Trash & Recycling in Washington County, MD (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Washington County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Anyone in the business of collecting trash in Washington County needs a county license first. The Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance requires any hauler, including one who picks up for another party an average of three times a week, to be licensed before collecting, hauling, or disposing of solid waste, and it bans littering, spillage, or uncovered loads during pickup.
Washington County MD Trash Hauler License Rules
Some RestrictionsSolid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance §§ 2.1.1, 2.3.6
No person whose business is solid waste collection shall engage or continue to engage in the collection, haulage or disposal of solid wastes, including the collection or purchase of recyclables, within Washington County without first filing for and obtaining a license from the County. Any person hauling for another party on a regular basis (i.e., average 3 times weekly) must obtain a license. ....
Bulk Item Disposal
Washington County's landfill turns away bulky waste that has not been broken down first. County code lists "intact bulky wastes" among the materials barred from any county sanitary landfill, right alongside motor vehicles, boats, campers, and mobile homes that have not been dismantled. Furniture, appliances, tree stumps, and other oversized items must be broken apart before a resident or hauler can dispose of them at a Washington County facility.
Washington County MD Bulky Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsSolid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance §§ 1.0, 3.3(7), 3.3(11)
Bulky waste means large items of solid waste which because of their size or weight require handling other than normally used for solid waste. Bulky waste includes, but is not necessarily limited to, such items as tree trunks and stumps, appliances, and furniture. ... The following are considered unacceptable wastes and no person shall deposit or cause to be deposited any of the following materi...
Recycling Requirements
Any company that hauls household trash in Washington County must also collect recyclables. The Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance requires a hauler who collects municipal solid waste to collect, or arrange for the collection of, recyclables kept separate from the rest of the waste stream, covering materials such as plastic bottles, newspapers, glass jars, cans, and cardboard.
Washington County MD Curbside Recycling Mandate
Some RestrictionsSolid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance §§ 1.0, 3.5
A hauler who collects municipal solid waste must also collect or provide for the collection of recyclables separated from all other forms of solid waste. ... Materials designated for recycling means those recyclable materials that the County identifies as reasonable to recycle when collection costs, processing costs, markets, and beneficial effects of reducing waste are considered. Materials de...
Illegal Dumping
Depositing solid waste anywhere but an approved County acceptance facility is banned under the Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance, with a civil fine up to $1,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for repeats, or a misdemeanor carrying up to 6 months in jail.
Illegal Dumping Penalties, Washington County, MD
Significant RestrictionsSolid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance for Washington County, MD §§ 2.3.1, 9.1, 9.3
2.3.1 No person shall deposit solid waste except in approved solid waste acceptance facilities in accordance with Section 3.0 of this Ordinance and all applicable federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations. ... 9.1 Any person who violates any provision of this Ordinance...shall be liable...for a civil fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for the first violation and up...
Yard Waste Collection
Washington County will not let yard waste go into the trash. Under Section 3.5.1 of the Solid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance, no one may dispose of yard waste by mixing it with other solid waste, and any yard waste brought to a county facility can only go to a designated wood waste processing area.
Washington County MD Yard Waste Disposal Rule
Some RestrictionsSolid Waste Collection Licensing Ordinance §§ 1.0, 3.5.1
Yard waste means any materials normally generated in the maintenance of gardens, yards, lawns, or landscaped areas, whether residential, commercial or public, including leaves, grass clippings, plants, shrubs, prunings and trimmings less than 4 feet in length and 2 inches in diameter. Yard waste does not include other tree waste, land clearing debris, waste pavement, or soil. ... No person shal...
Recycling Rules
State law gives Washington County's commissioners the power to regulate recycling and to punish contamination. The Code of Public Local Laws lets the County Commissioners adopt an ordinance regulating recycling in the county, and lets that ordinance impose penalties on anyone who places materials that are not recyclable into a recycling bin.
Washington County MD Recycling Ordinance Authority
Light RestrictionsWashington County Code of Public Local Laws § 1-704
(a) In general. The County Commissioners, by ordinance, may regulate recycling in the county. (b) Penalties authorized. The ordinance authorized under subsection (a) of this section may provide penalties for persons who place into recycling bins materials that are not recyclable.
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