Moving is a great opportunity for you to declutter your home to give yourself a fresh start in your new space. Decluttering is especially important if you’re downsizing your home. You can keep a surprising amount of household items out of our landfills by recycling them.

Visit Earth911 for recycling options for just about anything by searching your zip code. For Prince William County residents, there are many recycling options in our backyard. Here are some tips for recycling various household items.

What Can I Recycle?

• Furniture and household goods – Habitat for Humanity Prince William accepts many types of household goods donations. If you have unwanted items that still have some life left in them, you can donate them to help needy families in our community.
• Batteries – Old batteries can be recycled at the Prince William County Landfill and the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility. To recycle old batteries, place them in a plastic bag or put tape on the ends of the battery to prevent them from causing a fire. Some retailers throughout the community like Lowes, Home Depot and Best Buy collect nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, small sealed lead and cell phone batteries.
• Electronics – There are specific electronic recycling days at the Prince William County Landfill. They accept computers, laptops, monitors, keyboards, mice, small printers, copiers, fax machines, scanners, ink and toner cartridges, televisions (picture tube, projection and plasma), VCRs, CD/DVD players, stereos (without speakers), telephones, cell phones, computer cables and cords, chips and cards, circuit boards and other electronic equipment with a circuit board or electric cord.
• American flags – A special collection center is set up at the Prince William County Landfill every second and fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Flags will be burned during private ceremonies in accordance with the United States Flag Code.
• Plastic bags and film – The landfill will accept clean, dry plastic bags and film including furniture wrap, electronic wrap, retail bags, dry cleaning bags, cereal box liners, Tyvek, plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, case wrap, bags labeled number two or number four. Do not recycle frozen food bags, prewash salad bags or degradable bags.
• Scrap metal – The county landfill will accept appliances, bicycles, car parts, mowers with fluids removed, swing sets, metal pipes, metal fixtures, metal siding, sheet metal, chains, tire rims, fencing and cable.
• Items that require special handling – You can recycle items that contain freon at the county landfill. They contract a special company to safely remove the freon from refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. You can also turn in motor oil, anti-freeze and oil filters at the county landfill.
• Textiles – Usable clothing can be donated to local charities. Unusable clothing and paired shoes can be recycled at the county landfill and the county compost facility. They accept clothing, linens, curtains and drapes, handbags and paired shoes.

Looking for real estate services in Gainesville, Haymarket or Bristow? Contact your local real estate expert Belinda Jacobson-Loehle ofJacobson Realty and Home Staging today. Also be sure to sign up now for a FREE copy of my eBook, “The Real Estate Key – What You Need to Know!”

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