Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) - pounds/person/day
Updates
Tropical Storm Chantal resulted in the loss of several solid waste trucks, significantly impacting collection operations and staffing. Approximately 138 tons of municipal solid waste were collected during storm-related flood cleanup.
Public Works continued providing reliable municipal solid waste collection services while using collection data and service requests to support continuous improvement. Staff collaborated with Orange County Solid Waste and the Solid Waste Advisory Group to advance implementation of the Road to Zero Waste Plan and participated in the Triangle Solid Waste Consortium's regional initiatives focused on data collection, unified education and outreach, food waste diversion, and long-term waste management solutions.
In April 2026, Carrboro partnered with Orange County Solid Waste to install new 24-hour food waste collection bins at the Jones Ferry Park & Ride and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, making it easier for residents to divert food scraps from the landfill.
Public Works continued promoting waste reduction initiatives and educating the public on proper waste disposal, recycling, and landfill diversion. In partnership with the Communications Department, staff provided timely information on service updates, holiday schedules, and other solid waste notifications while enhancing website content to improve customer access to information.
Next Steps
Public Works will continue providing reliable municipal solid waste collection services while using collection data and service requests to support continuous improvement. Staff will continue collaborating with Orange County Solid Waste and the Solid Waste Advisory Group to advance implementation of the Road to Zero Waste Plan and participate in the Triangle Solid Waste Consortium’s regional initiatives focused on data collection, unified education and outreach messaging, food waste diversion, and long-term waste management solutions. Staff will also continue to collaborate with Orange County Solid Waste to educate and promote recycling and food waste diversion.
Public Works will continue working with the Communications Department to strengthen public messaging on service updates, holiday schedules, and collection guidance, while maintaining and improving website content to enhance customer access to information. Staff will also continue monitoring operational performance measures to support service reliability and recovery from prior storm-related impacts.