Lumberton discontinues curbside recycling, considers manned drop-off site

Tomeka Sinclair, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.
·2 min read

Jul. 14—LUMBERTON — After two years of the program being suspended, the City of Lumberton has permanently discontinued curbside recycling.

The action went into effect on Monday.

What has changed

During the suspension, Lumberton residents were directed to use the recycling containers, the green carts with yellow lids, for bagged trash. These containers will now be used for yard trimmings.

The green carts with green lids that were once used for yard trimmings will be removed. Residents are asked to leave these containers on the curb until they are removed.

The grey carts with grey lids will continue to be used for bagged trash.

What led to the discontinuation

More than two years ago the city halted the program because of a substantial increase in household waste being generated as a result of Gov. Roy Cooper's stay-at-home order issued March 27, 2020. Two weeks after the order went into effect, the city saw a more than 75% increase in residential garbage tonnage, according to Rob Armstrong, Public Works director.

The department had continued to explore resuming the program but as the pandemic continued, city officials stopped trying to anticipate a timeline for returning, Armstrong told The Robesonian in April of 2021.

Lumberton's administration was in the middle of launching a program to educate the public on recyclable materials prior to the suspension in 2020. The Public Works Department had distributed thousands of fliers to city residents that detailed what can and can't be placed in a recycling bin.

The city decided to terminate curbside recycling because "the only recycling facility in our region, located in Fayetteville, stopped accepting many of the traditionally recycled materials," Armstrong said.

These materials include plastic items classified as No. 3-7 which include: plastic toys; bags; food containers for products like yogurt, sour cream and margarine; straws, and bottle caps; or disposable coffee cups.

"Also, they started charging us for contamination levels and in many cases rejected the acceptance of material because of high contamination," Armstrong said. "Because of this, much of what customers had placed in recycling containers wasn't being recycled."

An alternative in the works

The city discontinued curbside recycling with plans on introducing a manned drop-off recycling site for those who wish to recycle correctly, according to Armstrong. The timing on the availability of this manned site has not yet been set.

The City of Lumberton is working with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to find a site and plan construction.

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at tsinclair@robesonian.com or 910-416-5865.