OREANDA-NEWS. August 29, 2013. As the kids return to school, the grass (finally) begins to quit growing, and the hottest topic in Washington is whether RGIII will be ready for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week One, one’s late-summer mind often turns to… recycling?

If that’s where your head is and you’re in northern Virginia, then you’re in luck.  Verizon is hosting its fourth annual Recycling Rally at the company’s Ashburn campus (22001 Loudoun County Parkway) on Sept. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Employee volunteers will gather in the parking lot to collect unwanted electronics and other material for recycling.  The event is free and open to the public, and a number of lucky recyclers will be randomly selected to receive giveaways, including water bottles and tote bags.

Recycled items can include glass, plastics and aluminum cans; laptop and desktop computers; CRT (cathode ray tube) and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors and televisions; computer cables, mice and keyboards; gaming consoles; telephones and answering machines; stereo and audio equipment; paper shredders; alarm clocks; printers; cameras; conferencing equipment; remote controls; earphones; small electronic appliances (such as coffee makers, toasters, toaster ovens and can openers); microwave ovens; vacuum cleaners; and electronic toys without batteries.  Hard drives will not be wiped, and all batteries should be removed prior to turning in any items.

Items that will not be accepted include hazardous waste (such as batteries, inks/toners, mercury bulbs); units containing fluid (such as motors and pumps containing fluid); refrigerators and freezers; medical waste, and radioactive material such as X-ray equipment.

The Ashburn Recycling Rally is part of Verizon’s commitment to protect and preserve the environment by enabling the public to be green at work and at home.  The supplier disposing of the discarded items will adhere to Verizon’s zero-landfill objective, meaning the materials will be reused or recycled so that they do not end up in a landfill.

These events are making a difference.  Over the past three Ashburn rallies, Verizon employees and the public have turned in nearly 80,000 pounds of waste.  That’s 40 tons of waste that didn’t find its way to landfills.  Since 2009, Verizon has held 45 of these types of events around the U.S, collecting nearly 700,000 pounds of waste.