Wake County launches library recycling outreach and resources for residents

Wake County hosted drop-in recycling outreach sessions at the Northeast Regional Library and other branches to show residents what can — and cannot — go into mixed recycling and to answer questions about collection schedules.

"We're at Northeast Regional Library in Wake County, and we have a recycling display," said Sara of the county's solid-waste outreach team, who described tables showing acceptable and unacceptable items and urged residents to visit wake.gov/recycling for a detailed "Recycling 101" guide. Sara said the county will hold sessions across November and December and that plastics are a frequent source of confusion in mixed recycling.

The sessions are intended for any Wake County resident with questions about recycling, she said, and are designed to help lower contamination in the county's mixed-recycling stream. The outreach team offers images and descriptions on its website to help residents sort paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and glass items.

County staff encouraged participants to bring questionable items to the displays and to check the online calendar for dates and locations of future sessions.