Blue Waves & Blue Bins

Wrightsville Beach native Miller Diggs grew up enjoying the waves and sand of the island. While the water and beach have remained beautiful, Diggs noticed the amount of plastic and trash increasing in his hometown, and he wanted to do something about it.

New Hanover County operates a recycling collection center at the Wrightsville Beach Municipal Complex, but the town does not offer curbside collection. When he was a teenager carrying his own family’s recycling to the center, Diggs wished there was a local business providing that service.

It turns out he wasn’t alone. As an adult talking with friends and neighbors, Diggs heard about the same need: the drop-off system didn’t work for everyone, and people wanted recycling pickup.

Recognizing that convenience is a major factor in participation, Diggs launched Caliber Recycling, a collection service to help reduce the amount of plastic pollution at the beach.

Diggs says the goal of his company is to “provide the community with an easy-to-use recycling service that you can trust to properly dispose of your recycling while creating a safe and healthy planet for future generations.” Such seemingly small local actions can have far-reaching effects, protecting water, wildlife and energy resources for many years to come.

Caliber Recycling emphasizes convenience and choice for its customers, providing weekly pickup service in Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington and offering three different container options ranging from a small 14-gallon bin to a large 50-gallon cart.

Diggs says education is an important component of the business and he works to keep customers informed about what materials belong in the recycling bin. The goal is to keep as much out of the landfill as possible so those materials can be reused rather than wasted.

Caliber delivers its collected recyclables to the New Hanover County sorting facility and accepts the same materials as the county.