Summer means beach trips, pool days, picnics, festivals, and sports — and Mecklenburg Solid Waste wants residents to recycle right while enjoying the season.

You can always recycle plastic bottles and jugs with necks, cardboard, cans, cartons, paper, and glass bottles curbside. Some summer items can also be recycled at the full-service centers.

Plastic bottles & metal cans
Recycle soda cans, water bottles, sports drink containers, and other beverage containers curbside or at county recycling centers. Leave caps on bottles and avoid crushing cans to help the recycling process. 

Foam coolers & cups
Clean, dry white rigid foam coolers and foam cups are accepted at full-service recycling centers. Remove stickers, lids, and straws first. Look for the Foam-a-Saurus Rex bin. Recycled foam is turned into products like picture frames and hangers. 

Aerosol sunscreen cans
Empty spray sunscreen aerosol cans are recyclable curbside. Plastic sunscreen tubes and bottles are not recyclable. 

Old towels & swimsuits
Textiles such as towels, swimsuits, shoes, hats, sheets, and accessories can be dropped in the big blue textile bins at full-service centers.

What Not to Recycle

Broken pool floats & inflatables
Most are made from PVC and cannot be recycled.

Broken plastic toys
Buckets, shovels, diving sticks, and similar toys are also typically made from PVC and should be thrown away.

For more information on full, staffed and self-service locations and about recycling, waste diversion or anything else related to waste, visit WipeOutWaste.com. To submit a waste disposal and recycling question, email [email protected]. Jeff Smithberger, director of Solid Waste, answers the top seven residential recycling questions at tinyurl.com/MeckRecycleRightFAQs. 

Mecklenburg Solid Waste - 2145 Suttle Ave, Charlotte, NC

Waste Reduction & Recycling: Free Online Educational Presentations for Residents http://bit.ly/MeckRecycleRightVirtual Wishful recycling (placing items in recycling that is actua... Read More »