Don't place bagged Recyclables in Recycling Roll Carts or Bins at Curbside for Pickup

Do you collect recyclables in plastic or other bags during the week and then place the bagged materials at curbside in recycling roll carts or bins for pick up? If you do, please stop.

During the week, you may put your recyclables in a plastic or other bag, however, before placing the materials at curbside for pick up, you must empty the contents of the bag into your recycling roll cart or bin so that the materials are loose in the container. Do not include the bag in the recycling container.

If you recycle using City or County drop-off locations, this rule also applies.  

It is still okay to bag regular household garbage for pick up.

WHY ARE WE TELLING YOU THIS?

The Horry County Solid Waste Authority informed cities, towns and other entities offering recycling programs that it is receiving an increased number of loads containing plastic and other bags at its Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), where your city and others take the materials it collects to be recycled. The bags wind up in the MRF's machinery, causing significant downtime and repair costs.

In the recycling industry, loads containing bags are “contaminated loads." The overseas markets that buy recyclables from the County have decreased their acceptable contamination threshold to .05%. When the contamination level exceeds that, the country receiving the recycling load sends it back to the County at the County's expense. The County must then pass that cost on to the cities, towns and other entities that collect bagged recyclables and deliver them to the MRF. The County now charges a fee of $150 to the city, town or other entity that delivers a contaminated load to the MRF. Continued violations increase the fee to $250 and $350 per load, respectively.

PLEASE ALSO FOLLOW THESE OTHER RULES

-- Do not recycle pizza boxes if they have cheese or other food remnants on them. Food remnants cannot be removed from the box fibers.

-- Before recycling, wash soiled food and drink containers and bottles. There cannot be any residue.

-- Do not flatten cans and bottles. The recycling machinery often mistakes the flattened items for paper, jamming the machinery.

If you have any questions about recycling in the City of North Myrtle Beach, please call 843-280-5500.