Licensed collectors are required by Code to collect and recycle real Christmas trees of less than 8 feet that have been set out separately at single family and townhouse communities for the first two weeks in January. Contact your collection company regarding their service.
Consider donating artificial trees in good condition to charitable organizations.
Fairfax Recycles is an electronic newsletter to inform subscribers of Fairfax County recycling events and news items from the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program.
Keeping communities clean and healthy. The curbside recycling bin program is designed to collect specific materials. Click on the link at right to open the flyer which will tell you which items you can always place in your curbside recycling bin and which you cannot.
Please follow the plastic recycling graphic above to help keep your curbside bin free of non-recyclable items.
Glass Recycling and the Purple Can Club
Fairfax County residents have two options for glass disposal: the purple, glass-only containers located around the region or the trash. Please don’t place glass bottles and jars in your curbside recycling bin. Learn more.
Plastic bags get wrapped around the rollers and stop the conveyor belt. Workers then remove the bags by hand. Plastic bags that make it past the rollers contaminate the other recyclable materials. Please take bags back to the grocery store, place them in the trash, or choose reusable bags
Reduce / Reuse
Source reduction is the first goal of sustainability; then reuse. Recycling is last. Try to reduce waste in the first place, or reuse items before recycling. Give unwanted or unneeded clothing, household goods, books, etc. a second life by donating them to worthy causes. Reducing waste by repurposing unwanted but usable goods is an important part of the Fairfax County Environmental Vision.
Recycle
You should be able to recycle everywhere you go - at home, at work, and at play. If you are concerned that there is no recycling available at a location you frequent, call us at 703-324-5230.
Fairfax County has rules regarding how waste and recycling is managed. One important component of the county’s solid waste ordinance is the requirement for residents to separate recyclables from trash for placement at the curb for collection. Both waste and recyclables are required to be collected weekly if you receive collection service at your residence.
Waste cooking oil is accepted every day at the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex. Take cooking oil directly to the Household Hazardous Waste facility for recycling!
Consider composting, nature’s own way of recycling. Composting is the controlled breakdown of organic material such as yard waste or food scraps. You can buy a compost bin or make one yourself.
The Fairfax County Household Hazardous Waste Program accepts hazardous materials from residents free of charge and disposes or recycles them according to all local, state and federal regulations.
The I-95 Energy Resource Recovery Facility (E/RRF) located at the county’s I-95 Solid Waste Management Complex in Lorton is owned and operated by Reworld Fairfax, Inc. (CFI). Municipal solid waste (MSW) serves as the fuel for the facility, which is designed and operated in a similar manner to a typical power plant. Steam is produced from the combustion of MSW, and is used to spin turbine-generators that produce over 80MW of electricity.
How much material is collected for recycling annually?
Hundreds of thousands of recyclables are collected annually in Fairfax County. See Annual Recycling Rate for the latest data. Once collected, recyclables are transported to a materials recovery facility for sorting and packaging. Finally, they are sold to manufacturers to make new products.
Fairfax Recycles Day
Aligning with the national “America Recycles Day,” Fairfax Recycles Day has been recognized by the Board of Supervisors on November 15 for several years. The County’s Solid Waste Management Program traditionally celebrates with various events, contests and giveaways.
