Trash FAQs

• Your trash will be collected on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Recycling will be collected on Fridays.
• Trash and recycling will not be collected on holidays or in inclement weather.
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When can I put trash out?

• Trash and recyclables should be put out at dusk on the day before scheduled service or on the morning of scheduled service. Trash and recycles must not be put out before dusk on the day before scheduled service.
• Trash cans and recycling bins should be returned to your premises and placed out of sight by the morning of the day after pickup.
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Where can I store recyclables/trash and their containers between pickups?

• Trash and recycling bins should be stored within your house or back yard
• They must not be stored in front yards, side yards, or on the front/side stoops.
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What about large items?

• Call the trash contractor to schedule collection of large objects.
• The trash contractor will collect bulk good such as: sofas, cabinetry, large furniture, mattresses, box springs, grills, lawn mowers, etc. Call to schedule pickup.
• The trash contractor will collect white goods and appliances, including: refrigerators (Freon must be removed prior to collection), dryers, washing machines, water heaters, televisions, etc. Call trash contractor to schedule a pickup. The trash contractor will charge a fee for removal of white goods .
• Try to arrange for appliance removal from the company that delivers your new appliances as removal of appliances is your responsibility and is expensive to do through our trash contractor.
• The trash contractor will not collect construction waste. Construction waste materials include: concrete (powder or solid form), brick, block, asphalt, siding, pallets, and any material that is used for building or renovation projects.
• You may also take large items to a Fairfax County landfill. See http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disphours-res.htm
  for locations and hours of operation.
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How do I dispose of appliances?

• Try to arrange for appliance removal from the company that delivers your new appliances as removal of appliances is your responsibility and is expensive to do through our contractor.
• Appliance removal by the trash contractor requires a special pickup, and you are responsible for the cost. You must call them to arrange for payment and pickup.
• NOTE: NO APPLIANCES CONTAINING FREON WILL BE COLLECTED
• You may also take your appliances to a Fairfax County landfill. See http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disphours-res.htm for locations and hours of operation.
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Can I put out paint cans?

• Paint (of any kind) must be completely dried. You may mix your paint with kitty litter in order to speed up the drying process. For latex paint, you can pour the paint onto newspaper. When dry, roll up the newspaper and dispose of with your regular trash.)
• Partial and full paint cans should be taken to a Household Hazardous Waste Site. See http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disphours-res.htm for waste site disposal locations in Fairfax County.
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What are the holidays for our trash contractor?

• Holidays for our trash contractor are: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
• If a holiday falls on a regularly scheduled trash service day, service will resume on the next regularly scheduled service day.
• If a holiday falls on a regularly scheduled recycling service day, a make-up day may be scheduled with notice provided by the trash contractor.
• The trash contractor provides an annual schedule outlining collection services for the holidays which can be found at the following link.
  
  Trash Pick Up Holiday Schedule
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What happens during the snow or inclement weather?

• Generally it is not a problem, but use your head or find out for sure. If trash pickup is cancelled it will be announced on our website if we know about it. However, sometimes if the conditions are hazardous, the contractor decides at the last minute not to come. When in doubt, don't put it out! If the contractor cancels the pick-up, they will not come out again until the next regularly scheduled day (if then).
• Go to www.americandisposal.com and look for the red alert bar on the website to see if service will be affected by inclement weather.
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Help! I don't have a recycling bin.

• Bins should be identified with your lot number or street address so a neighbor does not inadvertently pick it up.
• Bins are the homeowners responsibility and replacement bins may cost $10. If you have no bin, contact the trash contractor at (703) 368-0500 or at www.americandisposal.com.
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What can be recycled?

• The following items can be recycled:
• Containers:Jugs, bottles, cartons, tubs, trays, buckets, bins
• Cans: Aluminum, Steel, Aerosol
• Cardboard: Shipping/Moving (flattened), Cereal, Paperboard, Frozen food
• Paper: Office, magazines, newspaper, books, mail, shredded (bagged)
• A maximum of 30 cardboard boxes can be collected with your normal recycling service schedule. Boxes must be broken down and flat (preferably bundled and tied) before placing curbside. Should you need more than 30 boxes collected, contact the trash contractor at (703) 368-0500 or www.americandisposal.com to arrange a special pick-up.
• The following materials should never be placed in your recycling bin for collection:
• Plastic bags
• Phones/electronics
• Diapers
• Food
• Plastic foam
• Clothes
• Cables/lights
• Wrappers
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How does our contractor recommend preparing items for recycling?

• The items should be un-bagged and in your bin. Recyclables should not be placed in plastic bags. This makes it harder to process.
• Recyclable containers should be clean and empty. For example, drips that remain at the bottom of a soda container are OK. A half-full container of soda is not OK to place in your bin.
• It is not necessary to remove any labels.
• Place all items together in the bin. You do not have to sort the recyclables. Everything goes in the bin, mixed together, except for paper goods (below).
• For newspapers, magazines, and mixed paper, you can place them in brown paper grocery bags or bundle & tie with twine. Do not use plastic bags. Place in or next to recycling bin.
• Cardboard - Cut to less than three feet square in size, flatten, & place in or next to recycling container (make sure these pieces cannot blow around).
• Make sure that light items are at the bottom so that they do not become airborne.
• Put the bin at the curb with your trash every Tuesday.
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How should regular trash be prepared?

• Trash should be put in heavy duty trash bags which are then tied securely or trash containers with lids.
• Everyday household waste (i.e. kitchen and bathroom waste) will be collected by the trash contractor. When possible, separate recyclable materials from your trash, and place them into your recycling bin.
• For medical waste, the trash contractor suggests collecting all used needles and syringes in a thick, impenetrable plastic bottle (ex. laundry detergent bottle). The sealed bottle can then be discarded in your regular household trash container. The plastic container is no longer recyclable once it has been used for the collection of medical waste.
• The following materials will not be collected by the trash contractor:
• Hazardous Wastes: acids, ammunition, antifreeze, asbestos, car batteries, caustics, chemicals, dead animals, explosives, fire extinguishers, fluorescent bulbs, herbicides/pesticides, motor oil, paint, poisons, propane/helium tanks
• Electronic Waste: lithium ion batteries can create truck fires. If the material in which you would like to dispose contains a lithium ion battery (i.e. cellphone or laptop), it will need to be brought to a certified e-Waste recycler
• Construction Debris: concrete, brick, block and palettes
• Large Landscaping Projects: mulch, dirt, rock, stumps and sod
• Medical Prescriptions: unused medical prescriptions.
• Items that will not be collected by the trash contractor may be taken to a Fairfax County landfill. See http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disphours-res.htm
  for locations and hours of operation.
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How do I dispose of yard debris?

• Grass clippings and leaves are to be placed curbside in brown paper bags or un-bagged in a personal container clearly marked “yard waste”. Clear plastic bags used for yard waste collection are also acceptable at this time. The trash contractor will not accept black plastic bags that cannot be easily identified as yard debris material.
• Each tree limb or piece of brush must be no longer than 4 feet in length and 3 inches thick in diameter. Limbs and brush must be bundled with rope or twine for ease of collection and placement into the truck.
• Items that are bagged, bundled or placed in your trash container may not exceed 50 lb.
• Mulch, dirt, rock, and sod will not be collected.
• The trash contractor will collect up to 10 bags and/or 10 bundles of debris.
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What should I do if the contractor doesn't pick up my trash?

• You should take your trash and recycling back to your premises. The trash is your responsibility until it is moved.
• If by reading your manual, these FAQs, and the trash contractor website you cannot determine why the trash or recycling wasn't removed, contact the trash contractor.
• Missed trash and recycling service should be reported within a 24-hour period.
• If the issue can still not be resolved, contact a Leewood board member.
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