Inspired by the iconic Virginia LOVE sign, askHRgreen.org placed a call for artists last fall to find a local talent to create a recycling-themed LOVE sign as part of the “Start Smart, Recycle Right” public awareness campaign. The Start Smart, Recycle Right campaign encourages residents to create less waste and recycle only those items accepted in their local recycling program – most often paper, plastic bottles, and metal cans. We’re excited to announce that earlier this year, Tom Shirk and his students from Suffolk Public Schools’ College & Career Academy at Pruden (CCAP) were selected as the winner of this unique art challenge. The team received a $2,500 stipend to cover costs for materials, along with additional recyclable materials to complete the sculpture.
Since January, Mr. Shirk and his team of student welders have been hard at work welding materials to spell out the word LOVE, with a heart-shaped O. The see-through design is filled with recyclable beverage cans and plastic bottles and secured with a lightweight mesh to tie the whole concept together. The LOVE sign is 8’ x 5’ and ready to start its journey across Hampton Roads to encourage recycling and waste reduction. Its design and construction complemented state-mandated work standards for welding that included stick, Mig and Tig welding, as well as Oxy/fuel and Plasma cutting. Mr. Shirk shared that “the LOVE project for askHRgreen.org was an amazing opportunity for the students to apply the welding techniques they learned in the classroom” and that students “had the opportunity to operate with such confidence in their abilities while also understanding the connection to the larger message of recycling bottles and cans.”
TFC Recycling, a partner in the Start Smart, Recycle Right campaign, was thrilled to see the thoughtful approach students took to creating the LOVE sign. President and CEO Michael Benedetto commented that the sign will be a meaningful way to start conversations about which items are recyclable in local recycling programs.
The LOVE sign will have its first public “reveal” on Saturday, April 22, 2023 during the Suffolk Earth and Arts Festival at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3488 Godwin Blvd. in Suffolk. In the coming months, we’ll be moving the sign across the 757 to different events and attractions. People who visit the LOVE sign are encouraged to post to social media using the hashtag #RecyclingIsForLovers.
Upcoming Schedule
| Schedule | Location details |
| March 7 – 28 | Norfolk Botanical Garden |
| April 26 | Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival |
| May 3 | Norfolk Sustainability Festival
Lafayette Park |
| June | Hampton Clean City Commission (check back soon for locations) |
Previous locations
| Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival – April 22, 2023 | York County Library – December 11, 2023-January 16, 2024 |
| Suffolk Art Gallery – May 2023 | Gloucester Main Library – January 17 – February 15, 2024 |
| Juneteenth Cultural Celebration – June 17-19, 2023 Franklin, VA | Hampton City Hall – February 15 – March 1, 2024 |
| North Suffolk Library – June 27 – July 21, 2023 | Rupert Sargent Building (Hampton) – March 1 – 15, 2024 |
| National Night Out – August 1, 2023 Kings Fork High School | Chesapeake Conference Center – March 15 – April 15, 2024 |
| Newport News Recovery Operations Center – August 2023 |
Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival – April 20, 2024 |
| Norfolk City Hall – September 7 – October 4, 2023 |
2024 SWANA & VRA Joint Solid Waste & Recycling Conference in Norfolk – May 14-15, 2024 |
| Suffolk Peanut Festival – October 5-8, 2023 |
Party for the Planet at the Virginia Zoo – May 18, 2024 |
| Norfolk – ODU Barry Art Museum Public Art Festival – October 13-15, 2023 |
James City County Recreation Center on Longhill Rd in Williamsburg, June 1-18, 2024 |
| Virginia Beach Waste Management – October 16-November 15, 2023 | Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum, July 14 – August 2 |
| James City County Recreation Center – November 20-21, 2023 | Story of Plastic @ Naro Theater, February 28, 2025 |
| James City County Library – November 22-December 5, 2023 |
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| Virginia Peninsula Clean Business Forum – December 6, 2023 |
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Check out some of the love our LOVE sign has received!
Local students weld LOVE sign to remind you to recycle. (WAVY-TV Newscast): https://www.wavy.com/video/local-students-weld-love-sign-to-remind-you-to-recycle/.
Recyclable LOVE sign welded by Suffolk students will travel around Hampton Roads. (WHRO Public Media News): https://whro.org/news/local-news/37715-recyclable-love-sign-welded-by-suffolk-students-will-travel-around-hampton-roads
More LOVE for the Environment. (Keep Virginia Beautiful): https://keepvirginiabeautiful.org/2023/04/17/more-love-for-the-environment/
Opinion: Help communities stay clean and green this Earth Day. (The Virginian-Pilot): https://www.pilotonline.com/opinion/columns/vp-ed-column-cullipher-eastep-0421-20230420-wquyumnclrhvpf4qwaunkhvuku-story.html
“Recycling is for Lovers” with askhrgreen.org on Coast Live. (WTKR-Coast Live): https://www.wtkr.com/coast-live/recycling-is-for-lovers-with-askhrgreen-org-on-coast-live
High School Welders Create Virginia LOVE Sign With Recyclables. (Chesapeake Bay Magazine): https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/high-school-welders-create-virginia-love-sign-with-recyclables/