Arlington County, VA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

A of the Arlington County Code requires the owner or occupant of each one-family or two-family dwelling, as well as each unit of an Expanded Housing Option Development built under §10-4 of the Zoning Ordinance, to participate in the Arlington County Residential Collection System. In exchange, the County collects Trash, Recyclable Materials and Yard Trimmings from every participating dwelling on a weekly basis and provides one Trash Cart, one Recycling Cart and one Organics Cart as part of the base service; additional carts cost extra.

The County Manager can grant safety or health exceptions, and home occupations generating only a de minimis amount of waste can also receive collection, though they don't qualify for Special Collections. Townhouse developments built after July 1, 2003 must participate as a group if each unit is individually metered for water and the collection truck can access and turn around safely; private streets serving the development need to be at least 14 feet wide, built to County Department of Environmental Services standards. 27 per dwelling, billed quarterly for weekly service starting the quarter of July 1, 2026, and the charge applies whether or not the dwelling is occupied. Nonprofit Organizations that qualify are billed the same rate monthly instead of quarterly.