Gloucester convenience centers Opens in New Window  accept SOME items for recycling...and other items can be recycled by bringing them elsewhere in the community. Please consult this list when you want to recycle items in Gloucester County. GLASS CANNOT CURRENTLY BE RECYCLED IN GLOUCESTER COUNTY. Please do not contaminate the recycling bins with glass; contaminated recycling costs money.

Three Types of Items Can Be Recycled at Gloucester Convenience Centers:

1. Plastic

Currently we can ONLY recycle plastic containers that meet both:

• Must have #1 or # 2 in the recycle symbol, AND
• Must be a bottle or jug with a neck smaller than the body. (for example: milk jugs, water bottles)

Plastic lids and caps CAN be recycled. The "neck smaller than body" requirement is because it indicates a specific grade of plastic that is used in blow molds.

2. Paper & Cardboard

• Cardboard box packaging (i.e., cereal boxes)
• Corrugated cardboard (flattened)
• Junk mail
• Newspaper and magazines
• Office paper and envelopes
• Paper bags
• Phone books

GREASY PIZZA BOXES ARE A BIG NO-NO! Paper and cardboard for recycling must be clean.

3. Metal cans

• Aluminum cans
• Empty aerosol cans that have no slosh or hiss
• Metal food cans (e.g. tuna cans)

ALL ITEMS MUST BE CLEAN AND DRY before putting in recycling container.

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Rinsed aluminum drink cans may also be deposited at one of the Giving Garden Foundation’s five Can Cottage locations: 

* Abingdon Ruritan Club on Guinea Road

* Main Street Shopping Center 

* Gloucester Moose Family Center on Moose Drive 

* Franktronics at 3618 George Washington Memorial Hwy. 

* Mathews High School on Buckley Hall Road in Mathews 

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Watch these short videos from askHRgreen about Recycling Right in Hampton Roads

You can make a difference! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfxuYfXEDzA&ab_channel=HRGreenVA 

https://youtu.be/m7OUdKIJr0g

These Other Items Can Be Recycled Elsewhere in the Community:

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Gloucester Home Depot and Lowe’s stores accept non-working, unbroken CFL bulbs for responsible disposal. Ask a store associate for assistance. 

Please note that older fluorescent tube light bulbs are considered household hazardous waste and can be dropped off twice per year at the Household Harmful Waste Collection Opens in New Window  dates or the they can be recycled by going to LampTracker Opens in New Window  website and requesting a box to return the bulbs in. There is a shipping fee.

Metal Clothes Hangers

Metal clothes hangers can be recycled by taking them back to the two Village Cleaners locations:

• 6870 George Washington Memorial Highway
  Gloucester, VA 23061
• 6626 Gloucester Street
  Gloucester, VA 23061

NO hangers in the convenience center recycle bins, please!

CDs / DVDs

CDs and DVDs can be recycled by taking them to Best Buy.

Electronics

• Best Buy retail stores accept most electronics (to include tube televisions) for recycling for a fee, nothing over 50 inches. Contact a Best Buy store for details.
• Franktronics accepts computers for recycling, computer peripherals and other electronic devices. Items can be dropped off during normal business hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. -to1 p.m. on Saturday at the store location: 3618 George Washington Memorial Highway. Call 804-642-5233 for more information.
• Verizon Wireless offers recycling and re-purposing for certain electronic devices. 
• Computer Recycling of Virginia, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization located in Tappahannock. Their mission is to place educationally-useful equipment into Virginia’s schools and non-profit organizations free of charge, while promoting electronics recycling throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. They accept computer related equipment and many other electronic devices. Contact Computer Recycling of Virginia at 804-445-9672.

Before recycling your old computer, read about safeguarding your personal information.

Batteries

Auto and marine batteries ("Lead acid") can be returned to the store when you purchase a new battery and are accepted at most auto part stores in Gloucester. You can also bring them to any Home Depot or Lowe’s to put in their Call2Recycle box.

Rechargeable tool batteries can be recycled at the Gloucester Home Depot and Lowes. 

Regular household alkaline batteries can be put in the trash. 

Lithium, rechargeable and button batteries can be taken to Household Harmful Waste Opens in New Window  collections in October and April. 

Cellphones

Gloucester County Main Library

Flags 

Gloucester County Main Library

Oil

Motor oil (but NOT gasoline) can be brought to your local AutoZone for recycling. https://firstquarterfinance.com/gasoline-disposal-autozone/ You can also call your local automobile mechanic to see if they will accept it. 

Plastic Grocery Bags/Plastic Wrap

Many local stores in Gloucester (including Food Lion, Kroger, Walmart, and Lowe’s) have containers to collect and recycle plastic grocery bags. There are also collection boxes at both library locations; those bags will be recycled into benches by the Trex company; thanks to the Lions Club Opens in New Window  coordinating this effort.

You can also find your closest plastic film recycling drop-off location by entering your zip code at this website: https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/recycling-bags-and-wraps/find-drop-off-location/  

Paint

Depending on the type of paint and quantity, if 5 gallons or less, water based paint, and the paint has been solidified and dried with kitty litter, dirt or sand it may be taken to a convenience center. If any other type of paint or quantity, it must be disposed of at the next HHW collection. Clean Harbors in West Point accepts paint, however there is a fee.

Larger Scrap Metal (Including Junk Automobiles)

Several companies offer scrap metal recycling and/or accept junk cars or trucks. 

Dickey’s Auto Recyclers (Phone: 804-693-5860) accepts junk automobiles. 

Middlesex Metals, Inc. (Urbanna, VA) (Phone: 804-758-2916) and Sims Metal Management (Yorktown, VA) (Phone: 757-599-4940) both accept junk cars and trucks (residents must bring the vehicle to them along with the title and any additional Department of Motor Vehicle paperwork). They also accept ferrous and non-ferrous metals including copper, brass, aluminum and other metals. 

Contact each business directly for more information. They accept items and home appliances made of steel, copper, and tin including:

• Discarded Piping
• Dryers
• Electrical Wire
• Metal Bikes
• Metal Play Sets and Swings
• Old Air Conditioners
• Refrigerator
• Satellite Dishes
• Washers