Curbside Pick-up Expansion from

Are your recyclables picked up at the curb? If so, you can add mixed paper, flattened cardboard and plastic bottles to your set out. Before January 2006, solid waste collectors in Fairfax County were only required to collect newspaper, metal food and beverage cans, glass bottles and jars and yard waste for recycling. Now, they must also collect mixed paper, flattened cardboard and plastic bottles at the curb.

Mixed paper = any color paper, magazines, phone books, cracker and cereal boxes, catalogs, junk mail, envelopes (with or without windows), newspaper, computer paper. Do not include paper plates or napkins, hardback books, wax paper, etc. (NOTE: If you shred your paper first, please put it in a paper bag and tape or staple it shut. This will keep it from blowing out of your bin and around your neighborhood.)
Flattened cardboard = any clean cardboard can be recycled. However, it must be flattened. Do not include items with food residue such as pizza boxes, etc.
Plastic bottles = plastic containers where the neck is narrower than the base. The number on the plastic does not matter! Do not include plastic containers other than bottles. Why? Plastic bottles and jugs are the easiest for recycling facilities to process and sell.

See our Curbside Recycling Chart (PDF, large file, 304K) for detailed photographs of what can and cannot be placed at the curb. The PDF format will provide you with an exact duplicate of the original flyer. However, viewing it will require that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you would like to have a copy of the flyer mailed to your home, please call 703-324-5230, TTY 711. In addition, the chart will be printed in full color in several upcoming editions of the Washington Post’s Fairfax Weekly as well as the Connection newspapers.