Oct. 13, 2023
General Services
As part of its multifaceted approach to expanding access and reducing the cost of recycling, Chesterfield will commence seven-day operations at both of its convenience centers on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
“By restoring seven-day operations at our convenience centers, we are following through on a promise made to citizens during the county’s transition away from a centralized curbside recycling model,” said Kevin P. Carroll, chair of the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. “We’d like to thank them for their patience throughout this process. These types of changes are never easy, but increasing opportunities for residents and businesses to recycle will benefit the community and the environment in the long run.”
Recyclable materials can be dropped off free of charge during regular operating hours at both the Northern Area Convenience Center (3200 Warbro Road) and the Southern Area Convenience Center (6700 Landfill Drive).
To ensure that one of the facilities is accessible every day during the ramp up to Nov. 1, Chesterfield will open the Southern Area Convenience Center on the next two Wednesdays, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The county also plans to construct express lanes at both convenience centers next spring, allowing citizens who are there solely to drop off recyclables to bypass the payment queue and directly access the recycling area.
Such operating and capital improvements were funded by the Board of Supervisors as part of Chesterfield’s fiscal year 2024 budget.
On Sept. 22, Chesterfield opened free community recycling centers at seven county parks: Harry G. Daniel Park at Iron Bridge, R. Garland Dodd Park at Point of Rocks, Ettrick Park, Goyne Park, Irvin G. Horner Park, Huguenot Park and Rockwood Park.
The centers accept drop-off recycling from dawn to dusk, when the parks are open to the public.
These sites, which were chosen to maximize geographic coverage and bring drop-off locations closer to residents’ homes, accept glass, paper, and plastic as a single stream of recycling, meaning users don’t have to separate the materials. Processing of the recycled materials is performed at a privately-owned material recovery facility.
Community response to the new recycling centers has been encouraging, with many of the sites seeing heavy volumes of material that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill.
As a regional leader in environmental stewardship, Chesterfield recognizes the importance of recycling and desires to have a robust program that is available to all households and businesses.
In conjunction with the transition to a subscription-based curbside recycling program, in which customers contract for services directly with private-sector haulers, the county is providing opportunities for those who wish to recycle to do so at the lowest possible cost and in a manner that best meets their needs.
Between the newly competitive private-sector marketplace, expanded convenience center hours and additional drop-off locations at county parks, Chesterfield expects to maintain a strong waste diversion rate.