Frederick County, VA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Not collected curbside
- Furniture, mattresses, white goods, tires, yard waste
- Resident duty
- Remove and properly dispose immediately if found
- Governing section
- § 142-28K(1), Frederick County Code
- Alternative disposal
- County landfill or convenience site, Chapter 142 Art. III
- Hot ashes
- Also refused under § 142-28K(3)
Summary
Frederick County's curbside program will not take bulky items. Under § 142-28K(1) of the County Code, furniture, mattresses, white goods, tires and yard waste are excluded from collection outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, and residents who set such items out must remove and properly dispose of them themselves.
K. Refuse not acceptable for collection. (1) No hazardous material, asbestos-laden material, explosives, radioactive material, animal manure, human excreta, industrial waste, masonry waste, infectious waste, automobiles or parts, bulky items such as furniture and mattresses, white goods, tires or yard waste will be collected. In the event that such refuse is discovered, the person placing such refuse for collection shall be required to remove and properly dispose of such refuse immediately.
Full Breakdown
Section 142-28K(1) of the Frederick County Code lists what the County's curbside crews will not pick up: hazardous material, asbestos-laden material, explosives, radioactive material, animal manure, human excreta, industrial waste, masonry waste, infectious waste, automobiles or parts, bulky items such as furniture and mattresses, white goods, tires and yard waste. If a crew discovers one of these items set out for collection, the person who placed it is required to remove it and dispose of it properly right away; the County will not simply skip it and leave it.
There are narrow carve-outs. Excreta in diapers from infants or from a person with a medical condition causing incontinence is collected if it is prepared under the chapter's requirements, and animal waste is collected if bagged in leak-proof plastic at least three mils thick and properly secured (§ 142-28K(1)). Radioactive material, drugs, poisons and similar substances must instead be handled under the supervision of the Director of Health or another qualified person, following Virginia Department of Environmental Quality rules (§ 142-28K(2)).
Because bulky items, tires and yard waste fall outside curbside service, residents in the unincorporated county must arrange their own disposal, hauling the material to the County's landfill or a convenience site themselves under Chapter 142, Article III, or hiring a permitted private hauler. Ashes containing hot coals or live fire are also refused (§ 142-28K(3)), and refuse generated outside the County will not be collected at all (§ 142-28K(4)).
Violations & Fines
Section 142-28K(1) makes the resident, not the County, responsible for removing any refused item immediately once it is found still sitting at the curb. Frederick County Code § 1-8's general penalty applies to Chapter 142 violations without a specific fine: up to a $2,500 fine, up to 12 months in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Frederick County pick up my old couch at the curb?
Where can I take yard waste and tires in Frederick County?
What happens if I leave a mattress out anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frederick County
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