NORTH CAROLINA – With extra time at home, North Carolina residents are probably creating more trash than usual and landfills are feeling the effects.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the Alamance County landfill processed about 425 tons of trash each day.

Now, the landfill processes over 600 tons a day.

Richard Hills, director of solid waste for Alamance County, says it’s a direct result of stay-at-home orders.

“Kids are not at school, they’re eating lunch at home. People are at home, and they’re cleaning out their closets and eating dinner at home,” he says.

Hills says this is happening everywhere, across the state and country.

They’ve also noticed people are using their recycling bins for the extra garbage. They’re urging residents to not do that and follow normal recycling guidelines.