RVA Recycles Day Sees Record Numbers in 2020

Each year Keep Virginia Beautiful and Retail Merchants Association team up to bring a free recycling event to residents of Richmond and the surrounding counties. Typically held in November, 2020 was the first year we decided to switch it to an Earth Day event — which was then cancelled, like all others, due to COVID. With restrictions easing and a plan to minimize contact, Retail Merchants Association, Keep Virginia Beautiful, Goodwill, TFC Recycling, and ProShred made plans to host the event on September 18.

With the threat of rain moving out that morning, citizens began lining up to bring their electronics to be recycled and documents to be shredded nearly an hour before the event started at 10AM! It’s no wonder the steady flow of cars continued until 2PM — the event was the first of the Fall community recycling events to take place, and after a Spring where all were cancelled, people were ready to turn in their saved recyclable items. To that end, both ProShred and Goodwill expressed this was among their most successful events ever!

Just for comparison, last year we processed 9000 lbs of paper and 3200 lbs of electronics; and this year we topped 15,000 lbs of paper, and 5500 lbs of electronics. That’s amazing!

So even with all the restrictions of things we cannot do during COVID, recycling is something we all CAN do!  Thank you to all who care and know the benefits of recycling, and came out to this annual event.  We hope your house is a little less cluttered!

Check out our calendar for future recycling and socially distanced cleanup events being planned for the Fall.