Fairfax County leaders consider bringing back curbside glass recycling

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County residents could soon be able to recycle their glass bottles and jars directly from the curb again.

Currently, glass is not accepted in regular curbside recycling bins across the county. For years, residents have had to separate their glass and drive it to one of 40 purple recycling drop-off bins in the area. From those locations, the glass is taken to the I-66 transfer station and eventually shipped to a processing facility in Pennsylvania.

However, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity introduced a proposal Tuesday to explore bringing glass back to curbside pickup seven years after it was removed.

What we know:

When glass was eliminated from curbside pickup in 2019, single-stream technology was unable to efficiently process it, resulting in glass in landfills.

According to Herrity, advances in technology now allow recycled glass to be separated efficiently, and a viable market exists for recycled glass to be reused.

"I think more people will do it if they can do it curbside than are currently doing it in the bins, and it's what I hear from our residents—they want the ability to do that," Herrity said.

Herrity noted that returning to curbside collection could save taxpayers money. Transporting glass from the purple bins requires sending out dedicated collection trucks to haul and ship the material. Curbside pickup allows glass to be collected at the same time in existing single-stream recycling bins.

Because 90% of Fairfax County residents use private trash haulers, the proposal marks the beginning of a broader discussion on how to implement the change.

Christopher Herrington, Director of Fairfax County Public Works, noted that while adjustments still need to be made, the county may be nearing a shift.

"I think the time could be now, we have reached that tipping point, and it may be time for us to talk about putting glass back into the blue bins," Herrington said. "We're not there yet."

What's next:

County officials and Public Works will now analyze whether curbside glass recycling can realistically be restored by the start of the year. In the meantime, residents can continue using the purple recycling bins.

Fairfax CountyVirginiaNews