Montgomery County, VA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 9.1-36, bulk/roll-off containers
- Who may use them
- County residents, household waste
- Banned items
- Building materials, brush, tires, appliances
- Scavenging
- Unlawful to remove items from container
- Bag limit
- 33 gallons or less, drained, bagged
Summary
Montgomery County places bulk containers and roll-off 'green boxes' around the county for residents to dump household waste. It is unlawful to deposit oversized items, building materials, brush, tires, mattresses or commercial waste in them, to block access by dumping outside the box, for non-residents to use them, or to scavenge from them.
Bulk containers and roll-off containers for use by county residents. Bulk containers and roll-off containers may be placed at locations within the county for the use by county residents for the disposal of household waste. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit inside a bulk or roll-off container any item too large to fit therein, discarded building materials, trees, leaves, grass clippings, brush, manure, animals or animal carcasses, household appliances, furniture, tires, mattresses, bedsprings, carpet, large cardboard boxes, or any commercial or industrial waste materials. It shall be unlawful for any person to place any waste outside the containers and to block access at the site. It shall be unlawful for noncounty residents to deposit any waste that originated outside the county in the containers. Scavenging. It shall be unlawful for any person to scavenge in or around the containers or otherwise remove any discarded solid waste from or about any bulk or roll-off container.
Full Breakdown
1-36, Use of Bulk Containers and Roll-Off Containers or Green Boxes, sets the rules for the county's unstaffed drop-off sites. The containers are placed at locations within the county for use by county residents disposing of household waste, and must be used in compliance with the notice posted on or near each container. The section then lists what cannot go in: it is unlawful to deposit any item too large to fit in the container, discarded building materials, trees, leaves, grass clippings, brush, manure, animals or animal carcasses, household appliances, furniture, tires, mattresses, bedsprings, carpet, large cardboard boxes, or any commercial or industrial waste.
It is also unlawful to place waste outside the containers and block site access, and unlawful for noncounty residents to deposit waste that originated outside the county. A separate clause bans scavenging: it is unlawful for any person to scavenge in or around the containers or remove discarded solid waste from or about them. Related provisions in the same section require garbage and trash to be drained of free liquid and bagged in thirty-three-gallon or smaller bags, and require ashes or coals placed in the containers to be wetted and cold.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 9.1 makes each listed act, dumping unacceptable items, blocking access, out-of-county dumping, and scavenging, independently unlawful under § 9.1-36. The chapter's general nonresidential reporting provision, § 9.1-46, is enforced as a Class 3 misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, reflecting the misdemeanor-level enforcement Chapter 9.1 uses for its unlawful-act provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put old tires or a mattress in the county's green box?
Can someone from outside the county use these containers?
Is it legal to take items out of a roll-off container?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery County
Compare Montgomery County to another location·View the Virginia trash & recycling overview
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