The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a special tour of Martinsburg’s Grapevine Road Recycling Center on Saturday, Jan. 16.

The tour will be led by Clint Hogbin, who chairs the Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority, and Harmony Dressler, who is the District 2 coordinator for the WV Division of Environmental Protection’s Youth Environmental Program.

It will begin at 1 p.m. and last about 1 hours. It will be free, and anyone with an interest is welcome to participate, including families with children. However, pre-registration will be required. To register, go to the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

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

They will also get a briefing on the new Resource Recovery Facility that will be constructed in 2016 right next to the Recycling Center (groundbreaking is currently set for Jan. 6).

This new facility, a joint venture between Apple Valley Waste, Entsorga Italia S.p.A, and Chemtex Global N.V., will convert waste into solid fuel using a proprietary technology developed by Entsorga. It will be the first facility of its kind in the nation.

Immediately following the tour, Ms. Dressler will give a brief presentation about about the state’s recycling and litter control programs, and its Youth Environmental Program.

Berkeley County has long been a leader in promoting recycling, and it already 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.

It 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.

For more information about the tour, contact Debbie Maiorano of PVAS, at debbiemm58@aol.com or 540-535-5145.

For more information about the recycling center go to www.berkeleycountycomm.org/bcswa/index.cfm.