How can we help?
Learn answers to some of our most frequently asked questions here.
Rinse the bottle clean with water. Bottles can be crushed if you need to make room for more. Only #1 and #2 plastic containers are accepted.
Plastic containers coded with a #1 or #2 inside a recycling symbol on the bottom of plastic containers are recyclable at RSWA facilities. These recyclable containers typically include soda bottles; milk, water and juice jugs; cooking oil and liquor bottles; and detergent containers.
Other plastics coded with a #3, #4, #5, #6, or #7 are not typically recycled due to limited markets and expense.
Plastic that contained hazardous waste cannot be accepted for recycling but can be accepted during Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Days.
We encourage you to hold these items until our next special collection day for batteries, paint-related products, CFL’s, florescent tubes, thermostats, digital cameras, cellphones, iPods, acids, pesticides, adhesives, gasoline, kerosene, household cleaners, floor and furniture polish.
Special collections are generally held twice per year in the spring and the fall. The next date can be found on our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Days section or on our Events page.
Please note that paints (non-aerosol) are accepted every day at the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center.
The next date can be found on our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Days section or on our Events page.
You can also stay connected by signing up for our HHW notification email list. We send out an email blast when the Fall and Spring dates have been approved by the RSWA board and follow up with reminders.
We accept 1-gallon, 5-gallon, and quarter gallon containers of latex and oil-based paint on a daily basis for proper disposal.
Paint must be in the original container.
We will not accept any other paint-related products.
For complete details, see the Daily Paint Collection section on the Ivy SWRC page.
This collection service is free and is separate from our regular household hazardous waste disposal days.
Cans of spray paint, paint-related products, adhesives (glue, putty, caulk), paint removers, thinners, solvents, sealants, or wood preservatives are classified as Household Hazardous Waste.
So we encourage you to dispose of those items on our Spring and Fall HHW Days at Ivy SWRC.
The next date can be found on our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Days section or on our Events page.
Batteries are accepted during our HHW events.
CFLs and fluorescent tubes will also be accepted at our HHW events.
There are many charities and non-profit organizations in the Charlottesville / Albemarle area that are in need of usable household and office items to support their work. Donating your usable things, instead of throwing them out, helps others in need and reduces waste at the same time.
Another option is to dispose of items at Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s Encore Shop, located at the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center. Please note that the Encore Shop cannot accept upholstered items, and there is a fee for disposal.
Junk mail is among the recyclable items accepted at our Recycling Centers. Please place it in the Mixed Paper bin.
The bins are labeled as follows:
- Aluminum Beverage Cans
- Corrugated Cardboard
- Mixed Paper
- Plastic Film
- #1 Plastic Containers
- #2 Plastic Containers
- Office Paper
- Glass
- Newsprint
- Mixed Metals
More info on our Accepted Items page.
No plastic motor oil containers, no Styrofoam of any kind, no hazardous waste material containers.
We accept flexible plastic. Grocery bags, newspaper bags, bread bags, case wrap from water bottles, bubble wrap, pet food bags, dry cleaning bags, toilet paper wrap.
No soiled kitchen or lawn bags, no frozen food bags, no pre-washed salad mixed bags, no biodegradable bags. All bags must be clean and dry.
No, Styrofoam is not accepted at any recycling location.
The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority accepts motor oil and antifreeze at the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center.
City and County residents are able to take their food waste to Ivy Convenience Center at the Ivy SWRC or the McIntire Recycling Center.
We accept propane tanks at HHW Special Collections.
Come to Rivanna Solid Waste Authority Board meetings, located at 695 Moores Creek Lane. They are held at 2:00 p.m. and are generally held the 4th Tuesday of the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. You can find more details here.
You can also send an email to info@rivanna.org or write:
Executive Director
695 Moores Creek Ln.
Charlottesville, VA 22902
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