Uwharrie Environmental facility operated by Republic Waste at Troy in Montgomery County. The Cooperative Extension Service sponsors pesticide disposal programs about once a year.
Expanding Industry
Despite Moore County's relative success at recycling, the trend is not reflected statewide, according to a report from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The state agency says local governments are trying hard to encourage recycling but the growth is slow.
A breakdown according to county shows that in the 2004-2005 year, Moore County had a recycling recovery rate of 82.47 pounds per capita. That was based on a population of 79,342. The state average was 111 pounds per capita.
Information about recycling is available on the county's Web site. Other sources of information about recycling are Joan Neal, director of Keep Moore County Beautiful.
The address of the county Web site is www.co.moore.nc.us. Interested persons can fill in the Find It box in the upper right portion of the homepage with the word recycling. The result will be a complete listing of recycling container sites, addresses and a list of all items accepted along with the location for specialized recyclables.
Beane said the Web site will soon be updated to indicate the addition of plastics at Hillcrest and the closing of the swap shop.
Florence Gilkeson can be reached at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.
