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Jamie Kritzer, Public Information Officer [EMAIL REDACTED] Phone: (919) 707-8602 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdenr 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-rss Twitter: http://twitter.com/NCDENR An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Pat McCrory, Governor John E. Skvarla, III, Secretary N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Release: Immediate Contact: Rob Taylor Date: March 6, 2014 Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] Public recycling programs contribute to record low disposal rates; state rankings profile the most effective recycling communities in North Carolina RALEIGH – North Carolina recorded the lowest per-capita rate for solid waste disposal in 2013 since measurement began in 1991, continuing a steady downward trend in disposal per person that started in 2006. Public recycling programs across the state are contributing to this trend by providing services that divert materials from disposal and return them to the state’s recycling economy. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources collects data on disposal and public recycling programs each year, tracking progress being made in recycling efforts. “The business of recycling is an increasingly dynamic contributor to the North Carolina economy and public recycling programs serve as a critical link in the supply chain delivering materials to industry,” said Scott Mouw, state Recycling Program director in the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service. The nature of materials collected and managed by public recycling programs continues to change, as does the types of recycling services provided. Fiscal Year 2012-13 saw the launch of the state’s first public program collecting food waste from citizens for composting in Orange County. More citizens than ever have access to curbside recycling, with 315 public curbside recycling programs serving more than 1.84 million N.C. households. Efforts to collect special wastes such as electronics, fluorescent lights and used cooking oil also grew last year. Public recycling programs have tripled the amount of construction and demolition waste they recycle in the last ten years, with more public programs collecting used shingles for use as an ingredient in asphalt pavement. DENR uses municipal and county report data to profile public recycling efforts and to measure the per-capita recycling rates for each county in the state. Counties are then ranked based on their program performance. A copy of the rankings for FY 2012-13 is included below. Counties are ranked in two different ways: first based on their total recycling of all materials, and second based on their recycling of common household recyclables. In each case, data on the recovery of yard waste and tires is excluded from the totals to allow for consistency. Tire and yard waste generation can vary widely from year to year and by region based a number of conditions. The per capita recovery rate for common household recyclables helps compare the relative effectiveness of residential recycling services, while total recycling measures broader community efforts. Communities ranked high on each list offer examples of the most effective recycling programs in North Carolina. “Catawba, Pitt, Dare, Orange and Watauga Counties have demonstrated longstanding leadership, and continue to serve as models for the rest of the state by operating an array of programs that target a wide range of materials” said Rob Taylor, DENR’s Local Government Recycling Assistance team leader. -more- ---PAGE BREAK--- Jamie Kritzer, Public Information Officer [EMAIL REDACTED] Phone: (919) 707-8602 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdenr 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-rss Twitter: http://twitter.com/NCDENR An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Onslow and Currituck Counties continue to improve their performance by growing their recovery of common household materials, while Pasquotank and Cumberland Counties push towards the top of the Total Public Recycling list through efforts that target materials such as concrete, bricks and shingles. Pitt and Catawba Counties have traded places for the number 1 and number 2 spots on the Total Public Recycling list for the last several years, with Catawba County reclaiming the top spot for FY 2012-13. For information on recycling and solid waste disposal, see the FY 2012-13 North Carolina Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?p_l_id=4649434&folderId=15429422&name=DLFE-81517.pdf. Total Public Recycling Per Capita Recovery Common Household Recyclables Per Capita Recovery Rank County Lbs/person Rank County Lbs/person 1 CATAWBA COUNTY 638.73 1 DARE COUNTY 279.59 2 PITT COUNTY 420.25 2 PITT COUNTY 245.81 3 PASQUOTANK COUNTY 376.29 3 WATAUGA COUNTY 233.08 4 DARE COUNTY 309.92 4 CATAWBA COUNTY 223.17 5 CUMBERLAND COUNTY 304.56 5 BRUNSWICK COUNTY 215.80 6 ORANGE COUNTY 287.52 6 ONSLOW COUNTY 193.82 7 MACON COUNTY 253.95 7 CURRITUCK COUNTY 192.71 8 WATAUGA COUNTY 247.99 8 ORANGE COUNTY 186.60 9 BRUNSWICK COUNTY 234.28 9 CABARRUS COUNTY 154.89 10 CURRITUCK COUNTY 218.11 10 GUILFORD COUNTY 151.91 11 ONSLOW COUNTY 200.09 11 NEW HANOVER COUNTY 140.48 12 IREDELL COUNTY 198.03 12 MECKLENBURG COUNTY 137.99 13 NEW HANOVER COUNTY 194.19 13 MACON COUNTY 137.68 14 BUNCOMBE COUNTY 173.97 14 HAYWOOD COUNTY 134.42 15 NASH COUNTY 168.70 15 MOORE COUNTY 128.74 16 ALEXANDER COUNTY 166.59 16 ALEXANDER COUNTY 128.18 17 HAYWOOD COUNTY 162.42 17 BUNCOMBE COUNTY 127.85 18 MECKLENBURG COUNTY 161.20 18 CRAVEN COUNTY 127.69 19 CABARRUS COUNTY 161.13 19 COUNTY 120.91 20 GUILFORD COUNTY 160.07 20 WAKE COUNTY 119.75 21 MOORE COUNTY 146.57 21 COUNTY 115.31 22 HYDE COUNTY 146.30 22 DURHAM COUNTY 114.66 23 COUNTY 145.17 23 PAMLICO COUNTY 110.83 24 WAKE COUNTY 134.32 24 PENDER COUNTY 106.83 25 CRAVEN COUNTY 132.97 25 DAVIE COUNTY 105.21 26 COUNTY 132.08 26 ALLEGHANY COUNTY 102.59 27 PENDER COUNTY 131.80 27 JACKSON COUNTY 97.85 28 GRANVILLE COUNTY 128.94 28 GRANVILLE COUNTY 97.52 29 ASHE COUNTY 125.42 29 HYDE COUNTY 95.60 30 PAMLICO COUNTY 124.77 30 CHATHAM COUNTY 95.48 31 MADISON COUNTY 124.47 31 GASTON COUNTY 91.40 ---PAGE BREAK--- Jamie Kritzer, Public Information Officer [EMAIL REDACTED] Phone: (919) 707-8602 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdenr 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-rss Twitter: http://twitter.com/NCDENR An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer 32 JACKSON COUNTY 124.16 32 ASHE COUNTY 90.75 33 ALLEGHANY COUNTY 120.97 33 MADISON COUNTY 90.43 34 CHATHAM COUNTY 120.57 34 SCOTLAND COUNTY 87.68 35 DURHAM COUNTY 120.31 35 UNION COUNTY 85.77 36 DAVIDSON COUNTY 119.93 36 CUMBERLAND COUNTY 83.67 37 SWAIN COUNTY 111.02 37 HENDERSON COUNTY 82.66 38 DAVIE COUNTY 109.34 38 POLK COUNTY 81.13 39 GASTON COUNTY 105.20 39 CARTERET COUNTY 80.27 40 HENDERSON COUNTY 102.70 40 MCDOWELL COUNTY 78.89 41 YANCEY COUNTY 101.76 41 ALAMANCE COUNTY 75.33 42 CARTERET COUNTY 97.60 42 LEE COUNTY 74.43 43 CAMDEN COUNTY 96.47 43 NASH COUNTY 72.75 44 POLK COUNTY 93.21 44 SWAIN COUNTY 71.63 45 CHOWAN COUNTY 92.29 45 CHOWAN COUNTY 71.44 46 UNION COUNTY 92.26 46 PERSON COUNTY 71.37 47 SCOTLAND COUNTY 92.11 47 PASQUOTANK COUNTY 67.99 48 LEE COUNTY 90.71 48 HERTFORD COUNTY 67.53 49 MCDOWELL COUNTY 90.04 49 CAMDEN COUNTY 63.24 50 BURKE COUNTY 88.50 50 PERQUIMANS COUNTY 61.61 51 ALAMANCE COUNTY 86.78 51 DAVIDSON COUNTY 60.70 52 MITCHELL COUNTY 83.96 52 MONTGOMERY COUNTY 58.49 53 PERSON COUNTY 83.05 53 MITCHELL COUNTY 58.40 54 AVERY COUNTY 79.80 54 SURRY COUNTY 57.91 55 PERQUIMANS COUNTY 79.50 55 YANCEY COUNTY 57.59 56 CLEVELAND COUNTY 78.40 56 IREDELL COUNTY 55.36 57 LINCOLN COUNTY 78.36 57 WILSON COUNTY 53.87 58 HERTFORD COUNTY 77.49 58 RANDOLPH COUNTY 51.88 59 WILSON COUNTY 76.13 59 WAYNE COUNTY 51.34 60 CLAY COUNTY 74.07 60 CLEVELAND COUNTY 50.01 61 SURRY COUNTY 68.97 61 ROWAN COUNTY 48.95 62 WAYNE COUNTY 67.65 62 BEAUFORT COUNTY 47.84 63 WASHINGTON COUNTY 65.76 63 CALDWELL COUNTY 46.23 64 MONTGOMERY COUNTY 60.02 64 WARREN COUNTY 45.35 65 FRANKLIN COUNTY 59.95 65 YADKIN COUNTY 45.32 66 RANDOLPH COUNTY 56.18 66 LENOIR COUNTY 42.49 67 BEAUFORT COUNTY 55.39 67 FRANKLIN COUNTY 41.21 68 RUTHERFORD COUNTY 55.27 68 BURKE COUNTY 41.10 69 CALDWELL COUNTY 54.24 69 GATES COUNTY 40.76 70 GATES COUNTY 52.67 70 JOHNSTON COUNTY 40.61 71 ROWAN COUNTY 50.70 71 VANCE COUNTY 39.63 72 BLADEN COUNTY 50.66 72 CLAY COUNTY 37.72 73 LENOIR COUNTY 50.41 73 RUTHERFORD COUNTY 37.00 74 YADKIN COUNTY 50.19 74 DUPLIN COUNTY 36.65 75 WARREN COUNTY 48.75 75 STANLY COUNTY 35.63 76 JOHNSTON COUNTY 48.70 76 SAMPSON COUNTY 33.09 ---PAGE BREAK--- Jamie Kritzer, Public Information Officer [EMAIL REDACTED] Phone: (919) 707-8602 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdenr 1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 RSS feed: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/opa/news-releases-rss Twitter: http://twitter.com/NCDENR An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer 77 DUPLIN COUNTY 47.60 77 WILKES COUNTY 32.71 78 VANCE COUNTY 45.46 78 ROBESON COUNTY 32.54 79 STANLY COUNTY 44.05 79 BLADEN COUNTY 32.41 80 ROCKINGHAM COUNTY 43.31 80 AVERY COUNTY 30.82 81 HARNETT COUNTY 41.28 81 LINCOLN COUNTY 30.58 82 WILKES COUNTY 39.57 82 HARNETT COUNTY 30.12 83 SAMPSON COUNTY 38.96 83 GRAHAM COUNTY 27.17 84 ROBESON COUNTY 38.84 84 EDGECOMBE COUNTY 26.09 85 HOKE COUNTY 36.90 85 HOKE COUNTY 25.04 86 EDGECOMBE COUNTY 36.69 86 STOKES COUNTY 24.07 87 STOKES COUNTY 31.97 87 ROCKINGHAM COUNTY 23.91 88 RICHMOND COUNTY 31.42 88 GREENE COUNTY 23.79 89 MARTIN COUNTY 30.20 89 TYRRELL COUNTY 23.64 90 GRAHAM COUNTY 30.15 90 CHEROKEE COUNTY 22.24 91 TYRRELL COUNTY 28.49 91 CASWELL COUNTY 19.32 92 CHEROKEE COUNTY 26.24 92 WASHINGTON COUNTY 18.85 93 CASWELL COUNTY 25.95 93 NORTHAMPTON COUNTY 13.22 94 GREENE COUNTY 25.78 94 BERTIE COUNTY 11.26 95 NORTHAMPTON COUNTY 16.50 95 RICHMOND COUNTY 9.70 96 COLUMBUS COUNTY 13.11 96 MARTIN COUNTY 9.36 97 BERTIE COUNTY 12.81 97 JONES COUNTY 7.44 98 ANSON COUNTY 11.06 98 COLUMBUS COUNTY 5.02 99 JONES COUNTY 7.80 99 ANSON COUNTY 3.58 100 HALIFAX COUNTY 4.67 100 HALIFAX COUNTY 2.35