Waste reduction is the process of producing and consuming “stuff” in a way that generates less trash. This practice incorporates:
Refusing (ex: don’t buy things you don’t need)
Reducing (ex: buy things that are well made and will last)
Reusing (ex: donate something you no longer need)
Recycling (although the goal is to prevent the materials from even making it to this stage)
Reduce
Reducing your consumption and waste can have a huge impact on sustainability. This can come in many forms, such as: biking to work/school or taking public transportation; composting to keep waste down to a minimum; making your own cleaning supplies; line drying your clothes; buying quality items so they won’t have be replaced as often; buying in bulk; and investing in energy efficient appliances and lightbulbs. Below are some links to local businesses and organizations that can help you reduce your consumption and waste.
Buying in Bulk/Less Packaging
Composting
Introducing CompostShare
DID YOU KNOW that the single largest component of municipal solid waste sent to landfills is food waste? Composting is one of the key solutions to this problem.
Have you been looking for a way to compost but don’t have a place to do it? If you’re already composting, would you be willing to let others drop off their compostable waste to you? Then check out CompostShare! https://www.compostshare.com/
CompostShare is a local community platform that connects people who have compost bins and piles to those who need a sustainable way to dispose of food waste. Share your scraps, reduce the amount of waste being sent to the landfill, and grow a greener world – one connection at a time.
Blacksburg’s demographics don’t support curbside composting, so CompostShare is the next best thing! Please join today!
CompostShare was developed by Michael Fearer, a Managing Sustainability Consultant for IBM and Sustainable Blacksburg contributor, in response to the shutdown of the international ShareWaste program. Dr. Jennifer Russell, Associate Professor, Department of Sustainable BioMaterials, and former ShareWaste host, also contributed to the development of CompostShare. Others providing input to the system included Emily Vollmer, Kristina Cook and Jordyn Lewis with the Virginia Tech Office of Sustainability and Ann Raridon with Sustainable Blacksburg.
Food Waste
Read more about how the following local organizations are helping the community reduce our food waste.
Reuse
Did you know that if you switched to a reusable water bottle you could easily save hundreds of plastic water bottles from the landfill each year. This is only one simple way we can reuse. Reusing and repairing items are great ways to keep stuff out of the landfill. They are also great ways to save money! Below are some links to local organizations that can help you in reusing and repairing items.
Local Online Groups
Follow @VTFree on Instagram to find or share free stuff
Throwing out an item before it has reached the end of its useful life has many negative consequences on the environment, our pocketbook, and economy. There are many businesses, organizations, and individuals who can help with repairing and restoring items in Blacksburg and the surrounding community. We hope you will take advantage of their services to keep your items in use for as long as you can. Inclusion on this list is for information only, and does not imply the endorsement of Sustainable Blacksburg.
Thrift Stores
For open hours, call or visit the store’s website.
| Goodwill Store and Donation Center | 1411 N. Main St, Blacksburg, 540-951-0215 |
| Goodwill Store and Donation Center | 255 Peppers Ferry Rd NE, Christiansburg, 540-381-1544 |
| Habitat for Humanity of the NRV ReStore | 1675 N. Franklin St, Christiansburg, 540-381-1155 |
| MCEAP Clothing Bank | Old Town Hall, 141 Jackson St, Blacksburg, 540-392-0097 |
| MCEAP Thrift Store and More | Benefiting Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program (MCEAP) 308 W. Main St, Christiansburg, 540-260-3173 |
| MCEAP Home Store and More | 760 Roanoke St, Christiansburg, 540-251-3156 |
| Route 11 Gift and Thrift | 2680 Radford Rd, Christiansburg, 540-629-3360 |
| Second Time Around Store | benefiting the Humane Society of Montgomery County, 107 Ellett Rd, Blacksburg, 540-951-4327 |
| ThriftWell | offering meaningful life skills, employability training, and rehabilitation opportunities to the women in The Well, an in-residence substance abuse treatment program, 1130 Cambria St NE, Christiansburg, 540-251-3601 |
| Treasure Trove Thrift Store | operated by Warm Hearth Village retirement community, 3055 N. Franklin St, Christiansburg, 540-200-7012 |
| VTTHRIFT | Student-run store for secondhand clothing, 304 N. Main St, Blacksburg, 703-955-2203 |
| YMCA at VT Thrift Store | Supports the YMCA at VT student and community programs. 1000 N. Main St, Blacksburg, 540-552-2633 |
Consignment Stores
| Once Upon a Child | 360 Arbor Dr, Christiansburg, 540-382-5045 |
| Plato’s Closet | 360 Arbor Dr, Christiansburg, 540-382-2102 |
| Uptown Cheapskate | 2735 Market St, Christiansburg, 540-251-5473 |
Other Resale Stores
| Blezzed Treazurez | New re-sale store 880 University City Blvd., Ste. 202, Blacksburg (behind Starbucks). Th-Sa 11-6. |
YTOSS
The YToss program collects unwanted but still usable items on campus during student moveout and resells them at a special sale during campus movein in August.
International Student Furniture Giveway
Annual event to assist international students by collecting, storing and giving furniture away at a special event in August.
The 2025 Furniture Giveaway will take place on August 16. Learn more here.
Where Can I Take…
| Other Items for Reuse | |
| Athletic Shoes | Run About Sports, 1470 S. Main St, Blacksburg |
| Building Materials, Fixtures | Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 1675 N. Franklin St, Christiansburg |
| Cardboard boxes, packaging materials | Easy Way Packaging Center, 610 N. Main St., Blacksburg |
| Corks, CDs, other items for classroom projects | New River Creative Reuse Center, Christiansburg (see list of accepted items on Facebook) |
| Egg Cartons | Most farmers market vendors who sell eggs |
| Electronics (working) | Y Thrift Store, 1000 N. Main St, Blacksburg |
| Eyeglasses | Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club Collection Boxes |
| Hangers | Local dry cleaners |
| Plastic bags | Check with local thrift stores, food pantries, and farmers market vendors, which often have a need for bags; offer smaller bags, like from newspapers and bread, to dog owners to pick up after their dogs |
| Plastic flower pots | Check with the seller; many will reuse their pots |
| Towels and blankets | Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center, 480 Cinnabar Rd, Christiansburg |
Recycle
We are glad that you are interested in learning more about recycling options around Blacksburg! However, it is important to consider how you can Reduce and REUSE before you resort to recycling. In particular, many items can be repurposed and distributed to local teachers and nonprofits through The New River Valley Creative Reuse Center!
Single Stream Curbside Recycling
Where Can I Take…
| Other Items for Recycling | |
| CFLs, Rechargeable Batteries, Ink cartridges (note: alkaline batteries should go in your household trash) | Y Thrift Store, 1000 N. Main St, Blacksburg |
| Electronics (nonworking – label as nonworking) | Y Thrift Store, 1000 N. Main St, Blacksburg |
| Metals | Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority, 555 Authority Dr, Christiansburg |
| Plastic film and plastic bags (see reuse options for plastic bags) | Recycling collection boxes at Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, Target, Blacksburg Community Center, Warm Hearth Village Local churches: St. Mary’s Blacksburg, Blacksburg Presbyterian, Blacksburg United Methodist, St. Thomas in Christiansburg |
Blacksburg
Contacts
- Town of Blacksburg’s Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling
- 540-443-1212
- recycle@blacksburg.gov
- Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority
- 540-381-2820
- acummins@mrswa.com
Virginia Tech
Contacts
- Virginia Tech Office of Sustainability
- 540-231-4300
- sustainability@vt.edu
- VT Recycling Website
- Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority
- 540-381-2820
- acummins@mrswa.com
Christiansburg
Contacts
- Town of Christiansburg’s Department of Public Works
- 540-382-1151
- tlprice@christiansburg.org
- Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority
- 540-381-2820
- acummins@mrswa.com
Waste Reduction Updates
Week 21 Recap: Reduce the Amount of Waste You Send to the Landfill
The U.S. Environmental Agency estimates that we generate 4.9 pounds of trash per person per day and about half of that ends up in the landfill! Although many aspects of our system work against us, we have a lot of control over the amount of waste we generate in our own homes. We have covered…
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Week 21: Too Much Waste in our Landfills
A little over a month ago I briefly touched on the amount of waste sent to our landfills when discussing “Choosing Reusables.” The numbers are so staggering though, I think it warrants another look. The EPA collects data on how much trash (or as they refer to it, municipal solid waste) is generated each year and where…
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Week 20: Home Energy Use
According the the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average home in America consumes about 11,000 kWh (kilowatthours) per year, which accounts for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the country. If considered a country, these emissions would be considered the world’s sixth largest GHG emitter, comparable to Brazil and larger than Germany. The…
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