Recycling Upgrades Your Special Events

Summer is coming -- Memorial Day cookouts, graduation parties, Father’s Day gatherings, Juneteenth celebrations, Independence Day grill fests, through Labor Day summer’s a wrap bash --give your next special event an upgrade. Recycle! As the event planner or host, ensure your guests have a great time and a favorable impression of your event, party, or meeting by including recycling receptacles. Prince William County Solid Waste Division makes recycling easy with free recycling bins and bags designed for special events in Prince William County.

The recycling containers are available to loan to community groups and non-profit organizations on a first-come, first-served basis to encourage recycling at events in Prince William County. There is no charge for this service. The Special Events Recycling Bin Agreement form can be found at www.pwcva.gov/gogreen. 

Recycling is mandatory in Prince William County and many other jurisdictions. Recycling plastic bottles and aluminum drink cans at events saves valuable resources and reduces the amount of material that is landfilled. This helps extend the County Landfill's life, which is also a valuable community resource.  Whether the special event is inside or outside, if it is in Prince William County, ensure recycling receptacles are present, clearly marked, and co-located with trash containers. Pro Tip: visually indicate or list what should go in the recycling container based on what guests may discard. Another idea, upgrade a regular trash can to recycling duty but make sure it is marked "Recycling" and looks different from the trash containers. 

Recycling is important. Instead of being sentenced to burial in the County Landfill, valuable resources--recyclable items, can be transformed into new things. Plastic water bottles might become a park bench, fleece jacket, or reusable shopping bags, and aluminum soda and beer cans could become a bike.  Recycling also saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, provides significant economic impact and job creation in the community, and as noted above, extends the landfill's life.  

So, indoors or out, business or pleasure, event organizers can impress their guests and help the environment with the thoughtful addition of recycling containers next to trash receptacles.  Plan your event with waste disposal in mind and reserve a clearly marked, special spot for those A-list recyclables. 

For more information about reducing waste and recycling in Prince William County, please visit the County's website at www.pwcva.gov/trashandrecycling.