The Arlington County Board today adopted an amendment to its refuse code that will bring year-round yard waste curbside collection services to households beginning April 1, 2016. The new program is expected to divert up to 9,000 more tons of compostable material from the waste stream, increasing Arlington’s recycling rate by up to 13 percent. The County’s current residential recycling rate is among the highest in the region, at 47.2 percent.
Increase in FY 2017 Household Solid Waste Rate
The Household Solid Waste Rate would remain $271.04 through the end of Fiscal Year 2016, and the addition of year-round yard waste services could increase the rate to no more than $308 in Fiscal Year 2017. Arlington currently charges the lowest per-household solid waste rate in the region, roughly $66 less than the next lowest cost jurisdiction.
Background
Arlington’s existing seasonal collection of leaves lasts 10 weeks in the fall and six weeks each spring for yard waste such as leaves, plants, shrub trimmings and small branches. During the rest of the year, yard waste is handled as trash and converted to energy at the waste-to-energy facility in Alexandria
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