With more people adhering to “stay and home” or “safer at home” orders and states trying to decide next steps surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus), one thing remains constant–our waste and what we do with it.

More people cooking at home means more organic waste in the trash bin. More takeout or food delivery means more plastic containers…also in the trash bin. The latter currently going in the trash bin because in Mecklenburg County/Charlotte, these plastic containers (although mostly labeled as recyclable) are NOT recyclable at the local Material Recovery Facility (MRF). This means whether these hard plastic containers are placed in the trash bin or wrongly placed in the recycle bin, it will ultimately be rejected by the MRF and both paths end at the landfill — until now.

Program Highlights:

Since May 2020, Envision Charlotte has collected plastic takeout containers and other #5 plastic to create new products in its Plastic Lab.

This program is yet another advancement of Charlotte’s initiative to become a Circular City, diverting waste from the landfill and creating new products.

FAQ

What plastics are you accepting?  

We are ONLY accepting black and clear clamshell takeout food containers that you get from restaurants. They must be cleaned, without any food, stickers, or labels. On the bottom of the black material, there must be a #5 “PP” material identifier triangle.

Takeout Food Containers, huh? That must mean that you accept other food containers such as those that hold berries, salad mix, rotisserie chickens, etc. Right? 

WRONG. Not all plastics are similar. They may be shaped similarly, they may even have the same number in the “recycle triangle,” however chemically their compositions can be very different. A clamshell that holds strawberries for instance can be made from #1 PET, #5 PP, or #6 PS plastic. Within each plastic, they can be blended with different polymers to give them different looks, feel, and functions. All of which will mean different melting points and processing methods when trying to create new products. By only accepting a very specific type of container, we are reducing as many variables as possible in order to ensure the most success in making PPE for frontline workers.

Aside from your program, why are these plastics not accepted in the curbside recycling bins?

Currently in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the ONLY plastic that you should put in your curbside bin are plastic containers that have a neck. That’s it. No solo cups, no salad containers, no berry clamshells, no plastic clothes hangers, no coffee cup lids, and certainly no plastic bags. Why? Well, the long answer has to deal with global markets not taking our trash anymore–the short answer is simply, “plastic containers with necks are the only plastic where there is still a domestic market to sell to once collected.”

What is “wishful recycling” and is it bad? 

Wishful recycling is the mindset of assuming that a material is recyclable when it is not. It’s thinking “this is plastic so it MUST be recyclable.” That mentality unfortunately creates contamination in the system and is counter-productive to the effectiveness of the recycling program overall. For example, any plastic received by the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that can’t be sorted, baled, and sold ends up going directly to the landfill. Too much “wishful recycling” contaminates that bale of “plastic bottles with necks” making it less marketable to buyers and jeopardizes the economics of the recycling program.

OK, we get it. Follow the rules, recycle right, and don’t assume things. How else can we help? 

You can spread the word, collect takeout containers, and make sure your friends and neighbors know how to recycle right! Although it may be painful to practice, remember: When in doubt, throw it out!

Collection Location

• Innovation Barn – 932 Seigle Ave

Note: The 7th Street Public Market and South End Market Collections are no longer open due to high contamination rates. Learn more about “wishful recycling” in the FAQs above.