Disposal Guidance

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A person sorting plastic recyclable materials in two separate bins.

Union County Solid Waste provides guidance for the safe and responsible disposal of household materials. This page provides a brief overview of common materials, how and where County residents may dispose of each item, associated costs and any special considerations.

Unless noted otherwise below, this guidance applies to the Union County Landfill and our five convenience centers; Union County does not provide curbside collection services.

Batteries

Rechargeable & Lithium Batteries

Rechargeable batteries and lithium batteries are accepted as part of our Electronics Recycling program. Look for our electronics recycling bins at our Convenience Centers (available at all centers except our White Store location) and the Landfill. Union County residents can recycle household quantities of rechargeable batteries and lithium batteries for free.

Never dispose of lithium batteries in your regular household garbage due to the risk of fire. To learn more about lithium battery safety, visit this page on the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality's website.

Used Household Batteries

Alkaline and zinc carbon batteries should be treated as normal household garbage and disposed of with your regular trash.

Additional Guidance

EPA offers a wide variety of guidance for disposing of batteries. Visit this page for helpful advice.

Cans - Aluminum & Steel

County residents can recycle the following items for free at our Convenience Centers or the Landfill:

Food cans (vegetables, fruit, soup, etc.)
Beverage cans (soda, soft drinks, seltzers, alcoholic, etc.)

Special Instructions:

Prior to recycling, rinse or wipe out all food residue. Put food residue in the trash, not down the drain.
Labels do not need to be removed.
All recyclables must be loose, unbagged materials.
Before you visit our sites, be sure to Cover Your Load.

Cardboard

County residents can recycle the following items for free at our Convenience Centers or the Landfill:

Corrugated cardboard
Paperboard boxes (such as cereal and shoe boxes)
Shipping boxes

Special Instructions:

No pizza boxes or boxes with food residue will be accepted.
Please break down your boxes into flat sheets so that they will fit into our dumpsters.
Large amounts of cardboard are accepted at the Landfill only.
Before you visit our sites, be sure to Cover Your Load.

Fuel/Gasoline

Glass - Glass Bottles & Jars Only

County residents can recycle the following items for free at our Convenience Centers or the Landfill:

Glass bottles (soda bottles, alcoholic beverage bottles, etc.)
Glass jars (baby food jars, pickle jars, jam or jelly jars, glass yogurt jars, etc.)

Special Instructions:

Prior to recycling, rinse or wipe out all food residue. Put food residue in the trash, not down the drain.
Labels do not need to be removed.
No plate glass or ceramics will be accepted.
Separate lids from jars. Metals cannot be accepted with glass.
All recyclables must be loose, unbagged materials.
Before you visit our sites, be sure to Cover Your Load.

Medications

operation medicine drop Prescription drugs, medications, sharps, and other medical supplies should be disposed of with caution. Please consult your medical care professional or pharmacist for safe disposal or take-back options.

Union County Solid Waste typically includes an Operational Medicine Drop station at our annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.

Find other Operation Medicine Drop events and related guidance from the Office of the State Fire marshal.

Motor Oil/Oil Filters

Paper - Mixed Paper & Paper Cartons

County residents can recycle the following items for free at our Convenience Centers or the Landfill:

Junk Mail
Mixed Paper
Magazines
Newspaper
Paper Bags
Paper Packaging

Special Instructions:

Styrofoam is not considered paper and is not accepted for recycling at our sites.
All recyclables must be loose, unbagged materials.
Before you visit our sites, be sure to Cover Your Load.

Paints, Stains & Varnishes

Pesticides/Herbicides

Plastics

County residents can recycle the following items for free at our Convenience Centers or the Landfill:

Bottles and jugs with a #1 or a #2 label
- These numerical labels typically are shown within the recycling symbol, as shown at right.
- These labels typically appear on the bottom, side, or neck of a container.
Common items with a #1 or a #2 label can include:
- milk jugs
- soda bottles
- salad dressing bottles
- shampoo/toiletry bottles
- laundry detergent bottles
Common plastics we cannot accept for recycling:
- clamshells (food storage containes)
- motor oil containers
- plastic bags (look for plastic bag recycling receptacles at local grocery stores)
- plastic cups

Special Instructions:

For your safety and the safety of our staff, bottles containing pesticides, herbicides, cleaning products, and other hazardous materials are best reserved for our annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.
Before you visit our sites, be sure to Cover Your Load.

Prescriptions/Sharps

Union County Solid Waste typically includes an Operational Medicine Drop station at our annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.

Find other Operation Medicine Drop events and related guidance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Scrap Metal

Sensitive Documents

Tanks - Propane or Helium

Tires

White Goods (Refrigerators, Washers, Dryers, etc.)

Yard Waste

Have Questions?

If you have further questions about how to dispose of an item in Union County, or to suggest an addition to this page, please contact Union County Solid Waste:

704-296-4260

Email Us