Tired of your private trash collection company?
Late service? Missed service? Too expensive?
Join your neighbors in switching to waste service provided by Fairfax County!
After hearing about many of our residents frustrated with the service provided by the private companies servicing our neighborhood, we decided to look into alternatives. It turns out the county offers quality trash, recycling, and leaf removal services!
Our earlier sign-up form/poll indicated a lot of interest for this option, so we’re moving forward with an official petition.
The official petition for homeowners is here: Petition Now Closed
For more information, continue reading below.
Benefits Include:
1. Consistent weekly pickup. No more missed pickups!
2. Fewer, or no, rate increases: County waste collection is assessed based on the costs to run the program, like fuel costs, dump fees, etc. The cost can go up occasionally, but they are not in it to make money. Sometimes it actually decreases in cost! No need to call your service provider every year to renegotiate your rate based on what your neighbor pays.
3. No separate bills to pay: The waste collection is assessed on your county taxes, so there’s no quarterly bill to have to remember to pay.
4. Special pickups: Each homeowner can schedule up to five (5) special pickups per year. This includes large loads (up to 12 cubic yards – a small dumpster!), refrigerant, brush, bulk metal or e-waste. Private providers charge a minimum of $75 for each special pickup.
5. Vacuum Leaf Collection: As an added service, the county will send out a leaf collection truck three (3) times each fall/winter to vacuum leaves that are raked to the curb. The current cost is $75/year per home. They’ll post signs ahead of time with approximate dates.
6. The same or LESS expensive than private providers: The current rate for weekly trash and recycling pickup is $385/year (or $32/month), which would be seamlessly added to the property tax bill.
Click here for answers to some FAQs
If you would like more information about solid waste collection through Fairfax County, you can find program details on their website. More information about Fairfax County vacuum leaf collection can be found here.
For questions about the petition process or why the neighborhood chose to pursue this option, please contact the Petition Coordinator (FairfaxVillaTrashPetition@gmail.com).
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Questions:
1. Is the cost of leaf removal included in the $385 a year? Or is that separate charge.
2. Can you pay for garbage pickup but not leaf removal?
Hi Nate. Leaf removal is extra, and is based on the value of the home. I believe it works out to be about $60/year for a $500k home. I will look into your second question and email you.
Regards
Do they also pick up recyclables?
Yes, the same day they pickup trash.
My Company, Republic, will pick up Brush and twigs, etc. every Wednesday that is left at the curb… does the County provide that service every week?
Based on my calculations, the cost for trash + leaf pick-up averages to about $37/month, based on an assessed home value of $500K. We currently pay American Disp. around $33/month (paid every quarter), which includes weekly brush pick-up.
If the services in fact include five additional bulk pick-ups, it may be worth it. However, it’s less valuable if brush pick-up is part of the five allotted pick-ups per household. A lot of folks may need to go over.
Another downside would be unsightly random trash cans and recycling bins on pick-up days, similar to the City streets on pick-up days (Maple, Chestnut, Poplar, etc.). But that’s just a personal opinion.
Hi Rod. Normal brush pickup is not part of the five allotted pick-ups. From what I’ve heard the county is much more lax about what they pickup and how it much be “presented”. I’ve been very frustrated by how the private companies are strict in this regard.