Recycling

Multi-Unit Housing Recycling

Location

Recycling cart sites are located at over 95% of multi-unit housing complexes (MUH) (apartments, town homes, and condominiums) in Orange County, and are available to residents 24-hours a day, 7-days per week for the collection of single-stream recycling.

Restrictions

Never leave plastic bags in the recycling carts. If recyclables are collected inside in a plastic bag, remove the recyclables from the bag prior to placing them in the carts and discard the bag elsewhere.

Do not leave Corrugated Cardboard in the blue recycling carts. Most multi-unit housing locations in Orange County have separate dumpster(s) for corrugated cardboard. If that is not available, residents can recycle corrugated cardboard at any of the County’s 24-hour recycling drop-off locations or Solid Waste Convenience Centers for large loads of cardboard. Corrugated cardboard is banned from landfill disposal and must be recycled

Acceptable Items

• Drink Cartons - Flat-topped, aseptic, and gable topped boxes.  Plastic spouts are okay. Rinse clean and flatten.  Do NOT Include foil drink pouches or straws.
• Corrugated Cardboard & Single Layer Carboard (cereal boxes, cracker boxes, frozen food boxes, paper towel rolls, and tissue boxes) - Empty and flatten boxes completely for recycling. Include cereal boxes, cracker Recycle pizza boxes with Single Stream recycling if they are completely clean and empty.  Do NOT Include any wax coated boxes; tissues or paper towels; any plastic foil bags or linings; or plastic or Styrofoam packaging.   
• Glass Bottles & Jars - Clear, brown, green and blue glass bottles and jars only. Rinse clean. Lids and labels are okay.
• Metal Cans - Aluminum and steel/tin food or beverage cans. Tuck metal lids inside cans and crimp the edge shut. Flatten what you can to save space.  Do NOT include car parts, pans, pots, or scrap metal.
• Mixed Paper -  Any clean, dry paper that tears (envelope windows and staples are okay), junk mail, manila folders, and office and school paper.  Do NOT Include tissue or paper towels, wax coated or laminated paper, and credit cards and other plastic items from junk mail. Do NOT Include shredded paper (not even in a bag). We recommend that people wait until our annual Shred-A-Thon events to properly recycle their shredded paper or compost it. 
• Newspapers - Newspaper and associated inserts. Do NOT include plastic bags or rubber bands before recycling. Plastic bags can be recycled separately with plastic bags at grocery stores or at either Eubanks Rd or Walnut Grove Church Rd. Waste and Recycling centers
• Magazines - Do NOT Include plastic overwrap.  24-hour recycling drop-off sites have Magazine Racks to share magazines in good condition.
• Phone Books & Paperback Books - Clean and dry.  Do NOT include plastic bags; remove before recycling.  No hardcover books.
• Plastic Bottles, Jugs, Jars & tubs - Plastic bottles have a neck smaller than the base. Leave the cap on!  Do NOT include clear plastic boxes or clamshells, plastic bags or other non-rigid plastics, or Styrofoam.
• Cups & Buckets #2, #4 & #5 - Tubs, cups and buckets and other rigid non bottle plastics #2, #4, #5 only.  Do NOT include clear plastic boxes or clamshells, plastic bags or other non-rigid plastics, or Styrofoam.

Unacceptable Items

Commercial Recycling

Orange County Solid Waste Management operates a recycling and organics collection program for commercial businesses in Orange County. Call 919-968-2788 or email recycling to find out if your business is eligible for the commercial recycling program or organics collection program.