Trash Away Services at Charlestown Community

Scheduled Service Days

• Household Solid Waste (Trash): Tuesday and Friday
• Single Stream Recycling: Tuesday
• Bulk Trash: Fridays (Homeowner must schedule)
• Yard Waste: Charlestown participates in Alternative Yard Waste Program. Small amounts of yard waste may be set out with trash on Tuesday and Friday.

Dear Resident of Charlestown:

We thank you for allowing us to provide trash removal and recycling services to your community. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming year and providing the highest quality of services that you expect to receive. We would like to remind you of a few items that will make our services easier and more efficient for your community. Please place all household trash in plastic bags or in trash bins at designated area at curbside. This will assure that no animals get into the trash and litter the surrounding area. A rear loader packer truck will collect your household trash. Recyclable material (see details below) should be placed in recycling bins, clear plastic bags or paper grocery bags so they can be easily identified as recyclables.

We ask and urge our clients to recycle, not only because it is the law in Fairfax County but also because recycling generally prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production. In an effort to encourage recycling and make the process more efficient, we have started single stream recycling. In a single stream recycling method, all recyclables (except yard waste) are collected in the same truck. The recyclables are then taken to a facility where they are separated by type. We use a rear-end packer truck for collection. Recyclable items include, newspaper, container glass, mixed paper, flattened cardboard, plastic bottles, and metal food and beverage cans. See the Fairfax County Curbside Recycling Chart for detailed photographs of what recyclables can and cannot be placed at the curb.

Yard waste recycling is also important for Fairfax County's environment because it reduces the amount of material destined for disposal while providing soil-improving properties to lawns and gardens. All single-family homes and most townhouses are required to recycle yard waste. Yard waste includes leaves, brush, branches, twigs and grass from regular household lawn and garden care. Brushes and limbs must be cut to a length of less than 4 feet long and bundled (arm-full size) with rope or twine and should not exceed a weight of greater than 50 pounds. Tree stumps and limbs that are larger than 6 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length will not be collected. Specifically excluded are wood or lumber from decks, fences, etc. Brush does not include stumps or land clearing debris. Please note that Charlestown participates in the Alternative Yard Waste Program offered by Fairfax County to town-home communities, which offers an “exemption” from separating yard waste from regular household trash. So residents may mix yard waste with regular household trash effective 1 December 2008.

Bulk Trash
Bulk trash will include typical house hold effects, such as small items of used furniture, fixtures, and personal effects, and will be collected at no additional charge with prior arrangements.

White metal goods - refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, metal shelving, equipment with motors, etc. - are NOT considered bulk trash. They may be picked up, with prior arrangements scheduled by the homeowner, for a mutually agreed upon fee. Fees related to these pick ups will be charged to the resident. Renovation or contractor debris, such as used carpet, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and construction debris, e.g., used tiles, drywall, wood materials, paint containers, concrete, metal frames or rods, glass windows or doors, etc. are not considered bulk trash. They may be scheduled and collected for a mutually agreed upon fee paid by the homeowner.

Household hazardous waste is also disposed of separately and will not be accepted by our collectors. Household hazardous waste is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as hazardous material such as household cleaners, paint, paint thinners, motor oil, gasoline and pesticides. You may refer to the EPA website for more details on this and other environmental issues at http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2pages/hhw.pdf.

We are very happy to serve the residents of Charlestown and we look forward to working with you, not only as your trash hauler, but also as partners to make your community and our environment a cleaner and better place to live. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 703-339-4560 at any time with any questions or concerns and we will be happy to assist you.

Sincerely,
Meena S. Hanifi, CPA
Senior Vice President
TRASH AWAY, Inc.
8390-D Terminal Road
Lorton, VA 22079
703-339-4560

Please Note: Effective December 1, Charlestown residents no longer need to put yard waste out on Wednesday - we have approval from Fairfax County to put yard waste out with our normal trash pick-ups on Tuesday and Friday.

Yard Waste Recycling in Fairfax County

Yard waste recycling is important for Fairfax County's environment because it reduces the amount of material destined for disposal while providing soil-improving properties to lawns and gardens. In general, the County requires all single-family homes and most townhouses to recycle yard waste (leaves, grass, and brush) from March through December. Yard waste includes leaves, grass, and brush (shrubs, pruning, twigs, and plants) from regular household lawn and garden care.

Fairfax County requires that yard waste must be recycled from March through December. Therefore, Trash Away will pick up yard waste in a separate truck and deliver it the Fairfax disposal sites to be recycled. The County has an alternative yard waste program that allows town home communities to apply for an “exemption” from yard waste recycling requirements. The County then reviews such applications and periodically exempts some town home communities from yard waste recycling if they determine that the town home lots are small and do not produce significant yard waste in their community. The exemption is valid for only two years. Therefore, town home communities will have to resubmit their request and the County will re-evaluate their exemption status.

Leaves and grass must be placed curbside separately in a clear plastic bag weighing no more than 50 pounds per bag. Brush (shrubs, pruning, twigs, and plants) must be placed in a separate container or in bundles weighing no more than 50 pounds each. Bundled brush, such as tree limbs, must be cut to a length of less than 4 feet long and bundled with rope or twine. Trash Away will collect no more than 20 bags and/or bundles of recyclable yard waste per home per pick up.

Trash Away’s collection of recyclable yard waste does not include: tree stumps, poisonous plants, dirt, rocks, stones, concrete, sand, insect nests or hives, or wood or lumber from decks, fences, etc. In addition, limbs that are larger than 6 inches in diameter and 4 feet in length will not be collected.