Forsyth County is in a bind. The state-mandated recycling program there is driving up the cost to use the public landfill and draining resources that will eventually be needed to build a new landfill (if a statewide moratorium expires). On the bright side, the higher costs are pushing people to use private landfills, which have lower fees. Unfortunately, the county commission might raise taxes or fees even higher to cover the cost of recycling.
New Hanover County has its own problem with costly waste management, a self-imposed penalty in the form of a waste-to-energy incinerator.
