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1. Why doesn't the city ban single-use plastics like plastic bags?

The current state legislature restricts certain action cities in North Carolina can take, including on banning certain items from being used. This is best demonstrated through the action taken in the Outer Banks. Senate Bill 1018 from 2009 implemented a ban on the use of plastic bags by retailers on the Outer Banks. However, in 2017 House Bill 56 repealed this ban after overriding a veto from Governor Cooper. Since the repeal, no other ban similar to this has been passed or has attempted to be passed in the state by any jurisdiction.

2. What should I do with Styrofoam packing materials?

The UPS Stores at 380 Knollwood St., and 550 N. Liberty St., here in Winston-Salem will accept any clean packing materials for reuse. The styrofoam needs to be clean, otherwise the stores will not be able to reuse it. They will also take bubble wrap.

3. Does the city have a compost program?

The city does compost the loose leaves collected by sanitation crews. More information is on the Utilities pages. The city does not collect food scraps as part of the compost program. You can learn more about backyard composting from the Forsyth County Cooperative Extension, where they host educational workshops and provide information on their website to get you started.

4. How can residents help get a single-use plastic ban implemented?

If residents are passionate about the City of Winston-Salem banning certain single-use plastic items, please contact your state representatives.  Let them know how important the issue is to you that cities be able to implement single-use plastic bans and other material bans in their local jurisdictions.

5. What does a LEED for Cities certification mean for Winston-Salem?

The new LEED for Cities platform will be able to provide us with a road map to help evaluate, assess and improve our community’s economic, environmental, and social performance measures and become healthier and stronger together. LEED for Cities can help the City of Winston-Salem set a clear path for sustainability, and measure and track progress towards meaningful results that save money and improve this community.

For more information about this project, email Helen Peplowski.

6. What happened to STAR Communities?

STAR Communities as an organization has recently become part of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), organization in efforts to create a stronger LEED for Cities framework. What this means for our efforts is that we will now be pursuing certification under the soon to be updated LEED for Cities program. You can learn more about this new certification on the LEED for Cities web page.