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It was a spirited morning as residents came out for the Recycling Drive and Tire Amnesty Day event held on Saturday, Nov. 4, located at 800 Carolina Rd. Held by Suffolk Public Works and Keep Suffolk Beautiful, an affiliate of the national Keep America Beautiful program, residents came out to properly dispose of tires, hazardous household waste while also participating in document shredding and material recycling such as plastic bags, batteries, and more.

During the event, Suffolk Litter Control Coordinator Daniel McDonald talked positively about the event.

“I’m pleased with the turnout,” said McDonald. “And I’m pleased with what we’re collecting. It looks like everyone coming here has full cars and they’re hitting multiple stations, so it seems like the public knows what we provide, and they’re taking full advantage of it, so I am heartened by that.”

For residents new to the Suffolk area, McDonald explained what visitors can expect from the drives, which occur throughout the year.

“It’s really a recycling and safe disposal event,” he said. “While it is a free event, we like getting food donations and toiletry donations for the Suffolk Christian Center and we take a wide variety of things,” he said. “We have free document shredding as a service and we also take household hazardous waste, and a cool note about the shredding is we have the Suffolk Commonwealth Attorney’s office and the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office. They help and it makes people feel more secure in handing over their sensitive documents.”

McDonald says that he hopes that people who see the participating vendors will know they serve regularly and can reach out to continue recycling efforts.

“While we are happy to serve them, and we want more and more people to come out, that they know people like Goodwill and the Lions Club and places like the local landfill and SPSA serve on a daily basis,” McDonald said. “They don’t necessarily have to wait for us. While we’re happy to have them, I hope that people see all these vendors and know that they’re available year-round to take all of their items.”