Fairfax County is seeking feedback on its current solid waste management practices and strategies for achieving 鈥渮ero waste.鈥� Open from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, the survey asks residents to share their opinions on how the county handles solid waste and possible ways it could divert 90% of trash from landfills and incineration.
According to a press release from the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, the county currently recycles or composts only about half of the 23,000 tons of waste produced by residents each week. The rest is taken to landfills or incinerated 鈥� a practice that the county wants to minimize.
Proposed strategies include a county-managed waste service model or unified sanitation district, which would involve the county managing waste collection contracts with private haulers instead of leaving the arrangements up to individual residents or homeowners associations. Another option is a 鈥減ay-as-you-throw鈥� system, where residents would be charged based on the amount of trash they generate, while recycling would have a fixed cost. The county is also exploring mandatory food scraps recycling, which would require residents to separate their food waste for composting.