Contact:
Melody Tennant
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, pictured (and previously Flippy the Whale)), run the “Caught Green-Handed” program, and run a composting program that is open to all Lexington residents.
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
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.
Read our Composting Program How-To here.