Herndon — Herndon residents will battle it out for the second straight year in an attempt to be more environmentally friendly. The second annual Battle of the Bottles will challenge residents of Four Seasons and Hunters Creek to see who can recycle more.
“This contest is one of the ways that the Herndon Environmental Network is trying to make a positive difference in Herndon,” said Nancy Myers, co-chair of the network, which started the battle last year. “Increased recycling activity in the town will indirectly save Herndon taxpayers money through a reduction in the fees the town pays to dispose of trash collected each week in the local landfills.”
Hunters Creek contains 287 homes, and Four Seasons has 373. The contest will be judged by which neighborhood increases the percentage of the weight against the weight of trash during the month of July. Robert Gluck, who lives in Hunters Creek, has been a longtime recycler.
“We recycled even before the town offered it, so this contest won’t mean much of a change in our behavior, but I think it’s a really cool idea to spread it around,” he said. “Even for those folks who already recycle, there’s a lot of good information going around now about what can and can’t be recycled, and that’s a helpful reminder to us all.”
The Town of Herndon accepts glass, aluminum, milk and juice cartons, plastic containers, newspapers, clean cardboard, junk mail, magazines and paper bags, among other things.
“The one that I always forget about is the bottle caps, you’re not supposed to recycle caps under three inches,” Gluck said. Last year’s contest featured two neighborhoods outside of the town limits, and was coordinated with their trash pickup providers, American Disposal Systems. Last year’s winners increased their recycling percentage by 18 percent.
This year, the Town of Herndon’s Public Works conducted the baseline measurements for the two neighborhoods during June, and will weigh the recycling during July to see which one had the most increase.
The winning neighborhood will receive a $500 gift card from Meadows Farms Nurseries, which will go toward trees, flowers or other plants for neighborhood beautification.