Recycling at Virginia Tech to get easier

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BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Beginning in mid-July, it will be easier than ever for members of the university community to recycle.

 

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Virginia Tech, in conjunction with the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Montgomery County, and Radford University, will be converting to single-stream recycling. Officials say this means that it will no longer be necessary to sort recyclable materials — all paper, plastic bottles, metal cans, and glass items can be placed into a single recycling bin together.

The items that can be recycled will not change significantly. Virginia Tech will continue to accept all plastic containers No. 1-7; glass bottles and jars; all mixed paper, newspaper, and magazines; cardboard; aluminum, steel, and tin cans.

For a more detailed list of what can be recycled on campus, please visit here

Over the next several weeks, officials with the Office of Energy and Sustainability and Facilities Operations will replace the lids on some existing recycling containers located inside academic and administration buildings. In addition, the 100 Big Belly recycling containers along sidewalks on campus will be adapted to allow for both paper and container recycling. 

Every year, officials with Virginia Tech say the school collects more than 2,000 tons of recyclable material and 3,600 tons of trash. The university's recycling rate has steadily grown since 2008 and was at 40.47 percent in 2014. Virginia Tech says they're committed to reaching a 50 percent recycling rate by 2020.