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.

Page updated on Mar 24, 2017 at 9:33 AM

Refuse Collection main image

What's New? 

Distribution of Trash Containers to Old Town Residents:  Good news for residents of Old Town Alexandria.  Old Town residents who receive City-provided trash service will have the opportunity to receive a City-issued wheeled trash container. The new trash container will match the standard 64-gallon container that is provided to other City residents.  There will be no additional charge for a City-issued container.  The wheeled carts with lids are easy to move, reduce spillage, and reduce chance of injury for our trash collectors.

FAQ’s

Why is this change being made?

  • In the past, Old Town residents have not been provided City-issued trash containers and have either had to provide their own or put their trash out in bags.

Who is paying for this?

  • In response to numerous requests for City-issued trash containers in Old Town, City staff and council members worked to budget the purchase of trash containers in FY 2017.

Am I required to get a City-issued container?

  • These containers are optional for Old Town residents. Those who wish to continue setting out their own cans or bags can continue doing so. You may opt-out here.

What do the containers look like?/What kind of container is it?

  • The City-issued containers will match the new City standard 64- gallon trash containers issued to residents throughout the City. 

64-gallon Toter

When will I get my new City standard trash container?

  • Distribution of carts has been completed.  If you have been missed, please call 703.746.4357 and a cart will be delivered to you. 

 How do I dispose of my old personal can?

  • We recommend using your old can for storage or yardwaste disposal. However, if you still wish to dispose of it please clearly mark the can for trash disposal and place it at your collection point on your next collection day. 


General Curbside Trash Collection

The City generally provides one 64-gallon trash can free to households to residents who receive City-provided trash collection, except in Old Town. Trash cans are City property and must remain at your residence if you move. Another City-issued trash may be purchased if needed, but remains 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 prevent the use of the 64-gallon trash cans. Please use approved trash containers to store bagged trash outdoors.

Set Out Times  

Set out trash 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, trash, recycling, and yard waste collection 'slides' one day later that week (except for Thanksgiving when trash 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.
  • From May 1 through September 30, all refuse and recycling materials should be placed for collection prior to 6 a.m.. This time change allows collection crews to avoid the heat of spring and summer by starting pickup operations an hour earlier.  

Collection Day  

Please refer to the online map to determine your collection day.

Set Out Placement  

In most single family neighborhoods, City crews collect household trash, recycling, and yard waste at the curb. In most Old Town neighborhoods, collection takes place in alleys. If you are unsure where to place your trash, please call the Resource Recovery Division at 703.746.HELP. (4357)

Backdoor Services (Walk-Out Services)

For elderly and physically-challenged residents, collection crews will remove trash and recycling from separate containers at the door. Yard waste collection is not offered. Residents can request this service by mailing a completed Walk-Out Service Request Form to:

Resource Recovery Division
RE: Walk-Out Service Request
2900-B Business Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22314
703.746.HELP. (4357)

How to Prepare Materials

General Items: Please consider donation before disposal, when possible

  • Always bag trash before placing it in the trash can.
  • For the safety of our crews, trash cans, bags and large items cannot weigh more than 75 pounds each* .
  • Set your trash can close to the curb but away from your recycling bin, tree limbs, parked cars, and mailboxes.
  • Please fill the trash 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: Brush is collected separately from refuse.  See the Yard Waste page for preparation instructions.

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 trash.

Metal Items: The City collects metal items by special request (these items are recycled as scrap metal). Call 703.746.4410. (HELP) Acceptable items include metal fencing, grills, small appliances, exercise equipment, and lawn mowers (drain gasoline and oil). Residents are charged a $20 fee per item to collect the following (a bill will be sent to you in the mail):

  • Stoves
  • Refrigerators
  • Washers
  • Dryers
  • Hot water heaters
  • Freezers
  • Dish Washers

*Residents may bring recyclable metal items (except those that contain refrigerant) 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: Paint must be dry in order to be eligible for trash 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:

  1. Keep the medicines in their original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
  2. Cross out your name and prescription number for safety.
  3. For pills: add some salt water to start dissolving them. For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter, dirt or ash.
  4. Seal the container and secure with duct or packing tape.
  5. 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 or less -  Dispose with regular trash; if full or partially full, then bring to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection site.
  • 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 be thrown away in the trash or sent 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 for residential collection, the drop-off location is at the Household Hazardous Waste Site.  

Yard Waste:  

  • On-site composting -- Leaves and grass clippings can be grass-cycled or composted in your backyard.
  •  Yard waste such as grass, sticks, brush, dead plants, and leaves are collected separately from trash.  See the Yard Waste page for preparation instructions. 

Ineligible Materials: Where to Take Them

The following items are NOT ACCEPTABLE for curbside collection:

Ammunition/Explosives: Residents should 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 be brought to local solid waste disposal facilities (several are listed below).

Thermometers and Thermostats: Containing mercury, bring to the H ousehold Hazardous Waste Collection Site.

Local Solid Waste Disposal Facilities

Please call local disposal facilities to learn more about acceptable materials, how to prepare materials, and the cost of disposal.  

Covanta Scale House DirectionsCovanta Waste-to-Energy Facility*
5301 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA
703.370.7722
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 Resource Recovery Division at 703.746.HELP. (4357) 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 Facility
625 Burnside Place, Alexandria, VA
703.823.5009

Lorton Landfill
10001 Furnace Road, Lorton, VA
703.690.1525

Potomac Landfill
3730 Greentree Lane, Dumfries, VA
703.690.6040


Spring Clean Up - 2017

For residents who receive residential trash 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.

Specific dates to be announced in March 2017

Remember, metals should be separated from other collection items left at the curb, because City trash 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 as the divider. Your collection area is designated by the date of the area closest to your side of the street. Eligible residents will be mailed a postcard showing dates,collection zones, and preparation instructions, and an interactive map showing the collection zones and dates will be available.




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