Fairfax County Recycling Tips

Visit the Fairfax County Recycling and Waste site here.

Additional Community Tips

Acceptable

Mixed paper, magazines, junk mail, newspapers

Flattened cardboard, paper grocery bags

Metal food and beverage cans ONLY, 

Cartons (milk, juice) remove caps and straws

Plastic food and beverage bottles and jugs ONLY, caps are ok to leave on

Clean aluminum foil and pie tins

Unacceptable

All glass (new rule)

Pizza boxes and shredded paper

NON food or beverage plastic jugs (laundry, bleach)

# 5 plastic containers (butter, yogurt)

Restaurant or grocery store take out containers 

Plastic bags

Styrofoam of any kind, packing peanuts and foam rubber

Batteries and electronic devices (cell phones, smoke detectors)

Fluorescent and LED bulbs

Miscellaneous plastic, metal, wood, brick, stone and ceramic items

Medical waste, hazardous waste

All aerosol cans, inhalers, compressed gas or air cylinders

Diapers

Please make sure that all allowable items are clean of any food residue and paper goods are dry.  When in doubt about whether an item is recyclable or not put it in your regular trash. Exceptions would be hazardous waste items, electronics, non-alkaline batteries, bulky items, and construction materials which should be taken to the I66 Transfer Station on West Ox Road. Plastic bags can be recycled at most grocery stores and the Merrifield Home Depot is now accepting rechargeable batteries and small CFL bubs (no fluorescent tubes) right inside their entrance.  You must take fluorescent tubes to the Transfer Station. Glass bottles can be recycled into one of the purple bin locations (there is one down on Mill Street in Vienna just past Brooke Rental). Shredded paper, non-acceptable plastic, Styrofoam and alkaline batteries can be put in your regular trash.  It is recommended to put electrical tape on both ends of the batteries or place them in individual plastic bags to prevent accidental fire.