Like Arlington Co., City of Alexandria and Fairfax Co, the City of Falls Church is asking its residents to limit the amount of trash they leave out at the curb each week due to a surge in residential trash over the past month.
Virginia’s stay at home order, combined with self-quarantining, non-essential business closures and other social distancing measures have contributed to as much as a 40-percent increase in residential trash tonnage and is putting a strain on the region’s waste management systems, Arlington Co. reported in a release Monday.
An F.C. official told the News-Press the City is experiencing the same problem its regional neighbors are and will ask residents to reduce the waste they discard.
Guidelines for residents to assist waste management crews include the following:
• Dispose of used wipes, tissues and paper towels in trash bags that are tied shut.
• Minimize setting extra bags outside the cart.
• Refrain from generating large amounts of waste – keep spring cleaning pile in the basement, attic or garage until normal operations resume.
• Flatten cardboard boxes to create more room in recycling carts.
• Consider backyard composting or “grasscycling” lawn clippings.
