Recycle clothing and household goods at county landfill or Balls Ford Compost facility

The Donation Place—at the Prince William County Landfill Complex at Independent HIll, in Manassas near the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Canter, Prince William County Animal Shelter and Prince William Department of Parks and Recreation headquarters,—is now accepting small appliances, dishes, bed and bath items, small furniture, clothing and shoes.

The Prince William County Solid Waste Division has formed a partnership with Savers which operates a second-hand store at Festival Plaza in Woodbridge. According to its website, “The Savers family of stores is a for-profit, global thrift retailer offering great quality, gently used clothing, accessories and household goods.”

Savers pays the county for donated goods it picks up and provides all of the labor and management to oversee the operation, said Scott MacDonald, manager of Prince William County’s recycling program.

Recycling items can help extend the life of the landfill, MacDonald said. “Donating clothing and household items is a great way to reduce waste. Americans generate about 81 pounds of clothing and textiles each year. Approximately 85 percent of that winds up in landfills. This is a great way to keep that material out of the landfill. Organizations like Savers can reclaim about 95 percent of the materials, so it’s a great way to reduce our waste.”

Residents can also donate reusable items at the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility at 13000 Balls Ford Road. Furniture will be accepted only at the landfill location, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Items can be dropped off at the Balls Ford facility from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

MacDonald said residents donate more than 20,000 pounds of stuff each month at the landfill location alone.

For more information about recycling in the county, go to http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/publicworks/trash/pages/default.aspx or call 703-792-4670.