Montgomery County, VA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Separation authority
- § 9.1-19, county administrator
- Cardboard duty
- § 9.1-20, must be collapsed
- Applies in
- County outside Blacksburg, Christiansburg
- Origin ordinance
- Ord. No. 1992-3, 7-27-92
Summary
Under the collection article of Montgomery County's trash code, the county administrator can order residents to separate solid waste by type before it goes to a county disposal facility, and anyone throwing out a cardboard box, carton or crate has to flatten it first.
In order to facilitate recycling of waste material and thereby reduce the volume of solid waste to be disposed of, the county administrator is authorized to promulgate reasonable rules and regulations requiring solid waste generated within the county, which is to be disposed of at a county disposal facility, be separated by type of waste for collection of such waste. ... It shall be the duty of users disposing of cardboard boxes, cartons or crates to collapse these prior to disposing them.
Full Breakdown
1-19, in Article II Solid Waste Collection, authorizes the county administrator to promulgate reasonable rules and regulations requiring that solid waste generated within the county and disposed of at a county disposal facility be separated by type of waste for collection, mirroring the recycling separation authority found in Article IV. 1-20, states a specific hands-on rule: it is the duty of anyone disposing of cardboard boxes, cartons or crates to collapse them before disposal, cutting down on the space they take at the curb or in a container.
Both sections trace to the county's original 1992 solid waste ordinance (Ord. No. 1992-3, adopted July 27, 1992). 1-19 applies specifically in the unincorporated county, Riner, Shawsville, Elliston, Prices Fork and Plum Creek among them, where the county provides direct or contracted collection.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 9.1 does not print a standalone fine inside §§ 9.1-19 or 9.1-20 for failing to separate waste or flatten cardboard; compliance is administered through the county administrator's implementing rules and regulations issued under § 9.1-19's authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to flatten cardboard boxes before putting them out?
Who decides how I have to sort my recyclables?
Does this separation rule apply in Blacksburg or Christiansburg?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery County
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