North Carolina

Does NC have a bottle deposit program? How to get cash for your recyclables

Martina Garcia, right, works on the paper quality control line at a Sonoco materials recovery facility on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. The recycling plant receives material from all of Raleigh’s residential blue bins, along with recycling from Durham, Fuquay-Varina and some smaller community drop-off centers.
Martina Garcia, right, works on the paper quality control line at a Sonoco materials recovery facility on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. The recycling plant receives material from all of Raleigh’s residential blue bins, along with recycling from Durham, Fuquay-Varina and some smaller community drop-off centers. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com

North Carolinians recycled 1.65 million tons of materials during the last fiscal year, diverting it from the state’s landfills.

That equates to roughly 305 pounds of recyclables per person — but what if you could get cash for your recyclables?

Some states have bottle deposit programs, which are “proven, sustainable methods of capturing beverage bottles and cans for recycling” by giving consumers money (usually 5 or 10 cents) for each bottle they recycle, according to the Container Recycling Institute.

Does North Carolina have a bottle deposit program? Here’s what to know.

Martina Garcia, right, works on the paper quality control line at a Sonoco materials recovery facility on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. The recycling plant receives material from all of Raleigh’s residential blue bins, along with recycling from Durham, Fuquay-Varina and some smaller community drop-off centers.
Martina Garcia, right, works on the paper quality control line at a Sonoco materials recovery facility on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. The recycling plant receives material from all of Raleigh’s residential blue bins, along with recycling from Durham, Fuquay-Varina and some smaller community drop-off centers. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com

Does NC have a bottle deposit program?

No. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, just 10 states have bottle deposit programs:

  • California

  • Connecticut

  • Hawaii

  • Iowa

  • Maine

  • Massachusetts

  • Michigan

  • New York

  • Oregon

  • Vermont

Last year, N.C. legislators proposed the Litter Reduction Act of 2024, which would have established a bottle deposit program in the state where residents could get 10 cents for every bottle they recycle, but the bill stalled in the House.

“Across the country, Bottle Deposit Laws have been shown to reduce beverage container litter by over 70% and reduce total litter by 30-40%,” says a blog post for the conservation nonprofit Haw River Assembly, published last year in response to the proposed bill.

“A recent national study by Keep America Beautiful found less than half as many bottles and cans per capita littered along roadsides in bottle deposit law states compared to non-bottle deposit law states.”

Quality Technician Keydrick Parker examines a delivery of Inbound 3 Mix at Strategic Materials, Inc. in Wilson, N.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. After receiving a delivery from recycling programs, the plant screens, crushes, and sorts glass into furnace-ready material called “cullet,” which is then used to make new products.
Quality Technician Keydrick Parker examines a delivery of Inbound 3 Mix at Strategic Materials, Inc. in Wilson, N.C. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. After receiving a delivery from recycling programs, the plant screens, crushes, and sorts glass into furnace-ready material called “cullet,” which is then used to make new products. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com

How to get money for your recyclables in NC

Though North Carolina does not have a bottle deposit program, you can still get money for your recyclables by trading them in at places that accept scrap metal. Tere are a few places in Charlotte and the Triangle where you can sell your scrap metal.

Charlotte:

Raleigh and Durham:

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Evan Moore
The Charlotte Observer
Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.
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