At a time when Chesterfield County has a committee of citizens appointed by the Board of Supervisors to study and recommend modifications or extensions to the county’s recycling efforts, the article in this week’s Midlothian Exchange is unfortunate.  To be sure, 3 to 5 percent of the materials put out by curbside recyclers are items that are not recyclable, as Ms. Hynes (please note spelling) is quoted as saying.  The almost 14,000 tons amount cited, however, is the total of materials collected at the curbside, not the total amount of contamination.

The 3 to 5 percent contamination rate is a low rate for the industry.  Other clients, particularly industries or businesses, that use Tidewater Fibres have contamination rates that can exceed 10 percent.  So our household recyclers are doing a pretty good job.

Glass is problematic in any curbside program, because of breakage, manufacturers’’ requirements for the recycled product, and the ease of use and availability of the raw material.  However, Tidewater Fibers is not land filling glass as your article states; rather they are actively seeking customers for this commodity.

Plastic bags are not accepted in curbside recycling, but they can be recycled at several of the local grocery stores.  Plastic bags are not a part of the curbside program because of the difficulty in sorting, and the problems they can cause to the machinery at the materials recovery facility where the recyclables are separated.  A better option than plastic bags for those who are interested is to use the mesh reusable shopping bag.  These, too, are readily available at many local stores.

The put-out rate for Central Virginia Waste Management Authority’s (CVWMA) curbside recycling program is slightly above the industry average nationally, although certainly we all would like it to increase.  Our curbside program is entirely voluntary, and at present has no incentives for increasing participation, such as lower trash collection fees, or same-day recycling and trash collections, as several of the leading programs nationally have.  Some of the industry leaders use “Pay as you Throw” bag programs, inspect and reject household trash with excessive amounts of recyclables, or lower collection fees for householders who recycle.  At present, none of these options is available to our contractor, as Chesterfield County provides no trash collection service.

I should mention also that a majority of the schools in Chesterfield County do recycle; several of them have contracts for paper recycling with Tidewater Fibres; others work with Southeast Paper for their programs. There is, however, no uniform school program; many are done through the PTAs or through individual teachers’ efforts.

Finally, I would like to clarify that CVWMA is not a company, as stated in your article.  Rather, it is a public service authority that assists 13 jurisdictions in the Richmond and Crater Planning Districts, of which Chesterfield County is one, in dealing with the business of their waste management issues.  Curbside recycling is our most visible program, but we also manage contracts for drop-off recycling, tire collection, household hazardous waste collection, electronics recycling, disasters, and municipal solid waste collection for several of our jurisdictions, appliances, propane tanks, yard waste and composting, among other programs.  The Authority has a professional staff that works under the direction of a Board of Directors made up of representatives from the member jurisdictions.  Along with three members of the County Department of General Services who serve as alternates to Board members, currently I am joined by Robert Dunn in service to the County. Chesterfield does currently have a vacancy to its Board representation, since William Johnson has returned to his native Georgia.

As an avid recycler, and someone who has been in the field since the mid-1980s, I am always happy to see articles about recycling, composting, and waste minimization.  It does, however, better serve our efforts when the articles are accurate.  A misleading article such as was published in the Midlothian Exchange is a part of the problem and leads no one towards a solution.

Marcia R. Phillips
Chairman, Board of Directors
Central Virginia Waste Management Authority