Boy in Crozet, Va., Launches “Dude of Hazard” Recycling Service

Jill Rose, a videographer with VCU, said the family has always tried to be aware of reducing waste and recycling. “I had to change one of those LED bulbs,” she said. “After I unscrewed it, I thought ‘what’s next?’ If it was causing me some stress to find a way to dispose of it, I figured others might have the same problem.” She, Bodhi, Bodhi’s sister, Sophia, and husband Tim Rose, an oncology nurse at U.Va., try to reduce waste in other ways, by composting and carrying their own bags to the grocery store.

At first, the business took only items like the used bulbs, cell phones and spent batteries, things they already knew had specific destinations for recycling. But Bodhi and Jill became intrigued with the idea that almost anything could ultimately have another life that would keep it out of the waste stream, if they could only find the right place for it. Copiers, fax machines, old keyboards, cameras, fans and binoculars and many other large and small items were added to their list of acceptable materials. “We’ve spent a lot of time researching where to bring hard-to-recycle items,” she said. Jill posts items accepted on “Nextdoor,” the neighborhood website.