Recycling 101
Curbside Recyclables
All types of DRY/CLEAN paper, cardboard, magazines, newspapers, milk cartons, glass bottles and jars. Plastics with recycle code #1, #2, or #5, only - No plastic bags although they are 100% recyclable. (see next column).
Jars and glass bottles - per Sonoco; lids can remain or be removed since they will both be recycled - make sure to empty all contents and lightly clean. GFL recommends removing all caps for plastic bottles since they will not be recycled and placing these in your household trash...We recommend leaving the caps OFF all plastic bottles since during processing the caps will fall off - Sonoco does not currently have an outlet for the caps -they are deposited in their local landfill.
Recycle Other Common Materials
Keurig K cups: now acceptable as long as long as they are cleaned out.
Books:
Please contact each site for donation parameters: either the St. James Lending Library or Friends of the Library Southport/Oak Island, contact: https://folsoi.org - Softcover books can be recycled curbside as is, but hardcover books need the spine and covers removed. (More later on the hardbound covers as recycling them becomes available - for now, please use your household trash)
Recycle Right - In Your Curbside Bin
Recycle Other Common Materials Conveniently
Plastic bags- take to all local supermarkets or Lowes Hardware.
Clean Plastic Foam (styrofoam)- small sizes to Publix recycling box; all sizes to UNCW Recycling Depot.
Clear plastic (1dz.) egg cartons -take to SJP Golf Club Pro Shops & Bag Check sites.
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL), Rechargeable batteries and cell phones take to Lowes Hardware.
Brunswick County Landfill
Brunswick County Recycling Guidelines
Located at 172 Landfill Rd NE, Bolivia. Open 7:30AM to 5:00PM Monday - Friday, 7:30AM to 3:00PM Saturday.
Visit their website for accepted items and Tip fees
Phone: 910-253-8101.
Email: operationservices@brunswickcountync.gov
Household Hazardous Waste Collection:
St. James Tennis Club Recycles
Tennis players in St James have mailed over 50,500 tennis balls to recycleballs.org since we started sending balls to RecycleBalls in 2018. This doesn’t count the balls that have gone to Brunswick County schools for desk and chair legs or balls that have gone to dog parks. Look for the green recycling bins hanging on the fences at all tennis courts. Volunteers collect the balls and take them to local schools, nursing homes or dog shelters but primarily ship them to recycleballs.org for many interesting uses. Check out their website to see what happens to all these tennis balls that avoided the landfill. “As for the tennis balls that you’ve sent in bounce from the recycling bin to our warehouse, we have found a second life for over 12.5 million of them. They’ve found homes in schools on chairs, horse arenas creating a safe environment for therapy, and even into tennis courts!Your contributions helped pave the way for the stadium court at the Canadian Open in Toronto, a landmark achievement in eco-conscious sports. Together we’ve saved more than 25 million ounces of rubber from landfills.”
The contact at recycleballs.org is Josh https://www.recycleballs.org/ donation-page/ Note from Laykold (Official provider for new court at the US Open) “ The statistics are striking. Each year approximately 325 million tennis balls worldwide, including 125 million in the U.S. alone, end up in landfill. This is an environmental challenge the sport must face. Laykold is the only court brand to use recycled balls in its court surfaces.” https://www.laykold.com
Brunswick County Convenience Center
8392 River Road SE, Southport. Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8AM to 6PM. Accepts everything from the "Household Recyclables" section, plus electronic and computer equipment, household batteries, cell phones, smoke detectors, used cooking oil, textiles, & fluorescent. Website.
UNCW Recycling Warehouse Services
5179 Lionfish Dr. Wilmington. Open Monday - Friday, 7:30AM to 4:30PM. Go to their website for accepted item list.
Phone: 910-962-2549.
Email: recycle@uncw.edu
Accepts a wide range of plastic, paper*, electronics** and glass.
* Shredded paper - must be placed in a paper bag, secured at the top with a staple or small piece of scotch tape.
**Acceptable electronics include most items that have a cord, take batteries, or charges. The only non acceptable electronics from the public are large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, batteries, printer cartridges, CRT TVs (large TVs that are not flat).
NexTrex Recycling Challenge
(APRIL 2025-MARCH 2026)
The St James Conservancy Recycling Committee has taken the challenge from NexTrex to collect 1000 lbs. of plastic film over the next 12 months. By now everyone is aware that plastic waste degrades into its smallest form of microplastics, which has become a health hazard in the air we breathe, the food we eat and all of our local natural habitats. Please help us achieve our goal to reduce plastic waste in our landfills and our environment.
The process is quite simple.
Collect #2 & #4 polyethylene plastic film into clear plastic bags (preferred);
alternatively, if necessary, use the white kitchen plastic trash bags.
Weigh and record the weight; take a photo shot of the bag(s)
Drop off the bags to any of the local participating stores;
Publix, Lowes Food, Food Lion and Harris Teeter and UNCW
Recycling Depot
Email the weight, picture and drop off point to Gerry Rosenthal
Full list of acceptable and unacceptable plastics are within the attached webpage: http://nextrex.com/view/educate.
Please submit any questions on the Conservancy Recycle contact webpage form. (https://www.stjamesconservancy.org/recycle-faq)
Maximum 2 bags of plastic per drop-off to allow others to use the food store bins. I have also brought 2 or 3 bags into the stores after receiving permission from the Customer Service desk.
Please visit the NexTrex Recycling Challenge Website: https://nextrex.com/
Acceptable and non-acceptable items: https://nextrex.com/view/educate
Database of products - where to recycle
We are building a database of various companies in order to provide residents with recycling options. The majority of companies contacted seem ready and willing to identify the plastic resin identification code (RIC) (AKA the plastic recycling code). Please use our Contact Page with any questions about where to recycle.
Local businesses such as Spectrum Paint are donating plastic from their skid wraps. We welcome any donation of the #2 or #4 plastic film from other businesses however prior to any contact please email geraldivan988@gmail.com first to avoid any redundancy.
