Refuse Collection
The City of Alexandria collects trash from its residential customers once a week on a designated collection day, Monday through Thursday. Residential customers are charged a Solid Waste User Fee on the residential tax bill on a bi-yearly basis.
What's New
- Trash and Recycling Collection
Due to the President's Day holiday on February 18, residents are reminded that trash and recycling will be collected one day later.
Trash and recycling will be collected on the following schedule:
Monday collection will occur Tuesday
Tuesday collection will occur Wednesday
Wednesday collection will occur Thursday
Thursday collection will occur Friday
Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Collection Holiday Schedule
The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Electronics Collection drop-off center located at 3224 Colvin St. will be closed on President's Day Monday, February 18. Normal hours of operation are every Monday and Saturday from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm located at 3224 Colvin Street. - Sign Up for Solid Waste & Recycling eNews - Would you like to receive more information about recycling and solid waste programs? Need a quick reminder when refuse service will be delayed due to a holiday? With the City of Alexandria's Free eNews service you can receive updates about recycling and solid waste plus over 80 additional topics that interest you.
General Curbside Refuse Collection
The City generally provides one 96-gallon refuse can free to households, except in Old Town, who receive City trash collection. Refuse cans are City property and must remain at your residence if you move. Another refuse can may be purchased if needed, but remain the property of the City of Alexandria.
Collection in Old Town
If you live in Old Town Alexandria or in a town home community with limited access, your location may preclude the use of the 96-gallon refuse cans. Please use approved refuse containers to store bagged trash outdoors.
Set Out Times
Set out refuse and recycling containers no earlier than 5 pm the day prior to collection, and no later than 6 am on collection day:
- Holiday “Slide”: If a City recognized holiday is observed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, refuse and recycling collection ‘slides’ to one day later that week (except for Thanksgiving when refuse and recycling crews provide a Thursday collection on schedule). Click here for the Holiday Collection Calendar.
- Inclement Weather: If there is a delay for inclement weather, residents will be notified through the City Website and eNews.
Collection Day
Please refer to the online map browser to determine your collection day.
Set Out Placement
In most single family neighborhoods, City crews collect household refuse at the curb. In most Old Town neighborhoods, collection takes place in alleys. All recycling is collected at the curb, If you are unsure where to place your refuse, please call the Solid Waste Division at 703-746-4410.
Backdoor Services
For elderly and handicapped residents, collection crews will remove refuse from containers at the door. Residents can request this service by mailing the completed the Backdoor Request Form to:
Solid Waste Division
RE: Backdoor Service Request
2900B Business Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.4410.
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How to Prepare Materials
General Items: Please consider donation before disposal, when possible
- Always bag trash before placing it in the refuse can.
- For the safety of our crews, refuse cans, bags and large items cannot weigh more than 75 pounds each*.
- Set your refuse can close to the curb but away from your recycling bin, tree limbs, parked cars, and mailboxes.
- Please fill the refuse can before placing extra bags alongside the container. Up to six (6) additional bags are allowed.
Special Items: Batteries, Brush, Bulky Items, Glass/Mirrors, Hazardous Waste, Helium Tanks, Knives, Metal Items, Needles/Syringes, Paint, Prescription Drugs, Propane Tanks, Rugs, Smoke Alarms, TV's/Computers, Welding and other pressurized tanks and Yard Waste.
Ineligible Items: Ammunition/Explosives, Construction/Building Materials, Radioactive/Biological Materials, Rocks/Dirt/Sand, Stumps, and Thermometers/Thermostats.
Batteries:
Brush Items: Must be no larger than 2-3 inches in diameter; no longer than four (4) feet in length; be bundled and weigh no more than 75 pounds per bundle. Logs or stumps are not accepted. Set out next to trash can on your on regular trash collection day.
Bulky Items: Such as couches, tables, furniture, etc. can be donated, or set out with your regular trash. *Please see weight limitations.
Glass or Mirrors: Must be wrapped with several layers of newspaper or cardboard, taped at the edges and labeled as "Glass" and then placed in the refuse. Broken glass should be disposed of in a hard plastic container and then placed in the refuse.
Hazardous Waste: Residents are encouraged to bring their household hazardous waste to the City’s household hazardous waste collection site.
Helium Tanks:
Knives: Should be placed between two pieces of cardboard, taped together and then placed in the refuse.
Metal Items: The City collects 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number). The following items will be charged a $20 fee for collection, a bill will be sent to you in the mail for the following items:
- Stoves
- Refrigerators
- Washers
- Dryers
- Hot water heaters
- Freezers
- Dish Washers
*Residents may bring recyclable metal items to Covanta free, once a week. Please see more information below.
Needles/Syringes*: Should be disposed of in a hard plastic container, such as a detergent bottle, capped securely, and labeled as “Sharps, then placed in the refuse.” Needles and Syringes should never go into the recycling bin.
*What about medical waste generated by medical care workers in your home? Medical waste produced by health care workers (physicians, nurses, home health aides, etc.) as a result of providing medical care in the home is not home generated medical waste. It is Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) and must be disposed of by a licensed RMW disposal company. The responsibility for the proper and safe disposal of regulated medical waste rests with the health care provider providing services in the home.
Paint: must be dry in order to be eligible for refuse collection (add kitty litter or sawdust to the paint to speed up the drying process). Paint in liquid form can either be saved for touch ups or brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site.
Prescriptions Drugs: Never flush down a toilet or place in the sink! Return to the pharmacy or follow these instructions:
- Keep the medicines in their original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
- Cross out your name and prescription number for safety.
- For pills: add some salt water to start dissolving them. For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter, dirt or ash.
- Seal the container and secure with duct or packing tape.
- Place the container in the trash as close to pickup time as possible. Do not place in the recycle bin.
Propane Tanks:
- Propane Tanks 20 gallons or more - Return to your supplier
- Propane Tanks 5 gallon - follow these preparation directions for disposal in the trash.
- The City does not accept helium tanks in curbside or drop-off recycling or at the household hazardous waste collection site.
Rugs: Must be no longer than 6 feet in length, rolled up and secured closed. Set out on regular trash collection day.
Smoke Alarms: May throw away in trash or send back to manufacturer.
Televisions/Computers: Unusable televisions and computers, as well as, other unusable electronics can be brought to the City’s Electronics Recycling drop-off collection site or can be set out with your normal trash. *Please see weight limitations.
Welding Cylinders/Tanks: Welding cylinder tanks containing oxygen, acetylene or helium should be returned to the gas/welding supplier. The City does not accept these tanks at the curb, drop-off recycling locations are at the household hazardous waste site.
Yard Waste:
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Ineligible Materials: Where to Take Them
The following items are NOT ACCEPTABLE for curbside collection:
Ammunition/Explosives: Residents call the Police Department’s non-emergency number for disposal; 703-838-4444.
Construction/Building Materials: Includes Asphalt, Brick, Cement, Ceramic, Cinder Block, Concrete, Drywall, Marble, Porcelain, and Slate.To recycle the materials, use WMCOG Builder’s recycling guide for local recycling facilities for a specific material. These materials can also be brought to local solid waste disposal facilities.
Radioactive/Biological Materials: Contact private disposal company, e.g.: Clean Harbors, 540-977-3181; Clean Venture, Inc., 757-543-0185 or Potomac Environmental, 804-288-5043.
Rocks, Dirt, & Sand: To recycle the materials, use WMCOG Builder’s recycling guide for local recycling facilities for a specific material. These materials can also be brought to local solid waste disposal facilities.
Stumps: These materials can also be brought to local solid waste disposal facilities (several are listed below).
Thermometers and Thermostats: Containing mercury, bring to the household hazardous waste collection site.
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Local Solid Waste Disposal Facilities
Please call the local disposal facilities to learn more about acceptable materials, how to prepare materials, and the cost of disposal.
Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility* 5301 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA703-370-7722
Hours: Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Materials NOT accepted as Trash: Stumps, rocks, dirt, sand, pressurized cylinders/tanks, metal items*, construction and building debris, hazardous waste, ammunition/explosives, regulated medical waste and radioactive/geological materials.
Refrigerators and Dehumidifiers No Longer Accepted for Disposal at Covanta Waste to Energy Facility
Appliances that contain a refrigerant are no longer accepted for disposal as scrap metal at the Covanta Waste to Energy facility, located on Eisenhower Ave. If you receive disposal services from the City, please call the Solid Waste Division at 703.746.4410 to make an appointment for curbside collection pick up. Residents who do not receive City refuse collection services should visit alexandriava.gov/Recycle for disposal instructions.
*Alexandria residents can drop off small amounts of trash and debris, as well as, metal items for recycling once a week, (limit 500 pounds) free-of-charge at Covanta. Upon arrival, check in at the scale house for instructions. A valid City sticker on your car is required.
Alexandria Waste Recovery Facility625 Burnside Place, Alexandria, VA
703-823-5009
Hilltop Construction Demolition Landfill7950 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA
703-971-1434
Lorton Landfill10001 Furnace Road, Lorton, VA
703-690-1525
Potomac Landfill600 Greentree Lane, Dumfries, VA
703-221-1498
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Spring Clean Up Program
General Information
Spring Clean-Up Information-Save the Date!
For residents who receive residential refuse collection services, don’t forget to clear out household clutter by placing unwanted bulky trash and metal items at the curb this spring. The City is divided into four collection areas and each area is assigned a unique Saturday for Spring Clean-Up throughout April and May. Remember, metals should be separated from other collection items left at the curb, because City refuse crews will be making a special collection for these metal materials. Also, if your street is a boundary line, consider the middle of the road the divider. Your collection area will be designated by the date of the area closest to your side of the street.
To locate your Spring Clean-Up Area and collection date please see the below map or call the Solid Waste Division Office at 703-746-4410.
2013 Spring Clean-Up Area Map
Spring Clean up is an opportunity for residents to set out unusable items to be collected on specific dates, as designated on the map. Items are disposed of at the Covanta Energy from Waste facility and other local landfills.
Please consider donation before setting out items for the Spring Clean Up program. Learn More! Eligible Participants
City Residential Curbside Solid Waste Customers only.
Ineligible Materials and Material Preparation Information
Ineligible Items include:
Material Preparation Information:
Please consider donating items before placing them out for Spring Clean Up or Regular collection. Check the map below to determine your assigned collection area and date of collection.
Place your materials at the CURB (no alley collections) no later than 6 a.m. on the day of collection and no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection.*
Separate all metal, electronics, appliances, furniture, brush and other miscellaneous items for easy collection. Large and small metal items and electronics will be recycled
Large metal item examples: file cabinets, grills (not including propane tank), lawn mowers (empty gas tank), metal sheds, wire fencing, ladders, etc.
Small metal item examples: wire hangers, pots and pans, toasters, chairs, metal pipes, tire rims (no tire), etc.
All brush tied in bundles no longer than four (4) feet. Containers and bundles should not weigh more than 75 pounds.
*NOTE: Please ensure all materials are set out at the correct time. Crews will not make second trips into areas after the first pass, these materials, which are eligible, will be collected with regualer weekly refuse collection.
Collection Map and Dates. *If your street is a boundary line, consider the middle of the road the divider, and your area will be the area closest to your side of the street.
If you have any further questions, or for your Spring Clean-Up date please contact the Solid Waste Division at (703) 746-4410 or email.
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