This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority needs our help. It’s now more important than ever that recycling containers are used for recyclable items only, according to CVWMA officials. Placing items that are not accepted, such as plastic bags or food-contaminated containers, in curbside recycling bins or drop-off recycling containers causes contamination issues and add additional processing and disposal costs.

In the past, nearly all paper and cardboard collected in central Virginia for recycling was marketed to paper mills in China – until recently, when the country stopped allowing certain commodities, such as mixed paper, into the country because of poor quality.

Quality issues are caused when non-recyclable items, like plastic bags, get mixed in bales of paper or cardboard and contaminates the paper. Shutting off the world’s largest importer of recyclable materials has disrupted the market and forced recycling companies and municipalities to question the economic viability of recycling – especially products such as mixed paper and glass.

As a result, CVWMA’s recycling vendors will no longer pick up unwanted items like plastic bags and other non-recyclables, including food-contaminated containers.

Recyclers should place loose acceptable items only in the recycling container and not bag recycling in plastic bags.

If you find an “OOPS” tag (pictured) on your bin or cart and your recycling was not collected, then you may have included items that are not acceptable.

To avoid this, visit cvwma.com/programs/curbside-recycling/what-to-recycle/.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, A.I. trash can sorts your trash from your recycling while many localities, including ones in Virginia, are re-examing their recycling options. With China balking at bringing in more American recycled materials, will we see a new emphasis on banning wasteful plastic packaging altogether. (Will the City of Richmond’s Green Commission do anything?)

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, but because of the July Fourth holiday, trash and recycling will be picked up Thursday. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup on Thursday.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

Bloomberg recently ran a provocative column entitled “The Recycling Game Is Rigged Against Consumers”. It’s worthy of consideration.

The Virginia Gazette had a article entitled: “Despite Chinese ban, area recycling continues normally”. Excerpt:

Zook declined to discuss County Waste’s revenue from its operation of collecting and then selling recyclables, but voiced continued support for recycling.

“We’re still committed to recycling,” Zook said.

The recycling industry provided 8,669 jobs in Virginia in 2017. That year, recycling had an $1.9 billion impact in the state economy, according to a report by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, things have been pretty grim, with economics and foreign relations having negative effects on the whole recycling industry. There are still some positive stories though- check out this one- Recycling Efforts Save Virginia DOT Over $15M on I-64 Rebuild.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, it sounds like China is really cracking down on U.S. imports.
Partly in response, U.S. industries want the government to invest more in domestic recycling.
This includes calling for:

retrofitting material recovery facilities (MRFs) with advanced sorting equipment that can identify and properly handle a wider range of packaging forms, including flexible film and smaller items made of otherwise recyclable material;
quicker permitting of MRFs, plastics recycling facilities and conversion technology facilities that create valuable chemicals and energy products;
increased use of recycled material in infrastructure products where appropriate;
broadened use of private activity bonds for recycling projects;
incentive grants for state and local governments to expand curbside recycling options and the range of materials collected; and
education and training to improve understanding of what is recyclable and to promote the manufacturing jobs aspect of the recycling process that supports American jobs, the U.S. economy and the environment.

Closer to home, Liberty University is hoping to increase its recycling rates, while the Sierra Club Falls of the James is ramping up for its annual Big Yard Sale at the University of Richmond. What’s VCU doing?

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

Plan ahead – Save the Date! Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 9 am- 1 pm.
The City of Richmond Department of Public Works , and the Clean City Commission will be hosting a special collection event on Saturday, May 5 from 9 am – 1 pm at the old Kmart parking lot, 6807 Midlothian Tpke. This event will include electronics recycling (fees apply), document shredding, herbicides and pesticides , and oil based paint only. This event is for City of Richmond residents, only. Must show proof of residency. For more information call (804)646-8325 or (804)646-0177.

Of course, with Earth Day this past week, there were many recycling stories in the news. For example, Apple debuted Daisy, a recycling robot adept at disassembling iPhones. At the same time, China announced this past week that it will ban imports of 32 types of solid waste in its latest move to reduce environmental pollution.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, a lot of Virginia recyclers are still figuring out what current Chinese import policies mean for them.

Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has advised that local governments keep up with information coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Local operations such as TFC Recycling and Butler Paper Recycling have previously reported a significant reduction in market value, and an ongoing issue with “wishful recycling,” as reported by The Virginian-Pilot. TFC recently told the Richmond Free Press that it’s having trouble meeting new quality standards because 15-20% of the residential material it receives is contaminated. Though the company is still finding markets for fiber in Vietnam, South Korea, India and domestically.

Recently, van der Linde Recycling announced plans to close its mixed waste processing operation in the Zion Crossroads area, due in part to low commodity prices. The MRF has been taken over by County Waste and will essentially be used as a transfer station to send material to another facility in Chester, as reported by The Daily Progress. This has had ripple effects in Albemarle County and as far away as Harrisonburg, where the city was temporarily landfilling material.

This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, there is a Chipotle Fundraiser for Sustainable RVA Zero Waste Initiative on April 3. This is happening at the Chipotle Mexican Grill located at 10 N. Nansemond Street.

From the FaceBook event page description:

We’re having a fundraiser! Dine at the Carytown Chipotle between 5:00-9:00 on Tuesday April 3rd and 50% of your purchase will go to SRVA and helping us help the community move toward zero waste. Just make sure you mention our name at checkout! To greenify your purchase please consider bringing your own utensils and water bottle— we will have a bin on the premises to collect bowls for composting.