Be festive, but remember to recycle

Published 9:14 pm Thursday, November 21, 2019

Suffolk residents cleaned house at the North Suffolk recycling drive that was held by Keep Suffolk Beautiful on Nov. 16, and there’s still the rest of the holiday season to keep their houses clean.

The North Suffolk recycling drive was held Nov. 16 in the Goodwill parking lot at 6540 Hampton Roads Parkway, with Goodwill, Iron Mountain, SPSA Household Hazardous Waste and TFC Recycling assisting in the collection. The drive also recognized America Recycles Day on Nov. 15.

“The drive is a convenient way to recycle items that can be recycled but not curbside,” Wayne Jones, the Suffolk Litter Control coordinator with Keep Suffolk Beautiful, wrote in an email. “We (also) want to educate the public to keep contaminants like clothing, plastic bags and electronics out of the blue bins.”

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Three five-gallon buckets of batteries were collected alongside loads of plastic bags, Jones wrote, and 50 people dropped off household hazardous waste materials.

According to Jones, 1,700 pounds of documents were shredded, and more than 125 pounds of food were donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. The Suffolk Lions Club also collected eyeglasses.

There were six commissioners who worked the recycling drive for a total of 30 hours, along with two Suffolk city staff employees, according to Keep Suffolk Beautiful Chairperson Kathy Russell.

“People braved the cold weather to come to the event,” Russell wrote, with a special thanks to Goodwill Industries for allowing them to use their parking lot for the event. “I think our drive was successful in our new location in northern Suffolk. People were very happy to have us there and thanked us for being northern Suffolk.”

Keep Suffolk Beautiful is also reminding Suffolk residents to donate any unwanted stuff in their homes to organizations that can dispose of them properly — and safely — during this bustling time of year.

“We want to remind people that as we move into the holiday season and people are buying gifts for family and friends, it’s a good idea to donate unwanted items to organizations that can recycle them,” Jones wrote.

Keep Suffolk Beautiful is planning to hold its next recycling drive, which will also include tire amnesty, in downtown Suffolk in May.

Visit facebook.com/keepsuffolkbeautiful for more information.