Recycling Boxes? Make Sure You Follow the Rules

RALEIGH, N.C. — Now that the holidays are over and the gifts have been opened, many people want to recycle their boxes. But homeowners must follow the rules so trash collectors will pick up their cardboard.

Raleigh resident Vaughn Kashuba’s recycling bin was emptied out Thursday morning, but some cardboard boxes were left behind along his curb.

“Obviously, if they’re going to have the guys doing the recycling collection, you figure they’d take all the paper and all the cardboard,” Kashuba said.

City officials said the recycling program accepts plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, but it has to be broken down and flattened. The size of the flattened cardboard should be no more than 3 feet by 3 feet. The city does not take Styrofoam.

Now that he knows what’s expected, Kashuba said he might wait to recycle the boxes instead of taking them to the landfill, like he was planning.

“It could be right out here next week, depending on what the rest of my week looks like,” he said.

On average, Raleigh collects more than 1,600 tons of recycling each month. For those who need more than one green recycling bin, another one can be bought for $6 or people can use something like a laundry basket.