- Report a typo
-
DURHAM (WTVD) -- As the green trucks picked up used Christmas trees from outside Durham homes this week, many might have thought they were headed off to be recycled, ground up for mulch, or put to some other good use. After all, they'd been told to separate them from their regular trash, but that was not the case.
Ever since a fire at its landfill in 2006, the City of Durham has not had a place to recycle and reuse yard waste like leaves, branches and grass clippings. Instead, the waste is mixed in with regular trash and sent to a landfill.
Despite that, the City still sends out three different types of trucks to neighborhoods. One collects regular trash, the second recyclables, and the third yard waste. Residents also pay a $60 fee to the county for picking up yard waste.
"You would think we would just cut it up and throw it in with the regular garbage. We're already paying taxes for them to come in and pick up our garbage," offered resident Jim McBride.
If it's not being recycled, why are residents still paying the fee? The City says the fee covers the cost of removal. Plus, the law requires that that items like yard waste and Christmas trees be collected separately.
City managers say the Durham has a special waiver to ship yard waste along with the rest of its municipal waste. The city says it plans to come up with a recycling plan soon.
(Copyright ©2009 WTVD-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
local/state
- Report a typo
-
Sponsored Content
Advertisement
- Thousands gather at Shaniya Davis funeral
- Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
- Officials: 4 patients resistant to H1N1 strain
- Democrats plan health care test vote
- HS football scores, standings
- Winfrey: Prayer, careful thought influenced exit
- Do NC stimulus jobs add up?
- Police looking for blue light pervert
- Troubleshooter: Warranty woes
- Heart of Carolina Food Drive 2009
-
Most Popular
-
Most Viewed StoriesMost Viewed VideoMost Viewed Photos
Advertisement
ABC11 Everywhere
Wireless
Breaking news as it happens. Sign up now!
Visit our mobile site at abc11togo.com.
Get our iPhone application.
Newsletters, Alerts, and RSS
Sign up for our newsletters to get news, weather and other alerts via email.
Get breaking news alerts on your desktop
With our RSS feeds, get real-time updates of abc11.com using your favorite news reader.
Contests, Promotions, and Registration
Check out our contests and promotions. There are always great opportunities to win!
Become a member to enter contests, comment on stories, receive newsletters, and more!
Advertisement
- abc11.com home
- Site Map
- RSS
- Advertise with Us
- Contact Us
- DTV Reports
- Technical Help
- ABC.com
- ABCNews.com
- Privacy Policy
- Safety Information for this site
- Terms of Use
- Copyright ©2009 ABC Inc., WTVD-TV/DT Raleigh-Durham, NC. All Rights Reserved.





