City Council Approves Elimination Of Plastic Bags For Yard Waste

Press release from the City of Fairfax:

06/10/2021 10:01 AM

At its June 9, 2021 meeting, the City of Fairfax City Council voted to amend Chapter 74 (Solid Waste) of the Code of the City of Fairfax to prohibit the use of plastic bags for the set out and collection of yard waste material, which consists of grass clippings, leaves, vines, and brush created during general landscape maintenance.

The change requires Fairfax City residents who receive curbside collection of yard waste to use reusable containers, paper yard waste bags, or to bundle their yard waste.

Although the new rule takes effect immediately, a transitional period from June 2021 to February 2022 will allow time for customer notification and education on the new rule. During the transitional period, yard waste set out in plastic bags will still continue to be collected.

The city plans to begin enforcement on March 1, 2022. At that time, yard waste that is set out in plastic bags will be identified with a red tag to notify the occupant of the violation and the material will be left on the curb.

Approximately 60 percent of residents already have stopped using plastic bags for yard waste, and nearly all municipalities in the D.C. metro area have prohibited the use of plastic bags for yard waste.

Prohibiting the use of plastic bags for yard waste will reduce plastic pollution in the city. When yard waste is collected in plastic bags, shreds of plastic get mixed into the composting process. It is very difficult to entirely remove plastic shreds from the final product. Plastic in the compost, even in small amounts, reduces the quality of the compost and provides a pathway for the plastic to get into our environment. The shredded plastic bags become part of the compost that we use in our yards and gardens, and the micro-plastics can end up in local streams, negatively affecting water quality.

Alternatives to using plastic bags for yard waste include:

• Grasscycling: Leave grass clippings on the ground during mowing. Cut grass fertilizes the lawn and creates a healthier, thicker turf.
• Composting: Compost yard waste along with other organics, such as food scraps, in the backyard.
• Reusable containers: Use reusable containers such as an old trash can labeled for yard waste.
• Paper yard waste bags: Use paper yard waste bags which are available online and in grocery, discount, hardware, and garden stores.
• Bundle yard waste: Bundle items like tree branches and sticks and tie them together with twine or rope made of natural fibers.

During leaf collection season (as designated by the city manager or his designee), leaves must be raked or placed at the curb or street edge. Leaves in bags or reusable containers will not be collected during leaf season. At all other times of the year, leaves must be disposed of as yard waste.

Residents also can deliver their yard waste to the I-95 Landfill Complex and the I-66 Transfer Station. At those locations, yard waste in paper bags or reusable containers will be accepted. As of April 19, 2021, the I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill no longer accept yard waste in plastic bags.

For more information, visit the refuse and recycling page.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.