<b>N.C. County Passes Business Recycling Ordinance</b>

Mecklenburg County commissioners approved a new recycling ordinance that could force thousands of businesses to collect their old corrugated and recovered fiber. The ordinance still needs the OK from Mecklenburg's seven municipalities. Commercial, industrial and construction waste account for 75 percent of what's going into landfills from Mecklenburg, and about half of that waste is recyclable cardboard and paper, county officials say.

The vote by the commissioners, April 3rd, was the culmination of around six years of work with companies in the county, according to Cary Saul, director of solid waste management for Mecklenburg County.

According to the ordinance, companies that generate at least 16 cubic yards of waste per week would have to source separate both OCC and office paper. According to local press reports, fines of no more than $2,500 over a one-year period could be imposed after a business' third violation of the ordinance.

While at the present time the ordinance only impacts unincorporated areas of the county, Saul hopes that incorporated cities within the county will adopt the ordinance. Charlotte, far and away, is the largest city in the county.

While many businesses in the county have resisted mandates for collecting material, Saul notes that many in the business community say that the ordinance as written is acceptable.

The Charlotte Chamber's Manufacturers Council had urged commissioners to continue their efforts to get businesses to recycle voluntarily, but a representative said Tuesday the group would support the ordinance if commissioners passed it.

Exemptions to the ordinance include the following:

·        Businesses which generate less than 16 cubic yards of trash per week. 

·        Businesses which generate less than 500 pounds of corrugated cardboard per month will be exempt from separating corrugated cardboard from their solid waste.

·        Businesses which generate less than 500 pounds of office paper per month will be exempt from separating office paper from their solid waste.

·        Source separation is not required if doing business from a temporary location (e.g., street vendor, construction site, outdoor festival)

·        Businesses may apply for an exemption if physical constraints preclude compliance with the ordinance.  These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

·        Businesses may be exempted if compliance with the ordinance would require them to violate codes or regulations such as the Zoning Ordinance.

County officials hope to get approval to enforce the ordinance from Charlotte and Mecklenburg's six other towns before it takes effect Jan. 1.

Mecklenburg commissioners hope to have other states on board with the ordinance before July 1.