Julie Buchanan, public relations coordinator for the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (Photo courtesy Julie Buchanan)
As the days get warmer and foliage returns, the end of winter also signifies it’s time for spring cleaning, and the employees of the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority are ready to help your recyclables find a new purpose. With that in mind, Julie Buchanan, public relations coordinator for the public service authority, which started in 1990 and now serves 13 localities, shares what should and shouldn’t go into your recycling bin and addresses Chesterfield County’s expiring contact with CVWMA.
Richmond magazine: What should residents recycle?
Julie Buchanan: What we would like for people to put in their containers, whether they’re doing curbside or drop-off recycling, is aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles and jars, and plastics — what we call the kitchen, laundry and bath plastic containers. We even accept plastic yogurt containers and clamshells. We also want people to recycle paper and cardboard, and that includes newspapers and magazines. And then lastly, something that many people might not know that we do accept are food and beverage cartons, like juice or coffee creamer cartons.
RM: Are there any mistakes people generally make?
Buchanan: The biggest offender is plastic bags and plastic wrap. Keep that out of your recycling, and don’t bag your recyclables and plastic. The plastic bags can get tangled up in the machines [at the processing facility].
RM: New bins were backordered for much of 2022, and a recent flyer was mailed out that said new containers will be delivered this spring. Is that in response to that issue? Has it been resolved?
Buchanan: In our curbside program, there’s been a wide variety of containers that you can use. Starting July 1, we will no longer be using the 24-gallon bin in our program. And the reason for that is because we wanted to give everybody access to the 95-gallon recycling cart on wheels. That will enable people to recycle more, it’ll keep the material safer when it’s out in the weather, and it’s a little bit easier to move. We’ve been working on bringing carts to everybody as part of the new recycling contract that starts July 1 with the localities and our contractor TFC Recycling.
RM: Chesterfield County has decided not to renew its curbside recycling contract with CVWMA. What should those residents know?
Buchanan: We will still be serving them through the end of June. For some reason, a lot of people thought that it was ending at the end of 2022. We’re still here to support them through the duration of the contract. We hope that those who are recycling now will continue to do so with a private contractor of their choosing or will be motivated to take their recyclables to a drop-off.
RM: What does Chesterfield’s contract termination mean for other customers and the authority at large?
Buchanan: Starting July 1, the cost for recycling for our existing customers is still going to be extremely affordable for most. There’s a range of about $4.50 to $5 per month for someone to come to your house twice a month to pick up recycling and keep that material out of the landfill. And Chesterfield County is still a member of CVWMA. They are part of the region that we serve, we would still work with them on things like electronics recycling and household hazardous waste disposal. We want people to have access to recycling, and we’re continuing to work to grow that access for multifamily developments, people who live in apartments and condos, and also for people who live in rural areas who don’t have access to curbside programs. We’re still motivated to work on those issues.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. More information about what can be recycled is available at cvwma.com/recycle-right. Learn more about the future of recycling in Chesterfield at chesterfield.gov/recycling.
