Because of the Labor Day holiday, the trash and recycling pickup, which normally falls on a Wednesday, shifts to Thursday morning. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup Thursday night. They do not belong on the sidewalk after Thursday night.

In recycling news, the Times Dispatch recently reported that in-state trash amounts are up, while out-of-state waste is flat. Here is a excerpt from the article:

The amount of trash shipped to Virginia from other places for disposal remained relatively flat last year after increasing in 2010 for the first time since 2006.

Virginia – the nation’s second biggest importer of trash, behind Pennsylvania – took in about 5.6 million tons of trash and debris last year, up less than 1 percent from 2010, according to a report on solid waste released by the state Department of Environmental Quality. State law requires that the 208 permitted waste facilities in Virginia compile and transmit their data to the state agency annually.

According to the report, 26 states and jurisdictions, as well as several countries, including Canada and Mexico, shipped trash to Virginia for disposal last year. A majority of the out-of-state waste came from Maryland, New York, Washington, D.C., New Jersey and North Carolina. Maryland topped the list with more than 2 million tons sent to Virginia.

Overall, the total amount of household garbage, construction and demolition debris, vegetative and other types of waste received at Virginia facilities in 2011 increased more than 5 percent to 20.7 million tons. Waste from within Virginia increased about 7 percent to 15.2 million tons.

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Of the total solid waste managed in Virginia last year, nearly 75 percent of it was disposed of in landfills, about 12 percent was incinerated and the rest was managed by other methods, including mulching and recycling, the report said. Virginia plans to issue a separate report on the statewide recycling rate for 2011 later this year.