Viewpoint: Bring back the purple bin
By Chris Delta
During the July Fourth weekend, I attended a cookout in my neighborhood. In the course of various lively conversations, many topics came up, including the unpredictable weather, climate change, and what we can do to fight it.
One neighbor mentioned he had been committed to recycling his glass bottles, but now with the loss of the purple bin at the Mason Government Center, he lamented that they really do not make it easy for people to recycle glass anymore. Another person chimed in that she and many people she knows now throw glass in with the trash because there is no longer a glass recycling bin near us in Mason District.
Shortly thereafter, I telephoned Fairfax County’s Department of Solid Waste to inquire about the purple glass recycling bin and asked when it would return and if an alternative location could be identified for it in the interim.
The woman I spoke with was very professional and politely informed me the county was unable to find county-owned land within Mason District. Therefore, the bin would not be available to Mason residents until the renovations at the government center are completed, a project that is likely to last multiple years.
When I asked if the bin could be stored in any private parking lot in the interim, I was informed that was not possible as the bin had to be placed on county property.
At that point, I noted that Fairfax County often extols the virtues of numerous private-public partnerships to serve the public good, and inquired if there was any effort to reach out to local private property owners to identify one that might be open to hosting the purple bin until the renovations are complete. I was told no such effort had been or would be made.
Related story: Purple glass recycling bin will be removed
No one in county government can provide a satisfactory explanation as to why the residents of Mason District no longer have a convenient way to recycle glass. Placing a recycling bin in Mason should not require too much creativity.
My experience in county government informed me that when something requires a bit of extra work, effort, or creative thinking, the bureaucracy resists taking action. Instead of working with us, the Mason supervisor (a self-described environmentalist) and the Department of Solid Waste delay and deflect.
In this scenario, leadership and constituent service from our local elected officials would make a difference by insisting that the Department of Solid Waste be more proactive in removing impediments. Isn’t looking for solutions one of the responsibilities of elected officials?
However, the Mason office has been even less responsive to constituent needs than the county’s Solid Waste bureaucracy. Instead of directing Solid Waste to work with the community to find a way to return the glass recycling bin, Supervisor Jimenez has been aloof and unresponsive.
When I mentioned one site as a possibility, the Department of Solid Waste said they would consider it if I could email them a picture and address of the location. I will do that, but one has to ask: why should I need to do that instead of the supervisor’s office taking the initiative to find an alternative location?
Why couldn’t a school property have hosted the purple bin during the summer vacation months? After Labor Day, would one of the local swim clubs be willing to host it during the fall and winter months? Surely it would be easy for their members to swing by to recycle their glass.
What about the temporary fire station property at Annandale Road and South Street, across from Bill Page Plaza? How about reaching out to the owners of vacant lots like the old Sears building or one of the churches that already have an established partnership with the county to host election day voting precincts in Mason District?
Some of my neighbors have sent emails or called the supervisor’s office to inquire about the status of glass recycling in Mason, only to be told that the purple bin won’t return until the building renovations are complete. The supervisor’s staff act as if our inquiries are an imposition and show no inclination whatsoever to assist us in our efforts to recycle.
As the old expression goes, when there is a will, there is a way. When there is no will, however, there is no way. Mason District residents deserve better.
Chris Delta is a resident of Mason District.
Agreed, there should be glass recycling in Mason District. You came up with good places, in a school during summer, and in rec pools after summer as those lots are empty. Make it happen Mason District!
Totally agree with this. I’ve been driving to audrey moore which is a pain. There’s just no incentive on the counties part to make this happen and that’s a shame.
What about Mason District Park that is next door! That parking lot where the tennis courts are is a perfect spot !
I had the same thought. There is plenty of room there. Even on days when there is a Farmers Market there is still room in the lot to place a purple bin there.
Fairfax has several county properties with large enough parking lots that could support this. Mason District Park (on Columbia Pike) and Wakefield Park (on Braddock) could easily support a purple dumpster. The county definitely treats Mason like a step child. Our supervisor doesn’t seem to be engaged and given his upcoming reckless driving court appearance, I think he should probably resign and let the voters choose another.
There’s a purple bin at Wakefield Park.
Same, driving to Audrey Moore. Most people don’t make the extra effort.
Glass Goat Recycling will come pick up your glass curbside biweekly or monthly to save you the trip- http://www.glassgoatrecycling.com
Supervisor Herrity has just called for the resumption of curbside pickup for glass. (https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Time-to-Resume-Recycling-Glass-Curbside.html?soid=1102318968708&aid=yzbOe8vnH_o&fbclid=IwY2xjawTp7zlwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUJaVHR2Z3NvQndOTWZKdjRzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeRNZuo0660xk-WYgtvHdc_1Y0jfmer1jgxnM0x8yGYO7IpKx2FMf1Xb_3YU8_aem_6kgRKIQCerJQtb2dKttm_A).
Hopefully, he can prevail upon his colleagues on the BoS to support this.
You’re welcome to dig through my trash looking for bottles to recycle. Just clean up any mess before you leave.
Just have to say on July 4th we discussed the big upcoming fireworks on the Mall, the fireworks every year in the neighborhood off Queensbury Drive, shooting at the NRA range vs. Sharpshooters in Lorton, our great country and our military and other service to it, the day-long flyovers, but not one mention of recycling.
Yes, there’s a bin at Audrey Moore and we can all drive there. Unfortunately, people treat this area as a dumping ground. My 87yo mother gladly took our recycling to Mason district but I will not allow here to go to AM because of dangerous conditions there. Further discouragement of glass recycling must be signaling a high cost of the program?!
Lack of glass recycling is a real annoyance. Once again, Supervisor Jimenez seems to be of zero help supporting his constituency. I voted for him last time – not next time.
Kudos to Chris Delta for this opinion piece. It’s absurd that County government couldn’t – or wouldn’t bother to – find a nearby location for the purple bin and that Supervisor Jimenez hasn’t insisted upon a nearby alternative location.
Given Supervisor Herrity’s recent article, let’s hope Fairfax County serves its residents more effectively by including glass – and, ideally, more plastics – in weekly County recycling pickups.
Fairfax County’s single-stream recyling program already permits plastics to be recycled
Recycling glass should be easier than it is. Why can’t it be inlcuded with other recyclable materials? Until it is, I will continue to throw mine in the trash guilt free. It’s no worse environmentally than di\rivng miles to find a glass recycling bin.
Glass just isn’t cost-effective for single-stream recycling. It often breaks between pickup and processing, and ends up fouling other materials with glass shards and silicate dust that requires the contaminated materials to be discarded. Glass shards and silicate dust also cause damage to single-stream sorting equipment, and present a hazard to workers that inevitably have to handle materials in a single-stream recycling process.
The only way glass recycling works at scale is to ensure it’s physically isolated from other recycled materials at all steps of the process.
Glad I saw this article. It saved me a wasted trip. As my glass bin filled this week, I looked at the County’s solid waste website to see if the Mason purple bin had returned. It still shows on the web map of purple bins. There are notices that two other bins would be unavailable for a time, but no notice about the Mason bin. So the County’s own website puts out misinformation on this.
Chris, why don’t you run for supervisor? I bet you’d beat the do-nothing speedster.
I blame Penny Gross.
Why? What did she do (or not do) about this situation?
Thanks for this article. I agree that Mason District Park makes the most sense. Another location, not Fairfax County, is in Alexandria on Tower Court. It is slightly closer than Wakefield Park. Here’s the location https://maps.app.goo.gl/VcxyVqAkzqBY79Uf8
Evergreen Disposal trash company takes glass with their weekly curbside recycling pickup .