States & Cities › Virginia › Falls Church

Falls Church trash pickup: collection days, recycling and bulk waste rules.

Falls Church trash pickup is run by the City of Falls Church Department of Public Works, with American Disposal Services on the trucks. Every curbside home has the same day: the gray trash cart, the green recycling cart, the yellow organics cart and tagged yard waste bags all go out on Wednesday, every week. What trips people up most: glass never goes in the recycling cart, and every extra trash or yard waste bag needs a $1 yellow tag.

Broad Street in downtown Falls Church, Virginia, in the early evening

Photo: Broad Street in downtown Falls Church, Virginia, in the early evening. Ser Amantio di Nicolao, 2019-07-20. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source. Resized for web.

Falls Church trash and recycling pickup schedule

The city is 2.2 square miles, and one collection day covers all of it: trash, recycling, organics, yard waste and special bulk collections all run on Wednesdays, year-round, except on observed city holidays. Only single-family homes and townhomes get the service. Not every Falls Church mailing address is inside the city: Merrifield, Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads are in Fairfax County, and the city’s Address Finder settles it.

Cart Color and sizes How often What it costs
Trash Gray; 35 or 64/65 gallons Every Wednesday Sets the annual solid waste fee
Recycling Green; 35 or 64/65 gallons, one per address Every Wednesday Included
Organics Yellow; 35 or 65 gallons Every Wednesday, with yard waste Included
Extra trash or yard waste bags Brown kraft bags with a $1 yellow tag Every Wednesday, up to 10 yard waste bags $1 a bag
  • Carts at the curb by 7 a.m. Wednesday, or after 5 p.m. Tuesday, and back to the side or rear of the house by Wednesday evening.
  • In summer 2026 (June 3 to September 9) routes started at 6 a.m., so carts had to be out earlier; the city posts each summer notice on its Trash, Recycling & Organics page.
  • If the gray cart holds even a little brick, concrete, dirt, drywall, shingles, lumber, sheet glass, tires, hazardous waste, wet paint or yard waste, it is left uncollected. Contractor waste never goes in the cart or a special collection.
  • The 2026 Gray Trash Cart Update ↗ lets curbside customers request a different trash cart size once a year. In 2026 the form was open January 16 to February 16, and the requested carts are being swapped in September 2026. Our story on the change: Falls Church rolls out new trash cart sizes and higher fees for FY2027.
  • Carts stay with the house; the city charges about $99 to replace one that is intentionally damaged, misused or removed.

What goes in the Falls Church recycling cart

Recycling goes every Wednesday in the dark green cart or green bin; the Recycle Coach app’s “What Goes Where” search answers single items. Everything goes in empty, clean, dry and loose, never in plastic bags; a bag of recyclables set in the cart goes to the trash. Nothing smaller than 2 by 2 inches, so no utensils, straws or condiment cups. Flattened cardboard boxes can go inside or next to the cart.

  • Yes: flattened corrugated cardboard, newspaper, cereal boxes, paper towel tubes and paper napkins; metal cans, soda cans and aerosol spray cans; plastic bottles, jugs and tubs such as detergent bottles, milk jugs and food containers; milk cartons, juice boxes and food cartons.
  • No, put in the trash cart: shredded paper, diapers, takeout containers, Styrofoam and pizza boxes (greasy pizza boxes go in the organics cart instead).
  • No, recycle elsewhere: plastic bags and any flexible plastic, including grocery bags, liners, dry-cleaning bags, plastic wrap and bubble wrap; e-waste; textiles; and hazardous waste such as light bulbs, motor oil and batteries. Grocery bags go back to a grocery store bag bin.
  • No glass: since February 19, 2020, glass bottles and jars are not accepted in the recycling cart. Take them to the purple glass-only can at the city Recycling Center on Gordon Road or any purple can in the neighboring counties, or put them in the gray trash cart.

Yard waste and food scraps

The yellow organics cart is the city’s newest curbside service: starting in spring 2026 the program covers both food waste and yard waste. The cart is included in the solid waste fee, and households that do not want one can email recycling@fallschurchva.gov to have it removed.

  • In the organics cart: fruits and vegetables; grains, bread and pasta; coffee grounds and filters; eggshells; meat and bones; napkins and paper towels; greasy pizza boxes; uncoated paper takeout containers; leaves, grass clippings, small plants, twigs and shrub trimmings; brush up to 6 inches across and 5 feet long.
  • Not in the organics cart: plastic bags or wrappers, glass, metal, synthetic fabrics, treated wood or sawdust; paint, chemicals, batteries, electronics or any liquid; pet waste or litter, diapers, tissues, hygiene products or medical waste; diseased plants, invasive weeds, animal carcasses, grease, oils or fatty foods.
  • Yard waste bags: grass, leaves and small trimmings can still go in 30-gallon paper yard debris bags, each under 50 pounds and each with a $1 yellow tag, up to 10 bags per Wednesday. Plastic bags are never collected, and trash mixed with yard waste is left behind.
  • Bundled brush is collected free every Wednesday: cut to 5-foot lengths, no branch over 6 inches across, tied with twine or stacked in a container of 30 gallons or less labeled “Brush,” each under 50 pounds. Unbundled brush needs a paid special collection.
  • Vacuum leaf collection runs from late October into early January. Rake loose leaves to the curb, not into the street or over storm drains, with no branches, stones or litter. Crews make at least three passes through each zone and cannot promise a date; once they have passed, bag and tag the leaves for Wednesday pickup.
  • Yellow tags are sold at City Hall, the Community Center, Giant Food at 1230 W. Broad St. and Ayers Variety & Hardware in Arlington.

Bulk trash pickup in Falls Church

Special bulk collections cover items too large or heavy for the trash cart, such as furniture, moving debris and household appliances, plus unbundled brush. They happen on Wednesdays, year-round except city holidays, and only for residential curbside customers.

  • How to book: request by noon Tuesday for that Wednesday, through the Recycle Coach app or 703-248-5160, option 1. The hotline transfers you to American Disposal, which schedules the pickup and takes payment by phone.
  • Fees: $75 per 2 cubic yards of material, and $30 per appliance. A TV costs $30 to pick up and recycle.
  • Set-out: items at the curb by 7 a.m. Wednesday, with brush piles 5 feet from other items.
  • Never collected: bricks, concrete, rocks, construction debris, contractor waste, dirt, sod, railroad ties, asbestos, hazardous waste, wet paint, tires, exercise equipment, safes and toilets.
  • Alternatives the city lists: self-haul to Fairfax County’s I-66 Transfer Station; donate working furniture; hire a junk hauler; or take scrap metal, including water heaters and grills without the propane tank, free to the city Recycling Center.

After a large storm, the city homepage and the hotline’s option 6 say whether the bundled brush rule and fees still apply.

Falls Church holiday trash schedule

Falls Church posts a Waste and Compost Holiday Service Schedule each year on its Trash, Recycling & Organics page. In 2026 no holiday changes residential collection, including Thanksgiving week and Christmas week; only commercial customers slide to Friday after New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. If a holiday ever moves residential collection, carts go out by 7 a.m. Thursday and come back Thursday evening.

Holiday Date Residential collection
Thanksgiving Thursday, November 26, 2026 No change; Wednesday pickup as usual
Christmas Day Friday, December 25, 2026 No change; Wednesday pickup as usual
New Year’s Eve Thursday, December 31, 2026 No change; Wednesday pickup as usual

Hazardous waste, electronics and drop-off sites

Falls Church has no permanent household hazardous waste site of its own. Its Special Collections page sends residents to Fairfax County’s Household Hazardous Waste facility in Fairfax, where disposal is free; the county’s own pages say proof of Fairfax County residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill, may be required. The city also holds an annual Recycling Extravaganza; the 2026 event is Saturday, October 3, at the Recycling Center. Alkaline batteries can go in the trash; button, car, lithium, mercury and rechargeable batteries are hazardous waste.

  • City of Falls Church Recycling Center, 217 Gordon Rd., Falls Church, VA 22046. Vehicles Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; pedestrians daily from dawn to dusk, with very limited parking. A free self-serve drop-off for residents and businesses. Takes mixed paper and paperboard; flattened corrugated cardboard; rinsed number 1 and 2 plastic bottles and jugs, number 5 tubs and metal cans; rinsed glass bottles and jars in the purple can; scrap metal such as bed frames, fencing, ladders and microwaves; and clean bagged clothing and linens in the green textile bin. No trash, hazardous waste, furniture, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, air conditioners with refrigerant, light bulbs, mirrors or windows, and nothing left outside the containers.
  • Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030. Trash, recycling and food scrap drop-off Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Household hazardous waste and electronics Monday and Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday noon to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Wednesday. Hazardous waste and electronics are free for residents, up to ten large electronic items per visit. County fees for July 2026 to June 2027: trash $21 for 1 to 5 bags, $28 for 6 to 10 bags, or $98 a ton with a $39 minimum unbagged; brush $59 a ton or $20 for a mini pickup load; bagged yard waste $20 for 1 to 5 bags; mattresses, sofas and dressers $17 each; appliances with refrigerant $15; passenger tires $14 each. Cans, bottles, paper, cardboard, metals, antifreeze, motor oil, car batteries and cooking oil are free. Hazardous waste taken: aerosols, automotive fluids, rechargeable batteries, pool chemicals, cleaners, mercury devices, pesticides, oil-based paint, propane tanks up to 20 pounds and fluorescent bulbs; not ammunition, explosives, LED bulbs or business waste. Bring proof of residency. County solid waste office 703-324-5230.
  • Falls Church community organics drop-off, 300 Park Ave., Falls Church, VA 22046, behind the City Hall and Community Center lot in the fenced enclosure next to the tennis courts. Open 24 hours to anyone who lives or works in the city, free, for food scraps that follow the organics cart rules. Take your trash with you.
  • Electronics: city residents can drop off electronics free with the city’s partner eAsset Solutions, including CRT monitors, with proof of Falls Church residency. Curbside customers can also pay $30 for a TV special collection, or bring electronics to the Recycling Extravaganza.

Fees and billing

The solid waste fee pays for the curbside trash, recycling and organics service, and it rides on the annual real estate tax bill. Since November 2025 the fee has been set by the size of the gray trash cart. City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2027 budget on May 11, 2026, raising the fee 4 percent; the new rates appear on the bill starting November 2026, based on the cart size each household chose. Our story on the fee change: Falls Church rolls out new trash cart sizes and higher fees for FY2027.

Gray trash cart FY2026 annual fee FY2027 annual fee (billed from November 2026)
Small, 35 gallons $236 $246
Large, 64/65 gallons $336 $348
  • Extra trash or yard waste bag: $1 yellow tag per bag.
  • Special bulk collection: $75 per 2 cubic yards; appliances $30 each; TVs $30 each.
  • Cart replacement for intentional damage, misuse or removal: about $99.
  • Residents in the city’s Tax Relief for the Elderly and/or Disabled program keep their relief under their current application.
  • Billing questions: 703-248-5466.

Missed pickup, damaged carts and new carts

Report a missed collection by 10 a.m. on Thursday, the day after service. Reporting early often gets same-day service; the rest is handled Thursday morning. Leave the items at the curb. Use the Report a Concern form ↗, the Recycle Coach app, or call the Solid Waste Hotline at 703-248-5160, option 1. If leaf crews missed you after you raked late, bag and tag the leaves instead. For a new or replacement recycling cart, call 703-248-5160, and leave clean carts behind when you move.

Set-out rules and fines

  • Trash with construction debris, hazardous waste, yard waste or tires is not collected, and neither is yard waste in plastic bags, untagged bags, bags over 50 pounds or more than 10 bags a week.
  • Solid waste violations carry a civil penalty of $100 for the first violation and $150 for each one after, including yard waste and brush violations. Solid Waste Code Enforcement is at 703-248-5466.
  • Illegal dumping at the Recycling Center is recorded on camera and prosecuted.

Materials with their own rules

  • Household hazardous waste: Fairfax County’s I-66 Transfer Station, free, or the Recycling Extravaganza on October 3, 2026.
  • Paint: wet paint cans are refused at the curb; oil-based paint goes to the county site, dried latex paint in the trash.
  • Lithium-ion batteries: hazardous waste, to the county site or a Call2Recycle drop-off.
  • Mattresses: a $75 special bulk collection, or $17 at the I-66 Transfer Station.
  • Pizza boxes: the yellow organics cart, never the recycling cart.
  • Christmas trees: $11 at the I-66 Transfer Station, without ornaments, lights or the stand.
  • Tires: never at the curb; $14 each at the I-66 Transfer Station.
  • Aerosol cans and propane tanks: empty aerosol cans go in the recycling cart; propane tanks go to the county site, $15 for a 20-pound tank.

More in Virginia