The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is sponsoring a special tour of Martinsburg’s Grapevine Road Recycling Center on Saturday, Sept. 14. The tour will be led by Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority chairman Clint Hogbin. It will begin at 11 a.m. and last about 45 minutes. It will be free and anyone with an interest is welcome to participate, including families with children.

However, participation will be limited to 15 people and pre-registration will be required. To pre-register, go to the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org or contact Kelly Wolf at kheldreth@hotmail.com or 304-229-6229.

Tour participants will get a first-hand look at how recycling centers work, and learn about current recycling issues.

Berkeley County has been a leader in promoting recycling, and it currently operates one of the most comprehensive voluntary drop-off and curbside recycling programs in the region.

The Grapevine Road Recycling Center was first opened in 1995, initially accepting only glass bottles and metal cans. It now handles more than a dozen categories of items, from yard waste to appliances to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The Center It is one of two full-service recycling centers administered by the Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority (the other is the South Berkeley Center, at Inwood). Both centers are open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Grapevine Road facility is located on the east edge of Martinsburg, at 870 Grapevine Road (County Route 9/14). Grapevine Road is most easily accessed from Route 9, by the Eastern Regional Jail.