Local residents can expect changes to their trash and recycling starting today (March 30).

Fairfax County announced on Friday that the Solid Waste Management Program is making some changes to trash and recycling collection to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

“These changes will remain in effect until the public health emergency passes,” the county said. “Additional changes may be announced if the situation worsens in our area.”

The county says that administrative buildings and donation stations are closed, along with the household hazardous waste and e-waste stations at the I-95 landfill complex. People can still find those stations at the I-66 transfer station.

The glass recycling drop-off bins have been temporarily suspended, and people are now asked to bring their glass recycling to the I-66 transfer station and I-95 landfill complex or to place the glass items in the trash.

Here’s what else has been suspended:

• yard waste collection
• 30-day prior notice requirements for change of collection schedule or services
• support for community clean-ups
• bulk/brush and electronic waste collection
• support for the litter removal program
• secure document shredding events

“These changes apply to all private haulers (90 percent of county) and county collections customers (10 percent),” the county said.

To help protect sanitation workers and residents from the coronavirus, the county asks that people reduce the amount of waste they generate, bag all trash and refuse, empty and clean containers that contained liquids and residue from food and regularly disinfect cart handles and lids.

Photo via City of Falls Church

Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:

Fundraiser For Timber Lane PTA — “The Community Charity Champions philanthropic arm of HBC Group of Keller Williams Realty will host a fund-raiser for the Timber Lane Elementary School PTA on Tuesday, March 10.” [Inside NoVa]

No July Fourth Falls Church Fireworks — “The City of Falls Church announced [Monday] that its 40-year tradition of an Independence Day fireworks show will be suspended this year due to the construction on the new George Mason High School currently taking place. The City says it plans for the fireworks to return in 2021.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Fire Guts McLean Home, Closes Route 123 — Last night shortly before 7 p.m., a three-alarm fire in a McLean home prompted Route 123 to close. [Tysons Reporter]

Students Getting Glass Recycled — “Two enterprising George Mason High School students, junior Jonathan Oppenheimer and freshman Danny Oppenheimer, have started a glass recycling service for City of Falls Church residents in response to the City’s announcement that it would no longer collect glass in its weekly recycling pick-up service.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Today, voting is underway for the Democratic primary today:

It’s been slow but steady so far this morning as voters come out for the #SuperTuesday Democratic presidential primary today. Polls are open until 7 p.m. #election2020 #2020election #VAprimary #Virginia pic.twitter.com/vqA8NJXMAi

— Fairfax County Votes (@fairfaxvotes) March 3, 2020

“Going green” will take on a new meaning in Falls Church as the city joins a larger initiative to separate glass products from the rest of the recyclables on the curb.

Beginning Feb. 19, the City of Falls Church asks that residents separate glass from their normal recyclables and instead bring them to the local recycling center (217 Gordon Road) — where items will go in special purple bins for processing, according to the city’s website.

Neighboring areas, including Arlington County, are also taking part in the initiative.

If residents do not want to make the extra trip to the recycling center, officials ask that people simply throw glass items in the trash — or better yet, find a way to reuse their glass jars for storage, vases, drinking glasses, planters, or craft projects.

Failure to remove glass items from a recycle batch will contaminate it, the website warned, and the whole recycle batch will have to be thrown away.

According to a press release from the city:

Glass is no longer economically or environmentally sustainable in a single-stream recycling system. Glass is heavy, which increases the cost of transporting recyclables to and from recycling centers. Glass containers placed in single-stream curbside bins tend to break during collection and transport to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), which can then damage machinery and contaminate bales of other more valuable items.

To encourage participation in the new recycling program, the city is participating in the “Purple Can Club Pilot Program” alongside other districts within Northern Virginia.

“I believe we are the last in the region to join. We were evaluating options, and the centralized Purple Can was chosen as the pilot program,” a city spokesperson said.

Officials are asking residents to thoroughly rinse out or wash items before recycling them.

For people living in an apartment or similar community, the website said to check with a landlord or property manager about the changes.

Anyone looking for other purple can recycling sites can check out the map below.

Map and photo via City of Falls Church

Still have a holiday tree and wondering what to do with it? Here’s where and how to recycle it if you live in the Tysons area.

Christmas tree recycling rules vary depending on where people live. Here’s information for residents in Fairfax County, the Town of Vienna and the City of Falls Church.

Fairfax County 

Fairfax County will be recycling Christmas trees less than 8 feet tall for the first two weeks of January. Residents are asked to place the trees outside their single family house or townhouse community.

Have a fake tree? People can drop them off at the donation stations at the the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex.

For $7, Fairfax County residents also can drop off their trees the I-66 Transfer Station or the I-95 Landfill Complex.

City of Falls Church 

Little City residents can have their Christmas trees collected from the curb on Wednesdays in January and February — although the city urges residents to do so during the first two weeks of January.

For people in apartments or condos, their trees can get recycled at the brush collection area at the Fairfax County Citizens’ Disposal and Recycling Facility (4618 W. Ox Road) in Fairfax.

Town of Vienna 

The Town of Vienna will collect Christmas trees curb-side on collection days this month.

Tip: People looking to recycle their trees should first remove all decorations, tinsel, bags and rope.

Absentee Ballots Rushed to Voters — “Roughly 1,300 new ballots were sent out Oct. 16 and 17 to accommodate the new Republican candidate, Eric Anthony Jones, on the ballot, Fairfax County’s general registrar Gary Scott told the News-Press.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Advisory Firm Moves to Tysons — Capstone Strategic, Inc. announced Friday that it has moved to 8521 Leesburg Pike, Suite 230. [Benzinga]

Facebook Considered Tysons For New Spot — “Social media giant Facebook Inc. has reached a deal to take a large block of office space in Reston Town Center after weighing other potential locations, including Tysons.” [Washington Business Journal]

Calling All Volunteers — “The City Council is looking for seven volunteers to join the newly-created Stormwater Task Force, which will update the list of stormwater improvement projects in the City’s Watershed Management Plan.” [City of Falls Church]

New Glass Recycling Container in Vienna — “We worked with Fairfax County to get our very own exclusively glass purple recycling container that is hungry and waiting at its location on Mill Street NE in the gravel shoulder next to Capitol Building Supply.” [Town of Vienna]

Car Crash Closed McLean Road — The 1800 block of Great Falls Street in McLean was closed due to a car crash on Sunday. The road has now reopened. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Wednesday  (Oct. 16)

• Panel Discussion on Human Trafficking — 7 to 9 p.m. at Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, Second Floor (400 Center Street S.) —  This panel will discuss human trafficking in local neighborhoods and how to end it.
• Boro Fall Festival — noon to 2 p.m. at Whole Foods (1635 Boro Place) — This free event offers attendees a chance to try fall foods, participate in crafts, enjoy live music and enter into a raffle.

Thursday (Oct. 17)

• Avenir Pumpkin Festival — 5 to 8 p.m. at Modera Avenir Place Apartments (2677 Avenir Place) — This event is free to attend and features a Biergarten, music and pumpkin decorating.
• Local Candidate Forum — 7 p.m. at George Mason High School (7124 Leesburg Pike) — This public forum will allow community members to gather and hear from local candidates running for office on Nov. 5.
• Wild Game Beer Dinner — 7 to 10 p.m. at Caboose Commons (520 Mill Street NE) — This event will feature a five-course meal from chief David Rabin. Tickets are $90 and will include meat such as antelope, bison and goat.
• Meet Author Bill Lewers — 7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Library (101 E. Maple Avenue) — This author will discuss his upcoming fiction book “Gatekeepers of Democracy,” which discusses those who serve on election day. Copies will be available for purchase during the book signing.

Friday (Oct. 18)

• “One Man, Two Guvnors” — 8 to 10:30 p.m. at Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE) — This play explores the life of someone who ends up employed by gangsters in England around 1963. Tickets start at $15.

Saturday (Oct. 19)

• Vienna Halloween on the Green — 10:30 to 12:30 p.m. at the Vienna Town Green (144 E. Maple Avenue) — Kids ages two to 10 are welcome to join in some seasonal fun including trick-or-treating, crafts, games, pumpkin decorating and age-appropriate activities. This event is free and open to the public.
• Recycling Extravaganza –– 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Recycling Center (217 Gordon Road) — People are encouraged to bring things they may not be able to get rid of at the curb including toxic chemicals, shredded documents, and electronics. A list of accepted items can be found online and people wishing to drop things off must prove residency.
• Party for a Cause — 9 p.m. t0 2 a.m. at Inca Social (2670 Avenir Place) — This free event will raise money for breast cancer awareness and support for families.

Sunday (Oct. 20)

• McLean Pet Fest — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd) —  This event gives pet owners the chance to learn about opportunities that will enhance the lives of their furry friends while watching a pet-parade. This event is free and open to the public.
• Ito’s Taste of Colombia — all night at Blend 11 (111 Church Street NW, Suite 101) — Chef Andrés Julian will prepare a five-course meal for guests that includes traditional Colombian dishes. The price is $55 with an optional $21 wine pairing.

Photo via McLean Community Center/Facebook

(Updated 10/16/19) Two weeks ago, Fairfax County announced that glass bottles and jars would no longer be recycled via curbside collection.

Instead, the county wants residents to toss those items in one of the purple, glass-only recycling containers located around the county or throw them in the trash.

Following in the footsteps of Arlington, Fairfax County said the change was spurred by China’s decision to stop accepting some recycling materials, along with growing concerns about the dangers of broken glass items in curbside recycling bins.

(The City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna still allow glass bottles in curbside recycling bins.)

Earlier today (Tuesday), two members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors pushed to declare Nov. 15 “Fairfax County Recycles Day” to promote the county’s recent messaging around glass recycling.

The board matter by Springfield District Supervisor John Herrity and Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross also wants the director of the Solid Waste Division and members of the recycling team to get recognized for their efforts with glass recycling on Oct. 29 by the county board.

The closest purple containers for glass recycling in the Tysons area are at the Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive), Dolley Madison Library (1244 Oak Ridge Avenue) and the Lee Community Center (5722 Lee Hwy).

Map via Fairfax County

(Updated 10/16/19) Fairfax County is now asking residents to toss glass bottles and jars in the trash instead of the recycling bin at home.

The county decided to change its rules that previously required that glass bottles and jars be placed in curbside recycling bins “to improve the quality of single-stream recycling,” according to the county’s website.

As of yesterday (Oct. 1), residents now have two options for glass disposal — take the items to purple, glass-only recycling containers located around the county or throw them in the trash.

“The decision to remove glass from the single-stream recycling program was made after consulting with private recycling sorting centers and Covanta Fairfax, Inc., which operates the waste-to-energy plant,” according to the county.

The county also says that China’s decision to stop accepting some recycling materials has prompted changes to glass recycling.

Glass containers can break in curbside recycling bins, leading to the shards damaging the other recycled items and possible damage of machinery, the county said, adding that bins weighed down by heavy glass can increase transportation costs.

Earlier this year, Arlington County also decided to move away from recycling glass in a single stream system that has recycled items mixed together in one bin.

Meanwhile, the City of Falls Church and the Town of Vienna still allow glass bottles in curbside recycling bins.

The closest purple containers in the Tysons area are at the Providence Community Center (3001 Vaden Drive), Dolley Madison Library (1244 Oak Ridge Avenue) and the Lee Community Center (5722 Lee Hwy).

People can place any colored glass bottle or jar in the purple containers, but should not bring lamps, light bulbs, windows, mirrors or glass sheets.

What about broken glass? The county urges residents to place the broken glass in a rigid container labeled “GLASS” for trash collection.

This is “Big Blue” ⁦@ffxpublicworks⁩ recycled glass crusher that turns glass into reusable construction material. For everything you need to know about glass recycling in ⁦@fairfaxcounty⁩ click https://t.co/6efkyFiCr3 ⁦@route1corridor⁩ ⁦@FortHuntHerald⁩ pic.twitter.com/YA67hwOFPv

— Tony Castrilli (@TonyCastrilli) October 2, 2019

Map via Fairfax County

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Sept. 12)

• Mayor at Your Service — 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall (127 S. Center Street) — Susan Shaw from the Virginia Department of Transportation along will join Town of Vienna Mayor Laurie DiRocco to discuss the I-66 expansion project near the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station. The event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday (Sept. 11)

• Canvas Painting — 7-9:30 p.m. at Muse Fairfax (2920 District Avenue, Suite 100) — An instructor will teach attendees how to paint a road and nature scene. The event is $35 and open to all ages.
• Yoga with Alyson — 10 a.m. at Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) — For $10, participants can take part in a yoga class. All experience levels are welcome and guests should bring their own mats.

Friday (Sept. 13)

• DMV 2 Go Full-Service Bus — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Falls Church City Hall parking lot (300 Park Avenue) — The Department of Motor Vehicles will host a pop-up full-service office, helping people to obtain identification cards. The service will also help people apply for various licenses including fishing and hunting, driving permits, ordering disability placards and registering to vote.

Saturday (Sept. 14)

• Red Cross Wilderness First Aid — 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Campaign Pay It Forward (9893 Georgetown Pike, Suite 105 — This two-day training course prepares attendees for dangerous wilderness scenarios and how to take care of medical emergencies in the field. It costs $150 and everyone is welcome.
• Vienna Quarterly Recycling Day — 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northside Property Yard (600 Mill Street NE) — People can come and recycle unusual items such as chemicals, appliances or small electronics. No TVs or dangerous items will be accepted.
• Comedy and Cocktails — 8 t0 10 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street A) — North American Comedy Distillery Tour will bring nationally known comedians to Falls Church for an evening of humor. Presale tickets start at $20.
• 2019 Wolf Trap Ball: Singapore — 7 p.m. at Filene Center (1551 Trap Road) — This black-tie gala supports Wolf Trap’s arts and cultural foundation while allowing guests to enjoy a classy evening with Singapore Ambassadors Ashok Mirpuri and Gouri Mirpuri. Email Wolf Trap for tickets.

Sunday (Sept. 15)

• Tysons Farmers Market — every Sunday through November from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at 1961 Chain Bridge Road — The weekly farmers market features local produce, meats, eggs, hot foods, baked goods and more. In addition to food, attendees can enjoy live music, cooking demonstrations and kids events. The market accepts SNAP and matching on all SNAP purchases.

Image via Wolf Trap

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and American Disposal Services have reached a settlement after reports of missed trash pick-ups prompted an investigation.

Back in May, John Cook and Kathy Smith, the district supervisors for Braddock and Sully, said that the solid waste and recycling collection company’s failure to make “many trash pick-ups in the county” was causing health, safety and community enjoyment issues.

The county board then started an investigation to prepare to take legal action.

Ultimately, the county decided not to sue, Matthew Kaiser, the spokesperson for the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), told Tysons Reporter.

American Disposal Services signed a consent agreement with the county on June 10 to bring the company into compliance with the county’s law saying that waste and recycling need to get picked up at least once a week, Kaiser said.

American Disposal also paid a $2,500 civil penalty in a settlement regarding code violations, Kaiser said.

Kaiser said that for compliance verification, American Disposal Services must:

• provide daily reports to compliance staff for review
• review and follows up on incoming complaints from residents on a daily basis
• have ongoing weekly meetings to discuss compliance with the consent agreement

Based in Manassas, American Disposal Services is the primary private trash service company for county residents.

Kevin Edwards, the general manager of American Disposal Services, previously told Tysons Reporter was “aggressively hiring and recruiting” to address a truck driver shortage, which Edwards said was the reason behind the delays.

Staff from DPWES, Consumer Affairs and the Health Department had been working with American Disposal Services earlier.

Now, Solid Waste Enforcement and Compliance staff will continue to work with American Disposal Services to “maintain compliance with the code and deliver adequate service to the residents of Fairfax County,” Kaiser said.

“The situation with American Disposal Services has improved with the number of daily complaints significantly decreasing,” Kaiser said.

Image via Facebook