The Town's refuse collection program simplifies household trash collection by removing all household waste, recycling, yard waste, brush and bulk items on the same day each week. The Town is divided into five equal-sized
collection route districts.
How it works each day:
- Two refuse packer trucks collect household waste and non-metal furniture, lumber, rugs, homeowner/handyman debris, and other "special pickup"-type items that the Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station will accept.
- Two refuse packer trucks collect single-stream recycling, including large materials like appliance boxes and other items that can be recycled at the Waste Management Recycling Station in Merrifield.
- A knuckle-boom and tandem truck collect loose brush, limbs, yard waste, and other material that can be recycled at the I-66 Transfer Station.
- A sanitation inspector collects any metal set out for collection.
Holiday Schedule
The Town picks up refuse as scheduled on most holidays. However, there is no refuse collection on the following holidays: New Year's Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Refuse normally scheduled to be picked up on those holidays will be collected on the next weekday; no brush, bulk, or yard waste is accepted on these days.
Recycling Standards are Changing
If unclean or non-recyclable items are included with good recyclables, it defeats the purpose of the re-usable industry. The Town is asking everyone to think before they throw!
Here are some key education tips to help keep recycling clean:
- Recyclable items should be rinsed of food residue before being placed in the bin
- Styrofoam, diapers, syringes, and non-fluorescent light bulbs belong in the trash – not the recycling
- Glass items are not accepted as recycling at this time - please include glass jars and containers in your regular household trash
- Plastic bags can be recycled at your local grocery store
- Never put rechargeable batteries in the trash or recycling bin
Placement of Receptacles on Collection Day
Please place all items at the curb line or edge of pavement by 6 a.m. on collection day (but not earlier than 6 p.m. the preceding evening) where it will be easily and safely accessible. Refuse containers should not be placed and left on a sidewalk or any portion of a street right-of-way where they would interfere with traffic.
Please remove all receptacles from the curb line or edge of pavement as soon as possible collection and by 7 p.m. the same evening as collection. The Town reserves the right to designate the collection point where there is a question or doubt.
Receptacle Requirements
The Town does not provide receptacles. You may purchase them at a hardware store or online.
Receptacles should be a maximum size of 55 gallons with a 40-pound weight limit, be watertight metal or plastic (non-breakable), with handles and tight-fitting covers. Plastic bags may be substituted for trash containers provided they meet the 40-pound weight limit.
Recycling can be placed in clear plastic bags, paper bags, plastic bins or loose in a can. More on recycling.
Yard waste is any soft vegetative debris such as grass clippings, leaves, weeds, vines, etc. and must be contained in a clear plastic bag or a yard waste-specific paper bag obtainable at any local hardware store. There is a 20-bag maximum pickup limit per collection day and each bag should not weigh more than 40 pounds.
Brush is branches or tree debris that are eight feet or less in length and six inches or less in diameter. Brush can be piled next to the curb, bundled or left loose in a trash can if it is shorter than four feet in length.
Disposing of Old Trash Cans
To be sure there is no miscommunication and resident's trash cans are not destroyed accidentally, trash crews will only dispose of defective trash cans that are no longer suitable for use when the cans are upside down and clearly marked "take" for disposal.
