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October 4, 2026 GREEN SCENE Meeting Program
Announcing the Fall October 17, 2026 Annual FHA/Green Scene 3-in-1 Community Recycling Event
FOR FEARRINGTON AND GALLOWAY RIDGE RESIDENTS ONLY.
Saturday, October 17, 2026 Only Between 9:00am and Noon
3 Events — 1 Day: Gathering Place Parking Lot.
THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY THE FHA.
1. FREE SHREDDING
Have your confidential documents destroyed on-site, free of charge. Watch as Shimar Recycling Inc. shreds your documents.
Guidelines:Bound paper stacks one inch thick or more need to be separated
- Remove rubber bands and heavy banker's paper clips from papers
- Paper should not be in binders or heavy plastic.
- In addition to the bulleted items listed above, If you bring paper in Banker’s Boxes or file storage boxes (both of which are size 24x12x10) to be shredded, NOTE that there is a limit of such paper content from ONLY up to a maximum of 5 (five) such boxes that will be accepted for shredding.
2. PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE DISPOSAL
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Department will be available to safely dispose of all your old, unused, or expired prescription medications safely and legally.
All you need to do is leave them in the original packaging and hand them to the sheriff deputy on duty at the Gathering Place. No liquid medication or "sharps" (needles) are accepted. Remember: NEVER FLUSH medicines as they cause environmental issues.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO THROWING AWAY YOUR CURRENT UNUSED, UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES: consider donating them to Chatham Cares Community Pharmacy [CCCP] in Siler City, a non-profit community-based organization operated by a licensed pharmacist and committed to reducing health disparities by providing access to quality pharmacy services to the low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents of Chatham County. Read all about it here.
3. FIRE EXTINGUISHER CHECK Spring 2026 Information -- Stopping Fires In Your Home With Smoke Alarms And Fire Extinguishers. 
The mission of the North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department is to protect lives, property and the community environment from the destructive effects of fire, disaster or other life hazards by providing public education, incident prevention and emergency response services. The department will have staff and firefighters on hand at the event to check your fire extinguisher and to advise on how to safely use it.
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REMEMBER that we are no longer able to accept Household Hazardous Waste at our events; however, the County Will Accept Such Waste on This Same Day.
One of Chatham County’s next 2026 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events will be held on (November 21, 2026) at the County’s Main Recycling Facility approximately 13 miles from Fearrington Village, at [click the address for a MAP] 28 County Services Road, (which is just 6 miles west of Pittsboro, off Hwy 64), between 9:00 am - 3:00 pm on four of scheduled dates.
After the County's November 2026 event, there will be no more REMAINING 2026 COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS. They will begin again on March 20, 2027.
(Chatham County Residents Only). No decal is required. Must show ID at HHW events.
The remaining COUNTY’S HOUSEHOLD Hazardous Waste (HHW) events for 2026 will be on the following Saturdays:
- October 17 (the same day as our October community recycling event)
- November 21 On the November date, the Sheriff's Office will be on-site during these HHW events to conduct a medicine take back. Learn more details below.
Decals are now required to use HHW events, except for residents who live in the town limits of Cary, Pittsboro, and Siler City. All residents will also be asked to show a driver’s license or item with the address of where the waste is coming from.
HHW events are from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm across from the Main Facility at 28 County Services Road, Pittsboro.
No business waste and no trash will be accepted at any HHW Recycling Event.
Note that household fire extinguishers must be recycled at one of these scheduled Hazardous Waste Collection Events and cannot be recycled at the County regional Collection Centers. If it is from a business it will NOT be accepted at HHW events. Businesses need to contact a private company for disposal options.
At HHW events, the county accepts such items as oil-based paints, solvents, stains, bleach, aerosols, cleaners, pesticides, brake fluid, fluorescent light bulbs, propane tanks, etc. Residents can bring 20 gallons of latex paint cans per HHW event. If you have a 1-gallon paint can that has half a gallon of paint in it, it will count as 1 gallon. Latex paint can be safely dried out and put in with your regular trash.
For a complete list, please visit the www.chathamcountync.gov/
For information on what items are accepted by the County's HHW program, be sure to visit their website.
Jason Welsch, Green Scene Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
Contact: 914-806-4852 ( Cell Phone )
Green Scene September 9, 2026 Meeting Program
Following our two month summer programming break covering July and August, we are resuming our programs on September 9th at 11:00 AM till Noon at The Gathering Place.
We want to welcome everyone back from the summer break and hope that everyone had a safe, healthy, and enjoyable time despite the hot weather and frequent rains.
What Does “Resilience” Mean for Our Region?
Have you ever wondered how the communities around us are preparing for the challenges that may lie ahead?
The Central Pines Regional Council (CPRC) works with representatives from seven counties in central North Carolina, along with 50 local governments within those counties. Its staff brings expertise in areas that affect all of our communities—from transportation, aging and human services, and housing to the environment and resilience.
What makes CPRC particularly interesting is its regional perspective. Rather than looking at these issues one community at a time, CPRC takes a broader “wide-lens” view, helping local government leaders understand regional trends, challenges, and opportunities.
In 2022 and 2023, CPRC staff prepared two Regional Resilience Assessments designed to provide a “roadmap for action” for the years ahead.
At our Green Scene meeting on Wednesday, September 9, Chris Lawson, CPRC Program Manager, and several members of his staff will join us to take a look back—and a look forward.
They will first give us some background on the goals and objectives of the Resilience Assessments. But perhaps more interestingly, they will share what has happened since those assessments were published. With two to three years of experience now behind us, how closely have actual developments followed the expectations and projections outlined in the reports?
Come join us for what should be a fascinating and informative discussion about the future of our region—and what “resilience” really means for the communities in which we live.
Wednesday, September 9
11:00 AM – Noon
The Gathering Place
Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
914-806-4852 ( Cell Phone )
Green Scene June 10, 2026 Meeting Program
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After Action Report for the May 16, 2026 Spring FHA/Green Scene “3-In-1” Recycling Event
A big thank you to all our 17amazing volunteers—Patricia Arnold, Stephen Boyd, David Brown, Neville ( TONY ) Daniels, CHERI DeROSIA, Jon Darling, Jim Fink, Bill Groeber, Randall James, JIM KASPRZAK, PATRICK McGAHAN, Mike Petruska, MARILYN RACINE, KARIN RITTER, Steve Stewart, Betty Simon-Thomas, and Maggie Tunstall.
Thanks to their efforts, we processed 186 vehicles and managed to handle an impressive 3,840 pounds of paper— just shy of 2 tons! This paper is now on its way to being recycled into toilet paper at a production facility in Georgia. I would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the FHA Board in funding the Shimar Recycling Shredding Truck.
Recycled paper is proven to save trees and other resources: For example, recycling two tons of paper ( which we came very close to doing ) has a significant positive impact on the environment. It can save 34 trees, 760 gallons of oil, 6 cubic yards of landfill space, 8,000 kWh of energy, and 14,000 gallons of water. Additionally, the 34 trees preserved can absorb about 500 lbs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, while burning that same ton of paper would release 3,000 lbs of carbon dioxide. Overall, recycled paper generates 74% less air pollution compared to paper made from raw materials.
The North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department was present with a large, impressive, shinny red truck, and four uniformed volunteers, checking extinguishers and handing out fire prevention flyers.
The Chatham County Sheriff's Department collected just over 26.6 pounds of no longer needed medications during this event, which is a lot of medicines that won't end up polluting nearby water sources including Jordan Lake—our source of drinking water. The medications go to an approved commercial incineration facility for environmentally sensitive disposal.
Planning ahead, consider circling the third Saturday in October ( October 17, 2026 ) on your calendar, when we will have the opportunity to replicate and perhaps expand the yield of our spring 2026 community recycling efforts.
FHA/Green Scene Wednesday May 13, 2026 Program Meeting
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FHA/GREEN SCENE 2026 Annual Spring Community Recycling Event May 16, 2026
FOR FEARRINGTON AND GALLOWAY RIDGE RESIDENTS ONLY.
THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY THE FHA.
Guidelines:
- Bound paper stacks one inch thick or more need to be separated
- Remove rubber bands and heavy banker's paper clips from papers
- Paper should not be in binders or heavy plastic.
In addition to the bulleted items listed above, If you bring paper in Banker’s Boxes or file storage boxes (both of which are size 24x12x10) to be shredded, NOTE that there is a limit of such paper content from ONLY up to a maximum of 5 (five) such boxes that will be accepted for shredding.
REMEMBER that we are no longer able to accept Household Hazardous Waste at our events; however, the County Will Accept Such Waste on This Same Day.
One of Chatham County’s 2026 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events will be held on this same day (May 16, 2026) at the County’s Main Recycling Facility approximately 13 miles from Fearrington Village, at [click the address for a MAP] 28 County Services Road, (which is just 6 miles west of Pittsboro, off Hwy 64), between 9:00 am - 3:00 pm on the following schedule:
After the County's May event, there will be six more REMAINING 2026 COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS scheduled for the following Saturdays
(Chatham County Residents Only). No decal is required. Must show ID at HHW events.
The COUNTY’S HOUSEHOLD Hazardous Waste (HHW) events for 2026 will take place on the following Saturdays:
- March 21
- April 18*
- May 16 (the same day as our community recycling event)
- June 20
- July 18*
- August 15
- September 19
- October 17
- November 21*
*On these three dates marked by an * the Sheriff's Office will be on-site during these HHW events to conduct a medicine take back. Learn more details below.
Decals are now required to use HHW events, except for residents who live in the town limits of Cary, Pittsboro, and Siler City. All residents will also be asked to show a driver’s license or item with the address of where the waste is coming from.
HHW events are from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm across from the Main Facility at
28 County Services Road, Pittsboro .No business waste and no trash will be accepted.
Note that household fire extinguishers must be recycled at one of these scheduled Hazardous Waste Collection Events and cannot be recycled at the County regional Collection Centers. If it is from a business it will NOT be accepted at HHW events. Contact a private company for disposal options.
At HHW events, the county accepts such items as oil-based paints, solvents, stains, bleach, aerosols, cleaners, pesticides, brake fluid, fluorescent light bulbs, propane tanks, etc. Residents can bring 20 gallons of latex paint cans per HHW event. If you have a 1-gallon paint can that has half a gallon of paint in it, it will count as 1 gallon. Latex paint can be safely dried out and put in with your regular trash.
For a complete list, please visit the www.chathamcountync.gov/hhw or contact the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 919-542-5516 or recycle@chathamcountync.gov.
For information on what items are accepted by the County's HHW program, be sure to visit their website.