CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was a gorgeous day across much of the area today, a chance for many people to get if a little yard work after a soggy Friday afternoon across much of the area; a reminder for you as you go to put out your trash.
The City of Charlotte’s paper bag mandate just went into effect earlier this week. If you try to put that debris in a plastic bag, it will not be picked up.
Tropical Storm Elsa swept through the Carolinas quickly, bringing heavy rain and wind through Uptown, and pulling down trees limbs and branches along the way.
As the storm turns to cleanup, plastic bags of yard waste like these will no longer be accepted in Mecklenburg County, after the paper bag mandate went into effect on Monday.
“Paper bags are a better use of our time,” director of Solid Waste Services Rodney Jamison told WCNC Charlotte.
Jamison explained that the 50,000 residents they serve a day wrack up a lot of yard waste, which only increases after a bad storm.
“There are times we get to a home and there are over 200 bags at a residence,” he said.
Jamison said the crews have had to pick the debris out of the bags themselves.
“We have to debag every plastic bag at the curb at the residence.. and that is extremely time-consuming," he explained. In addition to being time-consuming, he believes it is potentially dangerous. “A lot of injuries occur due to that.”
Plastic that slips through has to be handpicked out of the yard waste at the county’s compost facility, but Jamison says paper doesn’t. It's why the county is offering free paper yard bags at their full-service centers.
“They're 30-gallon bags you can get up to two stacks, there's five in a bundle, so you get two stacks, that’s 10 bags,” Jamison explained.
Forgetting the rule multiple times could result in a $150 fine.
“Just bear with us and assist us in this change,” Jamison said.
Contact Lana Harris at lharris@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.