Fairfax City is seeking community input on how it handles trash and recycling.
The city will hold a public meeting tonight (Thursday) from 7-8 p.m. at Katherine Johnson Middle School (3801 Jermantown Road) on its Solid Waste Management Plan, which is undergoing a state-mandated update and will guide trash, recycling and composting practices over the next 20 years.
“This plan is more than just a state requirement,” the city said in a newsletter announcing the public meeting. “It’s our chance to rethink how we handle waste in ways that protect the environment, support public health, and build a more sustainable future.”
Last updated in 2021, the new waste management plan will shape the city’s regular trash and recycling services for residents and businesses, while also setting overarching goals for reducing waste, recommending new programs and facilities, and supporting educational and outreach efforts.
The current plan from 2021, for example, proposed implementing recycling in all county parks by 2030, increasing the recycling rate for all commercial properties to 15% by 2035, and introducing incentives for developers to reduce and recycle their waste by 2030, among other targets.
“The plan covers the entire waste stream — from source reduction and reuse, to recycling and composting, to waste-to-energy and landfilling,” Fairfax City says on its webpage for the update. “It also ensures the city meets Virginia’s mandatory 25% recycling rate and provides strategies for achieving Fairfax’s own ambitious sustainability goals.”
In addition to attending the meeting tonight, community members can provide feedback through an online survey that’s currently open. Questions in the survey focus on usage of the city’s public trash and recycling receptacles and whether more bins should be provided at city facilities and events.
The survey will remain open until Dec. 31, a Fairfax City spokesperson says.
While the waste management plan update is ongoing, Fairfax City announced earlier this fall that it will introduce new trash and recycling carts starting in January, providing standardized carts for curbside collection to all single-family homes, townhomes and duplexes that receive its services.
According to the city, the wheeled, lidded carts will improve and streamline collection services by “reducing windblown litter, protecting recyclables from rain and snow, and improving safety for collection crews.”
While the window for opting out of the new system before it launches has closed, residents will be able opt in, opt out and request a change in size after the first few months of the rollout. Bins that can carry either 64 gallons or 32 gallons are available.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality requires localities to submit updates of their solid waste management plans every five years, though the documents cover 20-year windows.
Fairfax County has also been working on an update of its solid waste management plan with a goal of achieving “zero waste” by 2030. However, a proposal to overhaul trash collections by having the county directly oversee services provided by contracted private haulers was put on hold after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors decided staff needed more time to engage with and educate the community.
