FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – Fairfax County is inviting innovative ideas and fresh perspectives to support its future waste diversion and zero waste goals. As the County moves toward a cleaner, more efficient approach to trash, recycling, and overall materials management, it is reaching out to industry partners and the community for concepts that can help shape the next generation of solid waste solutions.
SWMP has opened a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to gather broad market insight that can help the program reach future goals. SWMP welcomes responses from public agencies, private companies, nonprofits, colleges and universities, and community-based organizations of all sizes.
The RFEI is part of a larger effort to modernize how Fairfax County manages waste. The overarching goals are to strengthen daily operations, increase how much waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators, bring in new technologies, and support Fairfax County’s long term zero waste goals and initiatives.
Each year, Fairfax County manages roughly 679,000 tons of trash and diverts more than 510,000 tons through recycling, organics, reuse, and other recovery programs. Rising waste generation, shifting recycling markets, aging facilities, and rapid advancements in processing technology make this a critical moment to rethink how our system works — and how it can work better.
The RFEI invites concepts across a wide range of areas, including recycling, diversion, processing, disposal, public private partnerships, and new approaches to daily operations. Submissions may include technology-based solutions, program enhancements, service models, or long-term concepts that can roll out in stages. Insights from the RFEI will help share both near term improvements and planning for the future of Fairfax County’s solid waste system.
Optional virtual information sessions:
- Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. EST
- Monday, August 31, 2026 – 11:00 a.m. EST
To register, email Melissa McDonald, Melissa.McDonald@fairfaxcounty.gov, to be sent the meeting information.
About Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program
Fairfax County is home to more than 1.2 million residents across 406 square miles. It operates a comprehensive solid waste management system through the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services’ Solid Waste Management Program (SWMP, which manager waste reduction, diversion, recycling, processing, and disposal through a 1.1 million ton per year waste to energy facility, a transfer station, closed landfills, a regional ashfill, drop-off centers and specialized programs.
SWMP’s nationally recognized team works to ensure environmentally responsible and cost-effective services while advancing long-term sustainability goals, including reducing waste generation by 25% and diverting 90% of waste by 2040.Through this RFEI, SWMP invites respondents to share innovative, practical, and forward-thinking concepts – including collaborative approaches that can help share a cleaner, more moder and future ready solid waste system for Fairfax County.