Fairfax County government is seeking ideas from the public and business community on modernizing its trash and recycling facilities and processes.
The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) on Aug. 4 put out a formal request for expressions of interest — known as an RFEI — to gather input that could be used in future planning. The request is not an official bid, according to the county.
The agency seeks input from “public agencies, private companies, nonprofits, colleges and universities, and community-based organizations of all sizes,” adding:
“The RFEI is part of a larger effort to modernize how Fairfax County manages waste. The overarching goals are to strengthen daily operations, increase how much waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators, bring in new technologies, and support Fairfax County’s long-term zero-waste goals and initiatives.” “The RFEI invites concepts across a wide range of areas, including recycling, diversion, processing, disposal, public-private partnerships and new approaches to daily operations. Submissions may include technology-based solutions, program enhancements, service models or long-term concepts that can roll out in stages. Insights from the RFEI will help shape both near-term improvements and planning for the future of Fairfax County’s solid-waste system.”
Information will be accepted through Oct. 30. Optional online information sessions are slated for Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 3:30 p.m. and Monday, Aug. 31. For meeting information, email Melissa McDonald.
Currently, about 90% of residential trash and recycling collection in the county is handled by private haulers, with the remainder collected by the county government.
In late 2024, DPWES staff proposed moving the entire county into a unified residential trash-collection district, a change that would have required a five-year notice to current private haulers.
That effort was abandoned, at least for the moment, earlier this year owing to resident and industry opposition. But there have been calls from some quarters to take a second look and possibly develop a pilot program in the Mount Vernon area of the county.
DPWES staff also recently proposed a “trash tax” of about $60 per year on all households, whether trash is collected by the county or private firms. Most county supervisors also viewed that as a nonstarter.
Under a county ordinance, haulers within Fairfax are required to deposit their trash at county-government sites and pay tipping fees on a per-ton basis.
Increases in the tipping fees charged at county facilities have led some local leaders to fear haulers will surreptitiously start taking trash outside the county, which could further challenge the precarious financial condition of the county’s I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex.
