Committee Description
Rockbridge Conservation’s Waste Prevention Committee works with many organizations in Rockbridge County with the common goal of protecting our natural environment by preventing waste. They work on issues including recycling, education about reducing waste (using their Plastic Waste Prevention Turtle (and previously Flippy the Whale)), run the “Caught Green-Handed” program, and run a composting program that is open to all local residents. They also collaborate with the Annual Community Cleanup team to educate our community about waste prevention.
The Waste Prevention Committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Rockbridge Conservation office. Anyone passionate about this problem is welcome to attend.
Committee Initiatives:
Frequently asked questions
Below are a few FAQs about this committee. Click the plus sign to see the answers.
The Waste Prevention Committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Rockbridge Conservation office. Anyone passionate about this problem is welcome to attend.
We’d LOVE to have you join us on our mission to reduce waste in our beautiful county!To get involved with our committee, please contact our committee chair, Melody Tennant.
Or just come to our next meeting! (see the FAQ on meeting date/time)
Our committee chair is Melody Tennant. Please reach out to her directly with questions!
After successfully advocating for revival of a recycling program in Lexington, the committee has worked to raise citizen awareness of pervasive plastic waste, culminating in a July 2021 campaign to “Choose to Refuse Single Use Plastics.” Specifically, they:
- Collected plastic waste from 105 volunteer households for the month of May 2021 to illuminate the scope of the problem in Rockbridge County
- Distributed cloth bags to reduce use of disposable plastic bags
- Solicited pledges from individuals to cut back on their use of plastic bags and packaging
- Worked with local governments and businesses to reduce their plastic consumption
Not at all! That said, we encourage all of our committee volunteers to become members! We are a great organization with a long history of doing important work to preserve and protect our county’s natural and cultural resources.
Committee leadership must be members of Rockbridge Conservation.
Helpful Links & Resources
Click on any of these links to learn more about them:
- Rockbridge Conservation’s blog post about where to recycle, reduce, and compost in Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge
- Rockbridge Conservation’s Composting Program How-To
- Plastic & Health
- EarthMagic Glass Recycling in BV
- Rockbridge County’s Recycling Page
- Earth 911 (how to recycle almost anything)
- Join the Reuse Revolution
Recycling Options in Rockbridge
Below are some links our users have suggested. Please note that this is a list of resources, not endorsements. Click on any of these links to learn more about them:
- City of Lexington Residents
- Rockbridge County Residents
- Boxerwood Composting
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore
- Buena Vista Auto Recyclers (Very wide range of materials and items accepted!)
- Souther’s Auto Salvage
- Goodwill
- You may be able to find in-store recycling intake at Lowe’s, Walmart (printer ink cartridge recycling), or Kroger. Some locations include recycling for fluorescent bulbs, plastic planter pots & cases, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, and plastic bags!
