Plastic Bottles

Senate Bill 111


These materials are no longer allowed in your household garbage container. Beginning with Senate Bill 111 in 1989 and in subsequent legislation, the North Carolina General Assembly has established disposal bans on a wide range of materials.

Disposal Bans


New disposal bans will come into effect October 1, 2009 on used oil filters, plastic bottles and wooden pallets. Click on the links below to learn more about how to comply with the October disposal bans and about some of the other materials banned under North Carolina General Statute 130A-309.10(f).
Plastic Bottles

Waste Reduction


To reduce waste going to the landfills, the state has issue a ban on the following materials from landfills.

Rigid Plastics


  • one and five gallon buckets
  • milk and soda crates
  • laundry baskets
  • laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs, water, soda or juice bottles classified as PET or HDPE plastics (#1 or No. 2)
Rigid plastic containers are defined as bottles that have a neck smaller than its body:
  • plastic toys
  • lawn furniture
  • plastic totes
  • pet carriers and litter boxes
  • cleaned empty garbage cans (any size)
  • rinsed plastic drums (any size)
  • plastic pallets, nursery trays and flower pots
  • plastic five gallon water bottles
  • plastic outdoor toys (sandboxes, slides, play kitchens)
These rigid plastic containers are accepted at the main Recycling Center on Mebane Bridge Road.

There are also state bans on the following: Motor Vehicle Oil Filters and Oyster Shells.

The city now provides an oil filter recycling unit at the Recycling Center on Mebane Bridge Road for oil filters. Residents will be able to bring their recycled oil filters there for processing. Oil filters must be free of oil.