Recycling at Home
Recycling: An Everyday Way to Help FIght Global Climate Change!
Multi-family Apartments/Condo Recycling
The City has required that multi-family apartments and homeowner/condo associations provide recycling collection to employees, staff and residents/renters. The City can assist by providing education and outreach to assist with setting up and promoting recycling programs at your residents, school or work. More information for renters and HOA and condo association members can by found on the Recycling at Condos, Apartments & HOAs.
City Residential Curbside Recycling Collection
The City provides recycling collection to approximately 19,000 single family homes. These customers pay for recycling collection, as well as, recycling bins through a Solid Waste User fee paid on each tax assessment bill.
What's New
Curbside Collection General Information
The City of Alexandria collects recycling from its residential customers once a week on a designated collection day, Monday through Thursday. Residential curbside recycling customers are provided with an 18-gallon yellow bin for recycling collection. The yellow bin is property of the City of Alexandria, so please leave it when moving.
Recycling collection and recycling bins are paid for through the Solid Waste User fee that each customer is assessed on their bi-yearly tax assessment bill.
Recycling Set Out Time
Set out refuse and recycling containers no earlier than 5 p.m. the day prior to collection, and no later than 6 a.m. on collection day:
- Holiday "Slide" - If a City recognized holiday is observed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, refuse and recycling collection 'slides' to one day later that week (except for Thanksgiving when refuse and recycling crews provide a Thursday collection on schedule). Click here for the Holiday Collection Calendar.
- Inclement Weather - In over 50 years, the City has cancelled service only twice for inclement weather. However, there may be a delay while streets are plowed or treated. The collection crew will arrive at your home as soon as possible.
Collection Day
Trash and recycling are collected once weekly, Monday through Thursday. Please refer to the online map browser to determine your collection day.
Recycling Set Out Placement
- Place at the curb, even if your trash is collected in the alley.
- Place clearly apart from your trash bags/container
- Ensure that your bin does block sidewalks, driveways, etc.
Backdoor Collection Services
For elderly and handicapped residents, collection crews will remove recycling from containers at the door. Call 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number). to request this service.
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Acceptable Materials
The City's Residential Curbside Program Accepts:
- Mixed Paper (White/Color paper, newspaper, junk mail, magazines, phone books, paperback/hardcovered books, cereal/tissue/cracker boxes, etc.) Please remove the plastic bag from your newspaper, before recycling.
- Cardboard Does not need to be flattened, please remove styrofoam, plastic packaging or other contents!
- Pizza boxes can be acceptable with no pizza or heavy oil staining to the box.
- Glass Bottles & Jars
- All Plastic Bottles, Jugs, Jars, Tubs, Pails, and Buckets (The number on the bottom does not determine recyclability, please read the article "Recycling Plastic: Complications and Limitations" for more information about recycling plastics).
- Plastic Bags/Film (Bags in a Bag, tied shut. If possible the best method of recycling plastic bags is through your local grocery store).
- Metal Food & Beverage Containers Only (Learn how to recycle your small metal items below).
- Wire Hangers
Please view the City’s "Yes/No List" for more information on what is recyclable in the residential curbside recycling collection program.
Recycling is a consistently developing market. As the markets change and develop, what is and is not recyclable may change. The City of Alexandria's Recycling Program will work to keep you informed about what is and is not recyclable.
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Unacceptable Materials
- Non-food & beverage metal containers (i.e. metal blinds, pots & pans, etc.) These items can be recycled weekly at Covanta:
- Waxed covered paper (i.e. frozen food boxes, political signs, wax paper, etc.)
- Ceramic Cups and Glasses
- Styrofoam and Packing Peanuts
- Pizza boxes: Pizza boxes are typically contaminated by oils and food leftover from the pizza and cannot be cleaned from the cardboard.
- Non-accepted plastic cups, trays and containers: Plastic containers are made with different types of plastic and are formed at different temperatures. This causes these containers to melt at a different temperature. Currently, there are no local manufacturers who can use these materials in the making of new materials. For more information on recycling plastics, please read the following article "Recycling Plastic: Complications and Limitations."
- Plastic Garbage bags: Plastic garbage bags should not be used or placed in Alexandria's curbside recycling program. These bags become tangled in the recycling processing machines causing damage and higher costs to recycling.
- Small/large propane tanks (i.e. camping propane tanks).
As the markets change and develop, what is and is not recyclable may change. The City of Alexandria's Recycling Program will work to keep you informed about what is and is not recyclable. For further information, please contact the Recycling Program at 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number)..
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Materials Preparation
Simple Recycling Guidelines
- Remove plastic bag from newspaper before recycling.
- Empty and rinse all beverage and food containers.
- Flatten plastic and aluminum beverage containers and metal cans (this can create more space in your yellow bin).
- Do not use plastic garbage or grocery bags to hold recyclable materials.
- Place all mixed paper and bottles and cans in your yellow bin.
- Place cardboard boxes neatly, without styrofoam, plastic packaging, or food, next to recycling container.
- Clearly set your recycling apart from your trash.
Not enough space in your recycling bin? Please do not use plastic bags to store additional materials.
- Recommended Option: Request an additional recycling bin, yours to keep, at the low price of $6.
- Use a container from around the house, such as a Rubbermaid container. Please ensure that the container is clearly marked for recycling and does not have lid. Do not set on top of your yellow recycling bin. Please consider purchasing a second yellow bin, which is easily recognizable by both trash and recycling collection employees.
- Use the Recycling Drop-off Centers for excess materials.
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Request a New or an Additional Recycling Bin
Curbside residential customers, to request a new and/or replacement bin for a damaged or missing recycling bin, please use our on-line problem reporting system. If you need further assistance, call the Recycling Program at 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number).
Additional recycling bins (yours to keep), can be purchased for the low price of $6. When purchasing a second bin, please send a check made out to the City of Alexandria for $6 and send to:
Department of Transportation and Environmental Services
Recycling Program
2900-B Business Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22314
A bin will be delivered once payment is received.
**ONLY City Curbside Trash and Recycling Customers (Those who pay the Solid Waste User Fee) are eligible for the yellow recycling bins. To determine if you are eligible vist: realestate.alexandriava.gov, then click on search properties and enter your address, then click on tax history. You should be able to see a solid waste user fee assessed for each tax year.
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