Prince William Changes in Recycling
FAQ’s - Changes to County Recycling Program
What changes are being made to the County’s recycling program? The County has removed glass food and beverage containers from the list of minimum materials required to be source-separated by residents and collected by waste haulers for recycling. In addition, the County is also clarifying the types of plastics which can be recycled. Acceptable types of plastics should only include plastic bottles and jugs. Wide-mouth plastics (e.g., yogurt, margarine, pots, buckets, etc.) should be placed in with household trash. Lastly, plastic bags should not be placed in recycling bins but should instead be taken to area grocery stores for recycling.
Why are these changes necessary? China has been the largest buyer of U.S. scrap paper and plastics in the past and recently placed new restrictions on these materials. These changes have had a global impact on recycling markets and have led to sharp increases in the cost to process recyclable materials in Prince William County. While glass is not part of the Chinese waste restrictions it is impacted in Virginia because glass markets are poor to non-existent and so it is being removed from the recycling programs due to the high processing cost. Currently, glass placed in the recycling bin in Prince William County is not being recycled. The glass becomes mixed with the heavy unmarketable residue that eventually ends up in a landfill. The removal of glass will help reduce the financial strain of rising processing cost local trash and recycling haulers experience because glass makes up about 20% of the weight of single-stream recycling.
Can I place shredded paper in the regular recycling container? No, shredded is not separated for recycling at a recycling facility. Please bag and place in the household trash or bring to a paper shredding event. The County offers free paper shred service in spring and fall. The resulting shredded paper is recycled.
How can I recycle glass bottles and jars? The County is working to establish special purple-colored “glass-only” recycling containers at the Prince William County Landfill and Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. Glass collected at these two sites will be transported to Fairfax County where it will be processed into an aggregate for use in construction projects.The new service should be available by mid-April. Until then, glass should be placed in with household trash. The glass-only bins will be for container glass only so mirror, window, drinking glasses and glass cookware should be thrown in the trash, or donated if they are in reusable condition. For safety purposes, large pieces of glass should be wrapped in newspaper, bubble wrap or cardboard and taped securely before placing in the trash.
Where can I recycle? All residents should have access to recycling services. Residents of single-family, townhomes, and mobile homes should receive curbside collection. Residents and apartments and condominiums generally have central on-site recycling bins. If your community does not have recycling services, please contact the Solid Waste Division. Lastly, the Solid Waste Division also provides recycling trailers at locations throughout the County that residents can use to deposit the same materials.
Is recycling mandatory? Yes, recycling is mandatory for residents, business, schools, etc. in Prince William County. (County Code Sec. 22-171.). County residents are still required to recycle cardboard, newspapers, mixed paper (e.g., office paper, brochures, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, flattened and empty non-waxed food boxes free of food residue, paperboard (e.g. cereal, cracker, tissue cartons, etc.) and other clean paper products free of food residue), plastic bottles and metal cans. These materials should be placed in regular recycling containers. Be sure items are empty, clean and dry. Do place items in plastic bags and do not place empty plastic bags in the regular recycling containers.
What items should never be placed in the regular recycling container? Plastic bags and wrap, Styrofoam, tanglers (hoses, wires, string lights, clothing and textiles), diapers, electronic items, batteries, glass containers, light bulbs, eye glasses and syringes/needles.
What is recycling contamination and why is it a concern? Recycling contamination is materials placed in the recycling container that are either not clean (e.g. contain food or other residue) or are not on the “acceptable” list of materials for recycling. Contamination affect the quality (and marketability of commodity) and makes the sorting of materials more difficult and more expensive. The result is tons of unacceptable material being rejected from the recycling facilities and buried in the landfill. Due to contamination residue coming to the landfill from recycling processors has increased from 8% to more than 25%. Remember to recycle right – right items, right place, right way (empty, clean dry loose) proper preparation and remember, “when in doubt, leave it out” and help end “wishful recycling.”
Where can I find information about recycling in Prince William County? Visit the Solid Waste webpages at www.pwcgov.org/trashandrecycling
