Trash & Recycling

• Additional Trash & Recycling Carts

  Additional carts, up to the maximum amount allowed per the Town of Herndon's Solid Waste Ordinance, may be purchased. The additional carts are not owned or replaced by the town after useful life. This is the sole responsibility of the resident or property owner who purchased the additional carts.

  Please complete the Application Request for an  Additional Curbside Collection Cart and email to publicworks@herndon-va.gov.  You will receive a confirmation email with instructions for payment.

   

   

   

• Automated Residential Curbside Collection Program

  Guidelines

  • Carts must be curbside by 6am on your collection day. 
  • Face carts forward according to stamped arrow on lid.
  • Place carts at least 3 feet apart and away from objects (mailboxes, fences, vehicles, etc.)
  • A twelve-foot vertical clearance is necessary for the truck's lifting arm to elevate the cart. Please place the cart away from overhead obstructions.
  • Please be advised that all material must fit in the carts so the lid shuts completely. Bags or additional cans not provided by the town will not be collected.
  • Authorized carts provided by the town are the only containers serviced by the town for collection.
  • Residents must affix property address numbers to each cart (under cart's serial number).  Weather resistant numbers must be at least 2 inches high.  Number kits can be purchased from local hardware or big box stores.
  • Carts are the property of the Town of Herndon and should remain at the address when moving. 

   Additional carts may be provided by the town for a fee with a completed application.

  Cardboard that will not fit in your cart (moving and other large boxes) will be collected on your recycling day. In order for the town to allocate proper staffing and equipment, please contact the Department of Public Works at least 24 hours prior to placing boxes curbside.  Email:  publicworks@herndon-va.gov or call (703) 435-6856.

  Requirements for brush / yard waste collection remain unchanged.

    

   

   

• Collection Services

  Trash, recycling and yard waste is collected once per week by town crews.  Containers must be placed at the curb by 6am on your collection day, but no sooner than 24 hours prior to scheduled pickup day. Containers should be removed from the curb within 24 hours after collection.

  An optional special collection service is offered for bulky items.   

  Leaf collection is provided October through the 2nd week of December each year.

  Holidays may alter collection schedules.  Please signup for the town's e-Newsletter to received the latest information.

• Composting

  Food waste makes up as much as one-third of the trash we dispose of every day. Composting is the controlled breakdown of organic material such as yard waste or food scraps. We have been composting yard waste for several years – now we are ready to tackle food waste.

  Fairfax County recently began accepting food scraps for composting at the two solid waste management facilities, the I-95 Landfill Complex and the I-66 Transfer Station. They are open seven days a week, Monday - Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. You can drop off your food scraps into one of the green bins.

• Containers

  Refuse containers

  Maximum Allowable Size:  96 gallons for automated areas, and 64 gallon for manual (rear loaded) collection areas with a loaded weight of no more than 50 lbs.  Containers shall be maintained in proper working order with attached lid and wheels for easier handling. 

  Maximum Number of Carts:  Unless pre-approved in writing (property specific), properties shall have a maximum of two (2) carts for trash on their trash collection day and a maximum of two (2) carts for single-stream recycling on their recycling collection day.

  Yard Waste - Use of a container and bundling and bagging guidelines

  Reusable sturdy plastic or metal containers may be used for curbside collection of branches, twigs, grass clippings and leaves.  Residents should label their containers yard waste. Please note if yard waste debris does not fit in the container bundling and bagging guidelines must be followed.  

• Fall Clean-up

  2024 Fall Clean-up

  On your trash day, from October 16-18, you may place bulky items curbside for collection without incurring a special collection fee.  All items must be at the curb no later than 6:00 a.m. on your regular trash collection day.

  Acceptable items for collection are as follows:

  Appliances (remove doors), each item may not exceed 100 lbs.

  Furniture & Mattresses, each item may not exceed 100 lbs.

  Plumbing fixtures and auto parts weighing under 50 lbs., maximum two (2) tires per household

  Limited amount of building material (approximately one cubic yard, lengths not to exceed four (4) feet)

  Unacceptable Items: 

  Household hazardous waste, rechargeable and non-alkaline batteries, car batteries, computers, televisions, monitors, printers, stereos (e-waste), loose yard debris (please follow bundling guidelines).  Please refer to the Town of Herndon's Solid Waste Ordinance, Chapter 63, for a complete list of unacceptable items.  

  Household hazardous waste and e-waste is accepted at the Fairfax County West Ox Road Transfer Station.  

   

• Hazardous Waste & E-Waste

  The town does not collect hazardous waste and electronics.  Motor oil and other hazardous waste as well as E-Waste can be taken to Fairfax County's West Ox Road Transfer Station at no charge to Fairfax County residents (please click link for directions and hours).  

• Recycling

  Please check the recycling collection schedule to determine your recycling day.  Containers must be placed at the curb by 6am.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Commingled Recyclables consisting of aluminum, cans, plastics and paper are generally collected as residential recycling (glass should not be placed out for curbside recycling). The town contracts with Republic Services for recyclable material recovery.  Please visit Republic Services short video,  Recycling Simplified, for a list of acceptable and non acceptable items for recycling.

  Helpful Recycling Tips

  Glass - A purple glass-only drop-off container is located at the entrance of 1479 Sterling Road and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Only glass will be accepted at this drop off location. Collecting glass separately in a purple container will reduce contamination levels in single-stream recycling. All colors of clean glass bottles and jars are accepted in the purple containers. Glass items not accepted include lamps, light bulbs, ceramics, porcelain, mirrors, windows, and sheet glass.  Residents are encourage to bring their recyclable glass to the purple container, reuse glass containers or if not possible, glass should be placed in the trash for disposal. 

  

  Electronic Recycling -  Please visit Fairfax County's website for more information on drop off locations.

  Herndon Residents are advised to take full advantage of the existing curbside recycling as the town does not maintain a recycling drop off.  

  Did you know that the fee paid by citizens for recycling collection offsets, but doesn’t cover, the cost of the service? Click here for background on trash and recycling fees in the Town of Herndon. 

  Recycling Drop Off locations

  The closest Recycling Centers are located at:

  I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax, VA

• Solid Waste Ordinance, Chapter 63

  Click to view: Solid Waste Ordinance, Chapter 63 

• Special Collections

  Please complete the Special Collections Application and make payment.  Unless there is a scheduling conflict, your payment receipt will act as confirmation of your collection.  In the event there is a conflict with the date you have requested, you will receive an email with an alternate collection date.

  TYPICAL ALLOWABLE ITEMS: 

  • Furniture; couches, chairs, mattresses, tables, etc. not to exceed 100 lbs. per item.
  • Large appliances; stoves, washing machines, clothes dryers, refrigerators, etc. Doors shall be removed from all appliances prior to set out, and each item shall not exceed 100 lbs.
  • Small amounts of scrap metal that contains no Household Hazardous Waste and not to exceed 50lbs; lawn mowers, car parts, bed frames, etc.
  • Construction / Demolition Debris; toilets, sinks, cabinets, fencing, shingles, lumber, carpet, flooring, etc. that are not listed or deemed unacceptable.
  • Tires; two per collection.
  • Tree trunks and limbs with a diameter estimated to be greater than 3”, a length less than 4 foot, and a corresponding weight of less than 50 pounds.

  Items that are deemed unacceptable per the Town of Herndon Solid Waste Ordinance Section 63-4 will not be collected. 

  CONDITIONS:

  1. Service not available on Mondays, Tuesdays, weekends, or the week of the following holidays: Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

  2. Items requiring special collection are to be placed at the curb or approved location by 6:00 a.m.

  3. Items cannot be placed at the curb or approved location earlier than 24 hours before the requested pickup day.

  4. Collection fee of $60 per 3 cubic yards will be charged up to 9 cubic yards.  If amounts are in excess of 9 cubic yards, collection will be at the sole discretion of the authorized agent as stated in the Town of Herndon Solid Waste Ordinance Chapter 63. Contact (703) 435-6856 or email publicworks@herndon-va.gov

   

   

   

• Trash Collection Schedule

  Please view our Trash Collection Schedule to determine alternate collection dates for town observed holidays.

• Yard Waste & Leaf Collection

  Yard waste is collected once a week on the same day as your scheduled refuse collection day. Yard waste and brush should not be placed at the curb for more than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled collection day, and must be at the curb by 6am of the scheduled collection day.
  
  Yard Waste and Leaf Collection Schedule