AREA RECYCLING INFORMATION
Residents of Alleghany County can utilize the recycling facilities located in the the City of Covington and the Town of Clifton Forge. The recycling at those facilities are picked up by Recycling and Disposal Solutions (RDS) of Virginia (https://rds-virginia.com/what-we-do/municipal-accounts/). The County has limited items that can be recycled at the Island Ford Transfer Station.
The following is information on all recycling locations in the area:
- City of Covington Recycling Facility is located in the parking lot across from Covington Middle School. This facility accepts plastic and paper products only (no metal and no glass). Contact the Covington Public Works Office at (540) 965-6320 for more information.
- Town of Clifton Forge Recycling Facility is located in the Clifton Forge Public Works yard which is off of Howard Street and Commercial Avenue. This facility accepts plastic and paper products (no metal and no glass). Contact the Clifton Forge Public Works Office at (540) 863-2517 for more information.
- Alleghany County Island Ford Transfer Station is located at 1807 Valley Ridge Rd., Covington. This facility accepts used antifreeze, used motor oil, scrap metal, white goods (for a fee), lead acid batteries, cardboard, aluminum, tires (for a fee), yard waste, and brush (smaller than 8 inches in diameter). Contact the Island Ford Transfer Station at (540) 965-1626 for more information.
- Auto-Recyclers, LLC is located at 500 Alleghany Street, Clifton Forge. This business accepts metals and electronic equipment which they will pay to collect. Contact Auto-Recyclers, LLC at (540) 862-0010 for more information.
FOAM FREE BAN AND RESOURCES
The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2021 that will ban the use of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) by food vendors. The EPS ban applies to any food vendor, which is defined as any establishment that provides prepared food for public consumption on or off its premises and includes a store, shop, sales outlet, restaurant, grocery store, supermarket, delicatessen, or catering truck or vehicle; any other person who provides prepared food; and any individual, organization, group, or state or local government entity that regularly provides food as a part of its services.
The ban is also applicable to Virginia Schools.
Currently the ban is to take effect in two phases: food vendors with 20 or more Virginia locations must stop using EPS containers by July 1, 2025, while all other food vendors must comply by July 1, 2026.
By law, localities may grant food vendors up to one year exemption for the EPS ban if they can demonstrate compliance with the ban would impose undue economic hardship. Food vendors granted an exemption can reapply to the locality before the exemption expires. Localities may then grant an additional exemption to vendors continuing to demonstrate the ban imposes undue economic hardship.
For anyone currently using EPS products in any industry, the legislation also discourages the sale and use of EPS products and encourages the promotion of alternatives to EPS.
For more information on the EPS ban, alternatives, and resources, please review the information provided on the Department of Environmental Quality website at: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/land-waste/litter-prevention/foam-free-resources
