WASHINGTON — Want to live a little greener in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia? If you do, you likely know that some items can't be disposed of in your everyday trash and recycling collection and need to be taken somewhere else to be properly discarded.
From food scraps, to batteries, to hazardous waste, mulch and more - here's a guide listing where you can dispose of waste and recycling items in the Greater D.C. area.
Arlington County
Locations to be aware of:
- Earth Products Yard, located at 4300 29th Street South, has an inert materials and scrap metal pickup program as well as a mulch pickup and food scrap program. Click here to see the hours it operates and learn how to make an appointment. On the first Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Arlington residents can shred paper and drop off inert materials here.
- Household Hazardous Materials/Electronics Collection Recycling Center, located at 530 31st St. South (Water Pollution Control Plant Gate 3), accepts items that are potentially flammable, hazardous, poisonous or corrosive. Bring latex paint, fluorescent tubes, items containing mercury, motor oil and more here. Click here for the hours it operates.
Wondering about where to discard specific items?
- Need to recycle batteries? The following fire stations accept rechargeable, lithium, silver oxide and mercury batteries: Fire Station 1/Glebe Road, Fire Station 2/Ballston, Fire Station 4/Clarendon, Fire Station 8/Lee Highway, Fire Station 9/Walter Reed and Fire Station 10/Rosslyn. Click here for more details.
- Need to recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs? Drop-off sites are available at Aurora Hills Branch Library, Central Library, the information desk at Bozman Government Center, HHM Facility at Water Pollution Control Plant and Solid Waste Bureau. Click here for more information.
Fairfax County
Locations to be aware of:
- I-66 Transfer Station, located at 4618 West Ox Road, is a place where you can dispose of trash, recyclables, household hazardous waste, e-waste, food scraps and specialty wastes. Click here to see the full hours of operation.
- I-95 Landfill Complex, located at 9850 Furnace Road, is another option to dispose of the items listed above. Click here for the hours it operates.
Loudoun County
Locations to be aware of:
- Loudoun County Landfill, located at 21101 Evergreen Mills in Leesburg, accepts a variety of waste but there's a minimum fee of $7 per vehicle. The landfill includes a FastTrash Program, mulch depot, recycling drop off and more. Click here for hours of operation and acceptable items.
- There are seven recycling centers in Loudoun County. Click here to see a list. These recycling centers accept paper, bottles, cans, jugs, jars and more.
Prince William County
Locations to be aware of:
- Prince William County Landfill, located at 14811 Dumfries Road in Manassas, accepts household hazardous waste and electronics (but with the following restrictions). Click here to see hours it operates.
- Balls Ford Road Compost Facility, located at 13000 Balls Ford Road in Manassas, accepts yard waste, materials for composting, and household trash. There's also compost and mulch available for purchase. Click here for more details and the hours of operation.
- There are several recycling drop-off trailers in Prince William County. Click here to see a full list, acceptable items, and hours of operation.
- There are Saturday trash recycling sites at Nokesville Elementary School and Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Click here to see hours of operation.
D.C.
Locations to be aware of:
- Fort Totten Transfer Station, located at 4900 John McCormack Road Northeast, collects solid waste, hazardous household waste and unwanted electronics. You can also come here for personal document shredding. Click here to see hours it operates and additional recycling events.
- Benning Road Transfer Station, at 3200 Benning Road North East, collects special waste from residents that should not be disposed of in trash bins. This includes as electronics, batteries, textiles, household hazardous waste, paint, CFL lamps, needles, prescription drugs, personal document shredding and mattresses. Click here to see hours it operates.
Designated farmers' markets in the District are open on the weekends for residents to drop off food to be composted. Click here to see participating locations and their hours, or check out the map below.
Prince George's County
Location to be aware of:
- Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill, located at 11611 White House Road in Upper Marlboro, collects a variety of electronics and waste products. Click here for a full list and the hours of operation. It does not accept software, stereo speakers, boxes and appliances like toasters and microwaves.
Montgomery County
- Shady Grove Transfer Station, located at 16101 Frederick Road, accepts metal items, clothing, electronics, lights, hazardous waste, paper products, yard trim and more. Click here for a full list and to see the hours it operates.
- Poolesville Beauty Spot, located at 19200 Jerusalem Road, accepts up to 499 pounds of bulk trash — this is trash that doesn't fit in a trash can. Click here to see the hours it operates.
Can't get enough of recycling?
If you can't get enough of keeping the earth clean, join WUSA9 for our #EnvironmentMatters Recycling Day on Feb. 26.
From 7 to 10 a.m., you can bring paint and electronics you need recycled or paper you need shredded to one of the following locations:
- The Shops at Dakota Crossing located at 2438 Market St. Northeast in D.C.
- Our partners from eAsset Solutions Computer and Electronic Recycling, Clean Cut Shredding and Yuck Old Paint will collect your items.
- Paint Branch High School located at 12121 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville, Md.
- Our partners from Securis, Yuck Old Pain and Clean Cut Shredding will help collect your recyclables.
- Dulles Town Center located at 2110 Dulles Town Circle in Sterling, Va.
- Items will be collected from our partners at Securis, Yuck Old Paint and True Shred.
We hope to see you there. Click here for more information.