Recycling and Trash Collection Guidelines for Sanitary Districts, PDF (Spanish and Korean versions). Adobe Reader is required for viewing PDF files.
The county provides household trash and recycling collection once a week to homes located in established Sanitary Districts. Wheeled trash carts are offered, at no additional charge, to single-family residences located in these districts. The carts also are available to townhouse developments provided their use is allowed by the homeowner's association.
Report a missed collection or other concern
Curbside recyclables include: newspaper, container glass, metal food and beverage cans, plastic bottles and jugs, mixed paper and cardboard, branches and bagged leaves and grass. These materials are picked up from the curb on your scheduled collection day.
If you reside in a county Sanitary District, you can schedule special collections for bulky materials and brush (e.g., tree branches) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a very large amount of material or need frequent collections, you will probably need to use our MegaBulk program (PDF). Brush, special collections and MegaBulk are for residential use only. If you observe materials being dumped in your neighborhood by contractors or from elsewhere, please call 703-802-3322, TTY 711 so that we can investigate.
You can also have up-to-date information about your trash and recycling collection service sent directly to your e-mail inbox. These Trash Collection E-Updates will keep you informed of service changes and/or reminders.
All trash and recyclables must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on your collection day. (Note: Customers on pipestems and private roads must bring trash and recyclables to the state maintained street.) Other containers or plastic bags not exceeding 50 pounds gross weight when filled may be used.
Special collections are limited to five free collections per address per year. Special collection is for household items that are too large to collect with a standard garbage truck. Some examples of this include a stove, refrigerator or couch. Special collections are limited to 12 cubic yards of material (about the size of a minivan). Most customers will be unaffected by the change, and the system for scheduling these five free collections will remain the same.
If you need more than five special collections per year OR if you have an amount of material larger than 12 cubic yards, you may use our MegaBulk program. MegaBulk allows customers who generate materials outside the norm of our regular special collection program to use our services and to make the system more efficient. Previously, we would tag materials too large or too voluminous to collect and the customer would need to find an alternative source of transport and disposal.
To schedule one of your five free special collections of less than 12 cubic yards, you can use the online form or call 703-802-3322, TTY 711. To schedule a MegaBulk collection, call 703-802-3322, TTY 711. If you schedule a collection via the online form and collection staff determines it falls under MegaBulk, this will only delay your collection.
For more information about MegaBulk, see the Recycling and Trash Collection Guidelines for Sanitary Districts (PDF).
Chapter 109.1 of the County Ordinance states that dark plastic bags may not be used for setting out yard waste.
The ban on using dark colored plastic bags for recyclables helps our crews see the difference between your trash and your yard waste. For obvious safety reasons, our collection crews do not open bags to determine the contents. So, if they cannot see that a bag contains yard waste, it might be put in the trash truck!
You may set out your grass clippings and/or leaves in transparent plastic bags, reusable plastic or metal containers, or Kraft paper yard waste bags.
Transparent recycling bags and Kraft bags are available at most supermarkets, hardware stores and garden centers. Your trash can still be placed in the opaque plastic bags. If you have any questions concerning this matter, please call us at 703-802-3322, TTY 711.
Of course, composting and mulching yard waste are still the greenest alternatives! For easy instructions on how to compost or "grasscycle," call 703-802-3322, TTY 711 or view our online tips.
The following materials are not collected curbside: dirt, stones, stumps, rocks, bricks, unbagged animal waste,* shingles, drywall, asbestos, floor tiles, concrete, glass windows, sliding glass doors and sheets of glass. These items can severely damage equipment. If your setout contains even a small amount of any of these materials, collection will not occur. These materials may be taken to the I-95 Landfill Complex in Lorton and disposed of for a fee.
Do not place household hazardous waste in your regular trash. For more information, call 703-324-5068, TTY 711.
*If you have waste from household pets, please put it in a bag so that our collection workers do not come in direct contact with it.