Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow Morning

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Today is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup.

Please go over what can be recycled.

NOTE: CVWMA (Central Virginia Waste Management Authority) has announced that all curbside recycling must now be INSIDE the CVWMA containers with lid closed. Items beside the container or on top of it will not be collected. In fact, incorrect setouts may not be collected at all. This is new as of July 1 for all our curbside recyclers, with the exception of townhomes/condos still using small bins. (And yes, this also applies to flattened cardboard boxes.)

Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If it seems like pickup did not happen, use this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, WWBT/Channel 12 has this report:

April is Earth Month, and to celebrate, the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) is hosting several events dedicated to environmentally friendly recycling.

Statistics indicate that, on average, each person generates five pounds of waste per day, and recycling is one way to reduce this waste.

CVWMA serves ten localities with recycling programs. During Earth Month, they will partner with these localities to host several recycling events, which will be open to residents only.

Many residents are unaware of available recycling services which include electronics, household hazardous waste collection (such as spray paints, pesticides, and lawn chemicals), and tire recycling.

According to the Regional Recycling Rate, our region recycles about 57% of its waste. While this is great progress, CVWMA hopes to increase that percentage by implementing special recycling events.

Earth Month recycling events will kick off on Friday, April 19, and run through Saturday, May 11, 2024. Please refer to the list of events below for dates and locations.

Friday, April 19: Powhatan Earth Day Paper Shredding
Saturday, April 20 – Hanover County Electronics Recycling
Saturday, April 20 – New Kent County Paper Shredding, Electronics Recycling and Tire Recycling
Monday, April 22 – Stony Point Fashion Park Paper Shredding and Environmental Fair
Saturday, April 27 – Prince George Clean Community Day
Saturday, May 4 – First Saturday Electronics Recycling @ Securis
Saturday, May 11: City of Richmond Electronics Recycling, Paper Shredding and Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Thunderstorm Knocks Out Power For Many Oregon Hill Residents

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A short but powerful series of thunderstorm cells ripped through parts of central Virginia, including the City of Richmond. Power has been knocked on several blocks of the neighborhood, including the Overlook condos, parts of Laurel Street, Cherry Street, China Street.

According to neighbors, Dominion workers believe power will be returned sometime this afternoon. A ‘tree truck’ needed to be brought in to work on interfering, downed trees.

RVA Magazine Article On 821 Cafe

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RVA Magazine has a nice article on 821 Cafe and its current owners, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary of running the business. < follow this link and read the article. It also includes some cool history on the previous businesses at that location.

821 Cafe, the unassuming diner/restaurant/bar on the corner of Cherry and Cary streets – where Oregon Hill and the Fan meet – turns 20 years old in its current incarnation. Andrew Clarke and Chip Cooke bought the place from its previous owners back in 2004, and have since carried a torch we’d all be screaming about if it went out. 821 has been a staple in the neighborhood forever.
This place does really feel like it has a thousand fun ghosts partying in a hidden dimension just beyond our perception. If you tally up all of the hangovers put to rest in this place, the tonnage of awkward first dates, and the spillover of dank bro-downs, you get a a mere fraction of what this place really means to Oregon Hill, and Richmond as a whole. It’s much more than the sum of its parts. It’s a legend.
There were so many things that blew up at that time (2003 – 2005). Richmond was in a weird turning of the page/changing of the guard moment in time. The 90s dominant look in Richmond was raw and very grungy. At the turning of the millennium, its hardcore punk personality was giving way to sunnier, more fun expressions. I mean, we still screamed a lot but we danced more. It was like a tonal shift.

Trash/Recycling Pickup This Morning

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Today is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup.

Please go over what can be recycled.

NOTE: CVWMA (Central Virginia Waste Management Authority) has announced that all curbside recycling must now be INSIDE the CVWMA containers with lid closed. Items beside the container or on top of it will not be collected. In fact, incorrect setouts may not be collected at all. This is new as of July 1 for all our curbside recyclers, with the exception of townhomes/condos still using small bins. (And yes, this also applies to flattened cardboard boxes.)

Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If it seems like pickup did not happen, use this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/

In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, Chesapeake metal recycling company Greenwave Technology Solutions Inc. this month made its Scrap App available in the Richmond area.Aimed at helping customers recycle old cars and scrap metal, Scrap App launched in September in Hampton Roads and expanded to the Cleveland area in December. The app became available in the Richmond area at the beginning of March.

‘Gargantuan Garbage’ Pick Up Days To Be Scheduled

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After announcing ‘Large Trash’ and ‘Huge Trash’ Pick Up Days are being scheduled, the Clean City Commission liaison came back to add that additional events, ‘Gargantuan Garbage’ Pick Up Days, are in planning.

“After further polling, we realized we further under estimated how many City residents are forgetting and missing their regular trash pickup, even as they are making plans to move to different addresses at the end of their leases. Some of them have big piles of garbage bags in their kitchens, hallways, and backyards. We want to accommodate this group and help with their garbage problems. But these are the last extra pick up days we are scheduling for this year. We swear to that.”

City Officials Announce New Solution For Citizens’ Noise Concerns

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Richmond City Council, along with VCU and Venture Richmond officials, have announced a new solution for citizen and neighborhood noise concerns.

With the usual upsurge of public and private complaints at this time of of year involving loud student parties, large sporting events, and a growing number of outdoor concerts, City authorities have long looked for a general panacea.

Many are nervously watching how in other localities across the country, noise complaints have spurred citizen lawsuits.

The local search for a different response had taken on new urgency as the population has grown and new venues like the Tredegar riverfront amphitheater and a new Diamond stadium are constructed and planned.

Now, these officials say, that search is over.

“We have embraced technology, and believe stylized, noise cancelling headphones for individuals will work for most, if not all situations,” a City spokesperson announced at this morning’s news conference at City Hall.

Noise-cancelling audio devices use a built-in microphone to analyze the ambient sound waves and generate the opposite sound waves to reduce surrounding sound. Noise-cancelling devices have a built-in microphone which produces the opposite reversed sound waves to neutralize surrounding noise.

From the joint press release:
“Every household in the City of Richmond can request up to four sets of headphones. Mass quantities of these headphones are being procured using a combination of leftover federal funding for pandemic public health programs and various private investment funds, many of which are related to venue operations. As with what happened with masks and coronavirus testing kits during the pandemic, public libraries and community health centers will help with distribution.”

In addition, James River Park will have headphones for rent at self-service kiosks, similar to the RVA Bike Share program.

In addition to cancelling outside noise, these new headphones have the capability to play stored sound files for wearers. For example, if headphone wearers are not only trying to stop bleedover outside concert noise from reaching their ears, but are also searching for something to listen to, they can choose from pre-loaded files like music recorded by VPM of previous Richmond Folk Festival sessions, VCU classroom lectures, or previous City Council meetings and public service announcements.

“We not only want to solve problems, but we are looking to enhance residents’ lives” gushed part of the press release for the program. “In the future, we may partner with VCU hospital system to experiment with new brain–computer interface (BCI) technology instead of relying on the physical headphones.”

At the end of the morning press conference, some braver reporters asked pointed questions.

One asked about going back to noise sources and negotiating stronger decibel limits, to which a City Councilperson replied, “Our corporate partners are not interested in entertaining anything like that at this time.”

This goes in line with what neighborhood leaders are hearing. For example, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has made simple, direct requests like banning fireworks from shows at the new Tredegar riverfront amphitheater, only to be met with stoney silence.

Another reporter asked about how officials planned to protect birds and other wildlife from new noise sources. The answer: “We expect them to move on.”

Another exasperated City Councilperson, tired of questions, simply pointed to the new headphones she was modeling, and said “Sorry, I can’t hear you. I have my headphones on.”

VCU Schedules Eclipse, Cancelling Classes On April 8th

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Virginia Commonwealth University announced this morning that it will cancel all classes on April 8th so that students can watch their scheduled solar eclipse.

In the interest of science, the VCU administration has declared it has scheduled a solar eclipse and invite everyone to watch it for their viewing pleasure.

“We really want Richmonders, and Virginians in general, to embrace our advances in physics and engineering and feel like they are part of the celebration also”, said a VCU public relations spokesperson, “Think about it- we are creating the observation of starlight in the daytime. We are displaying direct evidence of how the sun and moon are arranged.”

The VCU Physics Department is hosting a viewing party from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 8 at the VCU Quad (aka Monroe Park). The eclipse will begin at 2:02 p.m., but the best time to catch a glimpse is at 3:19 p.m., when 86% of the sun will be blocked.

Not all Virginia parents are enthused about the endeavor, noting that some area school systems are also being forced to change their schedule. Chesterfield, Henrico and Richmond are dismissing students early or later. “Families and employees should make arrangements for this change, which is being made out of an abundance of caution in connection to the April 8 solar eclipse and our traditional release times.”

Some citizens are asking their state representatives to step in and try to force VCU to change the timing of the eclipse.

In other eclipse-related news, the City Department of Utilities has announced a small, additional surcharge in next month’s utility billing because of the eclipse. It will most likely be part of of the PILOT in the billing.

Greenery Part of Mayor Stoney’s City Environmental And Beautification Initiatives

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Along with more funding and new employees for the City’s Sustainability Office, the mayor recently announced new planting efforts with neighborhood equity and beautification in mind.
As with the larger efforts, the new program could “help Richmond work with private organizations to target specific burdens.”

Mayor Stoney, in his remarks, said he was responding to Richmonders who want more shade and pride in their neighborhoods, while at the same time, he expressed adamance that new construction and public spending must also continue at a strong pace.

To that end, the City, recognizing how long it takes to nurture trees and vibrant greenery, is now buying artificial plants as a stopgap measure. In a City-run, Northside warehouse, thousands of plastic items imported from China are assembled and inventoried on its concrete floor, being made ready for immediate deployment.

A DPW spokesperson stated that Richmond residents can expect these new type of adornments to start appearing in public parks, streetscapes “within the week”, though he did not reply when queried about new ‘plantings’ for Monroe Park. He also hinted that the City might partner with Dominion Energy to supply ‘uplighting’ for these new plantings in certain locations.

Richmond residents who do want to make requests for their own neighborhoods and parks should inquire with their Councilperson’s office.

When asked, a Richmond Tree Stewards member opined that while she was thankful for the funding allocations that the Mayor’s Office is making to her group, the Richmond Tree Stewards will only be involved in ‘planting and caring for real, natural trees’.

‘Huge Trash’ Pick Up Days To Be Scheduled

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‘Large Trash’ Pick Up Days as part of the City’s ‘Neighborhood Clean-Up Program’ were previously scheduled, but now, based on further analysis, the City’s Clean City Commission is planning additional pick up days for ‘Huge Trash’.

A Clean City Commission liaison reports “We decided, based on enhanced data gathering, that we had under estimated the amounts and sizes of trash from certain households. We realized we can expect more sofas and bulk items than ever before. Therefore we are increasing our scope and campaign.”