askhrgreen.org » Recycling at Home

Recycling at Home

Recycling at home is one of the easiest ways to do something good for the environment without having to leave your own home! Recycling rates in the Hampton Roads region are 44.6%, that ranks us 3rd out of the 8 urban areas in the state. Let’s all work to get that number higher, and let’s lead the state in recycling rates!

Recycling saves energy, water and valuable resources such as trees and metal. Recycling also reduces pollution, conserves landfill space and creates industry and jobs.

Did you know glass can be recycled forever? It never wears out! Using recycled aluminum to make a can again cuts air pollution by 95%. What about plastic bottles? Well, half of all the polyester carpet made in the US is made from recycled plastic bottles. In fact, many of the products we use everyday are, or can, be made out of recycled materials: paper, pencils, shoes, clothes, bags, plastics - the possibilities are endless!

Think recycling takes too much time?
Well, compared to the length of time it takes for waste to decompose in a landfill - aluminum cans: 100 years, plastic bottles: 700 years, ink and toner cartridges: 1,000 years, glass bottles: 1,000,000 years - recycling only takes a blink of an eye!

Make recycling at home convenient: Locate recycling bins around your house or apartment. You may only have one blue bin, but you can put a cardboard box in your office, kitchen, garage, etc. and empty everything into the bin on recycling day.
Recycling only the following items in the blue bin:

• Cardboard boxes (flattened)

• Mixed papers (office paper, junk mail, cereal boxes, phone books, etc.)

• #1 and #2 plastic bottles with necks or spouts

• Glass bottles

• Steel, tin and aluminum cans

The following items cannot be recycled in the blue bin:

• Plastic bags and wraps - Visit abagslife.com to find the nearest recycling location

• Yard waste - Check your locality's yard waste collection schedule and requirements

• Household hazardous waste (HHW) - Aerosol cans, paint cans, motor oil, etc. must be taken to a HHW facility or collection event. Check this resource to find your locality's information.

Live in an apartment? No problem, you can take your recyclables to a convenience center. Click on your locality below to find the nearest convenience center.
Get recycling information by locality:

Chesapeake
Gloucester
Hampton
Isle of Wight, Smithfield, Windsor
James City County
Newport News
Norfolk
Poquoson
Portsmouth
Southampton
Suffolk
Surry
Virginia Beach
Williamsburg
York
Choose recycled content: Look for products with recycled content next time you shop and keep the cycle going.