Trash

Download the Solid Waste Service Guide(PDF, 11MB) for detailed information on all curbside collection services. The Solid Waste Service Guide is available in multiple languages:

• Spanish | Guía de servicios de residuos sólidos(PDF, 3MB)
• Korean | 고형 폐기물 서비스 가이드(PDF, 3MB)
• Vietnamese | Hướng Dẫn Dịch Vụ Xử Lý Chất Thải Rắn(PDF, 2MB)
• Arabic | دلیل خدمات النفایات الصلبة(PDF, 2MB)
• Farsi | راھنمای خدمات زبالھ جامد(PDF, 2MB)

No call-in is necessary. City of Fairfax residents who live in a single family home or townhome receive curbside collection services through their annual tax assessments. Review the City's Solid Waste Service Guide(PDF, 11MB) for an in-depth overview of all curbside collection services.

To identify your collection day, enter your address in the Refuse and Recycling Route Finder. The City of Fairfax does not provide curbside collection on holidays observed by the city. Please see the Refuse and Recycling Holiday Schedule for details.

The city provides 18 gallon recycling bins upon request. Need a new recycling bin? email RefuseRecycling@fairfaxva.gov or call 703-385-7837.

The City currently does not provide any trash or yard waste receptacles, the homeowner or tenant is responsible for providing their own containers. If a household would like a larger, wheeled, recycling bin, the resident or tenant may purchase their own bin.

The city provides 18 gallon recycling bins upon request.

Need a new recycling bin? Email RefuseRecycling@fairfaxva.gov with your address and number of bins requested.

The City currently does not provide any trash or yard waste receptacles, the homeowner or tenant is responsible for providing their own containers. If a household would like a larger, wheeled, recycling bin, the resident or tenant may purchase their own bin.

Routine household trash collection is provided for materials resulting from normal residential use and routine home maintenance. All materials must be secured in containers (up to 65 gallons) or plastic bags.

Large appliances and household appliances too large to fit in a waste container (such as furniture, stoves, water heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators, car parts, microwaves, storm doors, windows, etc.) can be placed behind the curb no more than 24 hours before collection day. Ensure items are placed away from parked vehicles, and low-hanging limbs and wires.

Remove doors from appliances for safety.

Contractor work, and any waste produced by a contractor will not be collected by the City of Fairfax. The contractor is responsible for discarding any waste produced on a project.

The City collects yard waste and brush, including cut grass, plant and shrub clippings, twigs, limbs, branches, tree trunks, acorns, and flower and garden vegetation from general yard maintenance.

All yard waste must be placed in reusable containers labeled "Yard Waste", placed in paper bags, or bundled (e.g. branches and sticks that are cut into lengths of 4 feet or less can be bundled with natural fiber twine). The use of plastic bags for yard waste is prohibited. Yard waste that is set out in plastic bags will be identified with a red tag to notify the occupant of the violation and the material will be left on the curb.

Contractor work, and any waste produced by a contractor will not be collected by the City of Fairfax. The contractor is responsible for discarding any waste produced on a project.

Free 'Yard Waste Only' Stickers

Free, self-adhesive ‘Yard Waste Only’ stickers can be picked up by residents from:

Fairfax City Hall Atrium
10455 Armstrong St.
Monday – Friday, 8:30 A.M to 5:00 P.M.

Fairfax Old Town Hall
3999 University Dr.
Monday - Friday, 10:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.
Saturday, 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Closed Sunday.

Sherwood Community Center
3740 Blenheim Blvd.
Monday – Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
Saturday, 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Closed Sunday.

Green Acres Center
4401 Sideburn Rd.
Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Closed weekends.

City of Fairfax Regional Library
10360 North St.
Monday – Tuesday, 1:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Wednesday - Sunday, 10:00 A.M – 6:00 P.M.

Fairfax Ace Hardware
10310-B Main St.
Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M.
Saturday, 9:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M.
Sunday, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Fairfax City is committed to providing excellent solid waste management services and accommodations to all residents. Older residents and persons with disabilities on a temporary or continual basis, can request ‘Yard Waste Only’ stickers to be mailed by emailing RefuseRecycling@fairfaxva.gov or call (703) 293-1661.

When placing yard waste on the curb, be mindful to not block fire hydrants, manhole covers, storm drains, or sidewalks. Please do not place unbundled yard waste piles in the street. The city does not clean up piles of yard waste directly from the street.

The city collects leaves twice a year as part of its residential refuse collection service: in the spring (Tuesdays in April), and in the fall/winter (late October/early November through December). Check the city calendar for the current year's service information.

In 2024, fall leaf collection is provided from Nov. 4 through Jan. 3, 2025. Please rake all leaves to the curb by 7 a.m. Dec. 27.

Bagged leaves are not collected during this time.

The city is divided into five zones, and leaves are collected in rotation by neighborhood. All leaf trucks will work in a single zone until collection is complete — approximately once a week, often more frequently. Heavy leaf fall or inclement weather may affect leaf collection.

Light yard debris, such as grass clippings and weeds, may be included in leaf piles — but not stones, branches, dirt, and other objects that may cause injury to workers and damage equipment.

Reminder: the city does not collect yard waste in plastic bags. Please use paper bags, twine, or refuse containers for yard waste placed at the curb for disposal.

City's Leaf Collection Map(PDF, 793KB)

The City of Fairfax is committed to providing excellent solid waste management services and accommodations to all residents. Older residents and persons with disabilities can have collection crews remove trash and recycling at the door on a temporary or continual basis.

Backdoor Collection Application

The City of Fairfax completed the 5-year update to theSolid Waste Management Plan (PDF, 8MB)in 2021. The plan outlines how the City will manage solid waste and recycling, generated by businesses and residents in the City of Fairfax, over the next twenty years. The update was completed in compliance with Title 10.1, Chapter 14 of the Code of Virginia, entitled The Virginia Waste Management Act, which requires that all localities be part of an active and updated solid waste management plan and provide an updated solid waste management plan every 5 years.