Trash & Recycling in Fauquier County, VA (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Fauquier County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In unincorporated Fauquier County, only collectors permitted by the Department of Environmental Services may pick up residential solid waste, and they may collect ordinary household waste only, never banned or special wastes. County-run collection sites are limited to residents disposing of ordinary household waste. Permitted trucks may not spill waste into streets or private property, and loaded waste can't sit in a truck more than twelve hours.
Fauquier County Solid Waste Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsFauquier County Code §§ 10-9, 10-10(a), 10-10(e)
Collectors shall collect solid waste that results from ordinary household activities only. Collectors shall not collect banned or special wastes. ... Collection sites operated by the county shall be used only by Fauquier County residents for disposal of ordinary household generated solid waste and are not to be used by commercial collectors or other businesses. No banned waste, special waste, n...
Recycling Requirements
Unincorporated Fauquier County has no residential recycling mandate; instead the director of environmental services administers a voluntary drop-off recycling program at county collection sites under County Code § 10-2(b), setting fees for anyone who hauls recyclables away and claiming county ownership of whatever is left at a site.
Fauquier County Recycling Program Rules
Few RestrictionsFauquier County Code §§ 10-2(b), 10-10(b)
The director of environmental services is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations which will carry out the intent of this chapter. ... 4) governing all aspects of administration and enforcement of the county's recycling program, including but not limited to, the authority to charge persons who collect recyclables from collection sites and/or the landfill the current market price f...
Illegal Dumping
Unincorporated Fauquier County bans open dumps outright under Code § 10-14, and using a county solid waste permit to dispose of trash that originated outside the county is a separate misdemeanor. Violating any part of the solid waste chapter, including illegal dumping, is punishable under the county's general penalty: up to a $2,500 fine, 30 days in jail, or both.
Fauquier County Illegal Dumping Ban
Heavy RestrictionsFauquier County Code §§ 1-7, 10-11, 10-14
Wherever in this Code or in any ordinance or resolution of the county ... any act is prohibited or is declared to be unlawful or any offense or a misdemeanor ... and no specific penalty is provided for the violation thereof, the violation of any such provision of this Code or any such ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, notice or order shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thous...
Yard Waste Collection
Unincorporated Fauquier County has no curbside yard waste pickup; instead, residents may dispose of leaves, tree trimmings, and garden debris by burning them on-site under strict conditions set in County Code § 9-51(a), including distance limits, a pile-size cap, and a call-in report before every fire.
Fauquier County Yard Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsFauquier County Code § 9-51(a)
(a)Residential yard/garden debris. Open burning is permitted for the disposal of leaves and tree, yard and garden trimmings located on the premises of private property, provided that the conditions are met:(1)The burning takes place on the premises of the private property it was generated on;(2)The location of the burning is not less than five hundred (500) feet from any occupied building unles...
Recycling Rules
In unincorporated Fauquier County, the director of environmental services runs the county's recycling program and has sole authority to charge collectors the current market price for recyclables plus delivery and container fees. Any solid waste or recyclable material dropped at a county disposal site, including recycling drop-off points, immediately becomes county property and cannot be reclaimed by the person who left it.
Fauquier County Recycling Drop-Off Rules
Some RestrictionsFauquier County Code §§ 10-1, 10-2(b), 10-10(b)
Recyclable material: Any material which retains useful properties that can be reclaimed after the production or consumption process. ... Said rules and regulations are entitled department operating procedures and may include, but are not limited to regulations: ... 4) governing all aspects of administration and enforcement of the county's recycling program, including but not limited to, the aut...
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