To understand which materials from Fearrington can be recycled, you have to understand that recycling that is picked up within Fearrington is done by the First Choice Disposal, which sells material to SONOCO Recycling in Raleigh, which sorts and packages the materials for sale to various industries. However, if you take your recycling to the Chatham County Recycling location, such as the one at Cole Park, the material is handled by a different company that packages and sells it to different industries. As a result, the guidelines for what can be recycled depend on where the recycling goes.
You can find much greater, more detailed, information about what is accepted on these websites:
RECYCLING ITEM | CHATHAM COUNTY Taken to Cole Park Center | FIRST CHOICE DISPOSAL RECYCLING Picked up in Fearrington |
Shredded paper | Not accepted, cannot accept any paper that is smaller than a standard size post-it. | Not accepted |
Batteries (dry cell, like household) | Accepted (See attendant) | Not accepted |
Batteries (wet cell such as from vehicle) | Accepted (See attendant) | Not accepted |
Plastics | #1 ‐ #7 as shown on item | #1 ‐ #7 as shown on item |
Plastic bags* | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Styrofoam | Not accepted | Not accepted, put in regular trash |
Plastic cups, plates, utensils | Not accepted | Accepted |
Rigid plastic buckets, etc | Not accepted | Accepted |
Plastic plant pots | Not accepted | Accepted |
Clamshells (food trays) | Not accepted | Accepted |
Foil or wax-coated paper or cardboard with oil/grease and food stains (such as pizza) | Not accepted | Clean cardboard accepted. If oil/grease & food stains (such as pizza stains), put in regular trash. No foil or wax-coated paper. |
Aluminum cans | Accepted (rinsed) | Accepted (rinsed) |
Aluminum foil | Not accepted | Not accepted |
Corks** | Not accepted | Not accepted, put in regular trash |
| *If reusable, empty plastic bags can be included in your monthly PORCH Fearrington food donations for use by the CORA Food Pantry. If dirty or torn, take them to a participating grocery store such as Harris Teeter. ** Corks can be taken to Whole Foods; the bin is in the wine section. | ||
One thing to remember is that recycling companies like SONOCO (used by First Choice) receive many items that do not belong in recycling, adding up to 15% of the received volume. Separating these adds significantly to their cost; hence, the motto: WHEN IN DOUBT LEAVE IT OUT.
