Alexandria, VA – So many of us have been forced to work from home or are laid off during this pandemic. Being at home has opened up a myriad of opportunities to do all the chores and tasks you have been postponing for ages. Many of us are clearing out closets or cleaning out the garden. But we have been faced with where to put the trash. Many rely on local listservs to give away or sell items but yard waste disposal has been a problem since early April when the City stopped picking it up. Tree limbs, black plastic bags of leaf and shrub cuttings and grass trimmings are littering the streets of Alexandria.
The City of Alexandria is opening a temporary drop-off site for residents to dispose of the grass, leaves, brush, branches and other yard waste materials that have accumulated. The temporary drop-off location provides Alexandria residents a way to dispose of yard waste during the City’s suspension of curbside yard waste collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yard waste may be dropped off at the City’s leaf processing yard (4251 Eisenhower Ave.) on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents using the facility should follow these guidelines:
- The drop-off site is for Alexandria residents only; residents must show government ID or a piece of mail showing their name and address to confirm residency. Contractors and other commercial entities will not be permitted to use the site.
- Residents may drop off yard waste in containers that can be emptied on-site, or in biodegradable paper bags to be ground and processed.
- Residents are responsible for removing yard waste from their vehicles and putting them in the appropriate containers (staff will be on-site to help control traffic and monitor materials).
- Residents are asked to follow guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to maintain 6 feet of physical distance and wear cloth face coverings while they are depositing items at the site.
- Dirt, sod, stumps, rocks, and stones will not be accepted.
Due to ongoing road work in the area, residents approaching the facility from the east will be required to pass the facility, turn around, and enter a queue so they can turn into the facility from the west. City staff will be on-site to help direct this traffic.
The City suspended its curbside yard waste collection earlier this month to minimize risk to employees in light of COVID-19. Refuse collectors, like many essential workers in the public and private sectors, must take risks just by coming to work each day. Additionally, they are facing the challenge of a historic 30% increase in trash and recycling volume. This, coupled with additional cleaning and safety protocols related to the virus, makes for a much longer, more difficult workday. Suspending yard waste collection, along with a handful of other resource recovery services, allows staff to focus on the safe, timely collection of trash and recycling, which are essential services that support public health.
Visit alexandriava.gov/ResourceRecovery for more information on the City’s yard waste program and other COVID-19 related changes to Alexandria’s waste management services.
