'Yard Waste Only' Stickers Available To Fairfax City Residents

Press release from the City of Fairfax :

10/18/2022 7:31 PM

Fairfax City is distributing free Yard Waste Only stickers to residents who receive city refuse collection services. The stickers are to be applied to reusable yard waste receptacles, making them easier to identify for refuse workers.

As of 2021, city residents who receive refuse collection services from the Fairfax City government must place yard waste at the curb on collection day in reusable containers, paper bags, or in bundles. Residents are no longer allowed to use plastic bags for yard waste material, including grass clippings, leaves, vines, and brush created during general landscape maintenance.

Fairfax City residents may obtain the stickers at several locations, including:

Fairfax City is committed to providing excellent solid waste management services and accommodations to all residents. Older residents and persons with disabilities on a temporary or continual basis, can request Yard Waste Only stickers to be delivered by emailing RefuseRecycling@fairfaxva.gov or calling 703-385-7837.

Prohibiting the use of plastic bags for yard waste reduces plastic pollution in the city. When yard waste is collected in plastic bags, shreds of plastic get mixed into the composting process. It is very difficult to entirely remove plastic shreds from the final product.

Plastic in the compost, even in small amounts, reduces the quality of the compost and provides a pathway for the plastic into our environment. The shredded plastic bags become part of the compost used in yards and gardens, and the micro-plastics can end up in local streams, negatively affecting water quality.

Please note: during leaf collection season, city refuse customers must rake or place leaves loose at the curb or street edge for collection by a vacuum truck. Leaves in bags or reusable containers will not be collected during leaf season. At all other times of the year, leaves must be disposed of as yard waste. Click here to visit the leaf collection page.

For more information, visit the city refuse and recycling page.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.