§ 34-71. Findings.

Orange County, North Carolina does hereby find that:

Orange County has heretofore adopted ordinances governing the storage, transportation, and recycling of solid waste within the unincorporated sections of Orange County; and

Orange County owns and operates solid waste management facilities as a public enterprise to protect the citizens of Orange County and the environmental health both within the unincorporated areas of the county and within the municipalities in Orange County; and

Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Mebane have heretofore adopted and followed separate ordinances for the regulation of solid wastes within their respective jurisdictions; and

Siting and permitting of construction and demolition landfills and sanitary landfills has become increasingly difficult; the disposal of solid waste and construction and demolition waste has become increasingly more expensive; and construction and demolition waste continues to be disposed of through open burning, adding to the increasing air pollution problem within the county; and

Units of local government are charged by the legislature in G.S. § 130A-309.09A(b) to make a good faith effort to achieve the state's 40 percent municipal solid waste reduction goal by the year 2006; and

Orange County has committed itself to recycling recyclable materials, including construction and demolition waste, as part of its own solid waste reduction goal of 61 percent by the year 2006; and

Construction and demolition waste constitutes approximately one-third of the overall solid waste stream delivered to the Orange County Landfill, at least 15 percent of which is readily recoverable for purposes of recycling, secondary-market salvage, or re-integration into existing or subsequent projects; and

Orange County has the legal authority under state law, including but not limited to G.S. § 153A-136, § 153A-445 and § 130A-309.09B, to enact regulations with respect to the disposal of solid waste including recyclable material and to provide reasonable penalties and other provisions for the enforcement thereof.

(Ord. of 12-11-2001, § I, eff. 10-1-2002; Amend. of 4-18-2006, eff. 4-18-2006)