The Town of Hampstead announced Tuesday it will no longer be accepting plastic bags in recycling bins after Hughes Trash Removal notified them the county no longer accepts them.
The mandate went into effect across the county last year, but Carroll County Recycling Manager Maria Myers said people are still putting them in recycling bins across Carroll.
“For a while we did accept bags, but we stopped doing that over a year ago,” Myers told the Times Tuesday. “Bags get tangled up into the machinery and they have to shut it down.
“We are still trying to reach people to tell them this is contaminating our program,” she said. “We are still seeing a lot of bags coming through.”
The Hampstead notice was posted to its Facebook page around 11 a.m. on Feb. 26.
“Beginning this week, recycling will not be taken if it contains plastic bags,” it states. “Please make sure your recycling does not contain this item.”
It reminded residents plastic bags are accepted at local grocery stores for recycling.