Local Recycling Guide
This local recycling guide, published Sept. 5, 2019, reflects current best practices for recycling featured items locally.
The Ivy Convenience Center is located at the Ivy Material Utilization Center, 4576 Dick Woods Road. Call (434) 295-3306 for additional information.
The McIntire Reycling Center is located at 611 McIntire Road. Call (434) 977-2976 for additional information.
Local curbside providers include County Waste, (434) 296-6000, (contamination/rejection rate about 18%-20%) and Time Disposal, (434) 977-3339. If not listed, check with your curbside collection service directly to confirm if specific items are collected, and to ask about contamination/rejection rates.
Cardboard box
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
Pizza box
Mostly non-recyclable because of food contamination. Dedicated recyclers can remove contaminated panels (for instance, if only the bottom has grease) and recycle the rest with other cardboard.
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Cereal/snack cardboard box
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Coffee cup – all three parts!
Recycle the sleeve with other brown paper and the lid with the number of the plastic. (Check the lid; there is no standard number.) Cups are trash.
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Paper milk carton
They're almost always lined with plastic and, therefore, trash. (Many were once wax-lined and could be recycled with paper, but that is rarely the case now).
Plastic film or bags
Plastic grocery bags and single-material plastic wrap from packaged grocery items are collected at the McIntire Recycling Center and at many local grocery stores. Foil-like bags, biodegradable bags and wraps that include multiple materials (such as plastic chip bags lined with foil) are not recyclable.
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Plastic Nos. 1 or 2
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Plastic No. 3 or above
Not accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center or the Ivy Convenience Center. County Waste and Time Disposal continue to accept No. 3 and above in curbside collection. For other curbside services, check with your provider.
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Plastic clamshell
Recycle with the number of the plastic. This can be problematic, as there is no standard placement for the numbers on these items and they can be small and hard to find.
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Plastic containers with lids
Recycle with the number of the plastic. This can be problematic, as there is no standard placement for the numbers on these items and they can be small and hard to find.
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Bottle cap
Recycle with the number of plastic. However, small caps can gum up recycling machinery may not be efficient to recycle as they could cause waste. Larger caps more than 3 inches in size are fine.
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Glass - clear
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Glass - brown or green
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Aluminum can
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Steel can
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center, the Ivy Convenience Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal.
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Food scraps
Accepted at the McIntire Recycling Center or the Charlottesville City Market. Or hire a private company to pick up your compost or create a compost space at home.
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Envelopes with bubble padding
Trash. These contained mixed materials that cannot be effectively separated for recycling.
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Mixed paper/junk mail
Collected at McIntire Recycling Center or curbside with County Waste and Time Disposal. No need to remove the small plastic windows in envelopes.
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