Refuse and Recycling

Snow and bad weather can make setting out your trash and recycling difficult and even hazardous to your health. Here are a few tips to make your winter trash and recycling collection easier:

• Trash and recycling collection may be postponed or delayed when road conditions are poor. Check the City of Manassas government channel, website, Facebook page or call the Trashline on (703) 257-8252.
• Make your container easy to see. Set your trash out in hard sided containers with tight fitting lids, preferably the City trash and recycling containers.
• Think before you set out bulk waste. Setting out large items in bad weather can be dangerous for you and for the crew. Please call ahead to schedule bulk waste collection.
• Report damaged carts and/or bins. Freezing cold weather can be hard on plastic containers causing them to shatter and break. Call the Trashline on (703) 257-8252 as soon as you see damage and we will replace your container on the next scheduled delivery day.
• Please have patience. Our aim is to collect your trash and recycling in a timely manner. Our contractor will be checking the safety of road conditions all night before they postpone or cancel service. Sometimes a storm may not be as bad as it seems and collections will follow a regular schedule. We will let you know as soon as there are any changes.

Over 75% of waste is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it! 

When we convert old and waste products into something new, we are saving resources and sending less trash to the landfills. When we recycle: It reduces the amount of trash sent to landfills and incinerators. We conserve our natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. The levels of pollution are reduced because we don’t need to collect new raw materials for the things we need. It saves energy. The greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change are reduced. We are helping to protect the environment for future generations. New well-paying jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States are created building a “green collar” industry that protects the environment and sustains workers and their families.

When the average person looks at their recycling bins, they don’t see a $117 billion dollar industry or make the connection that the simple act of sorting plastic, cardboard, paper and cans supports over 500,000 jobs in the US, which in turn sustains many other local businesses and services that communities rely on.

In a recent report published by the Institute if Scrap Recycling Industries, recycling in the City of Manassas has created 347 jobs and provides an estimated $80 million to our local economy.

The economic impact does not end there. The City pays $60 for every ton of trash that we send to landfill. In 2017, City residents generated 12,786 tons of trash. The cost of disposal was just over $767 thousand. As part of our contract with American Disposal Services, the cost of disposing our recyclable materials is $0

If you don’t believe there is a value to recycling, think again. When you don’t recycle – you pay.

You can make a difference and support your friends and neighbors just by following three simple rules for curbside recycling:

• Only recycle empty hard plastics, metal cans, paper and cardboard.
• Rinse cans, jars and bottles before you put them in your cart or bin. 
• Do not put plastic trash or shopping bags in your recycling cart.

The City of Manassas is working in partnership with our contractors and other regional jurisdictions to develop policies and outreach information for residents that clearly explains recycling requirements and improves public understanding of the economic and environmental consequences of recycling contamination.

The City of Manassas is working to clean up household recycling because throwing it all away – just doesn’t make sense.

For more information call: (703) 257-8256 or visit www.manassascity.org/trash

Single-stream recycling seems is simple. You all of your paper, plastic or metal—into your cart or bin. The City contractor comes and takes that cart or bin away. It gets taken to the American Recycling Center where it gets separated through a series of screens, magnets and sorters. Once everything is sorted, it gets baled (like hay) and then sent on to companies who use the materials to make new things like: carpeting, insulation, tissue, greeting cards and lots of other items made from recycled materials. 

Our City contractor, American Disposal Services, does not pick up yard waste, recycling or trash on July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day. If the holiday falls on your regular collection day, the make up day for service will change. Please check the Trash and Recycling page for dates and details.

The City of Manassas holds 9 drop-off days for Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste (eWaste) every year between the months of March and November.  Click here for more details.

Yes we do! The City has recently introduced curbside television and compute monitor collection. All you have to do is call the Trashline on (703) 257-8252 to schedule a pickup. 

The City also has nine scheduled drop-off days for residents to recycle their electronic equipment along with their household hazardous waste. Click here for more information.

TVs and computer equipment contain hazardous metals such as lead, mercury, nickel, and cadmium. These metals are banned from many landfill sites and require a special license for collection. We want to make sure that all TVs and other eWaste materials are disposed of properly.

Yes, we do! Just click here for more information.

Contact the City of Manassas Trashline at 703-257-8252. The office is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

The Courtesy Truck is a paid for service ($85.00) offered by the City. All you have to do is call 703-257-8252 to schedule a truck to be delivered to your door. You can fill the truck with trash including yard waste and building materials. Household Hazardous Waste, stone, rock and concrete are not allowed. The City will collect the truck on the morning of the next business day - and you're done!

Yes! The current sites for public dumpsters are: 

• 8500 Public Works Drive (in the back of the parking lot to the right of the Public Works building) 
• 9412 Main Street (in the parking area behind Mackey's American Pub) 
• Behind the Harris Pavilion 
• 8305 Quarry Road (to the left of the weigh scale as you enter the Manassas Transfer Station)

 Yes!. The Manassas Transfer Station at 8305 Quarry Road accepts recyclable materials. Call the Manassas Transfer Station on 703-331-0800 for more information.

Please be advised that the coding on plastic products can be a bit misleading. 

If you are like many of us, when trying to determine whether to recycle something or throw it in the trash, you look for the “chasing arrows” or recycle symbol.   You may find the symbol on paper, glass, metals, and plastics.   When dealing with plastics, many of them carry the symbol with a number inside. For years, curbside programs relied on these numbers to determine recyclability.  Unfortunately, as we see record high contamination rates, that symbol doesn’t always mean an item can go into your recycling bin at home. These numbers, or codes, represent the type of plastic (resin) the item is made from.  

In 1988, the US Society of Plastics Industry introduced the Resin Identification Code system and started labeling plastic material.  They adopted the same “chasing arrows” that are associated with recycling.  As you can imagine, this has created confusion for consumers who think the resin code is the universal symbol for recycling. In recent years, the Resin Identification Codes (RIC) has been changed to a solid triangle to eliminate confusion, but the damage is done.  Sorting facilities across the country are experiencing high contamination levels because they receive many items that carry this symbol but aren’t part of the curbside program.  High contamination levels slow the sorting process, increase costs and can ruin good material.

Codes explained:

• #1 represents Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) and is the material used for plastic drinks bottles. This can go into your curbside recycling.
• #2 represents High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and is the material used for plastic used for food and chemicals, beverages and personal care packaging. Milk jugs, shampoo bottles, soap bottles, and bleach bottles. This can go into your curbside recycling.
• #3 represents Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and is the material used in building and construction, health care, electronics, automobile, and other sectors, in products ranging from piping and siding, blood bags and tubing, to wire and cable insulation. This CANNOT go into your curbside recycling.
• #4 represents Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and is the flexible plastic material used for household items like plastic wrap, grocery bags, dry cleaning bags, zip-lock bags, bread bags, frozen food containers, and squeezable bottles. This CANNOT go into your curbside recycling. However, you can drop off this material for recycling at your local grocery store. It goes to a local company called Trex and is recycled into decking and playground equipment.
• #5 represents Polypropylene (PP) and is the material used for children's toys, storage boxes, disposable bottles, plastic pails. This can go into your curbside recycling.
• #6 represents Polystyrene (PS) and is the material found in disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, and carry-out containers. This CANNOT go into your curbside recycling.
• #7 represents Other, Polycarbonates and covers a whole range of plastic products from CDs to eyeglass frames to other hard plastics used in the home and in manufacturing. This CANNOT go into your curbside recycling.

Remember all plastic tubs, jugs, and bottles should be empty before placing them in your recycling bin.  Lids are too small to recycle by themselves so put them back on the empty containers to ensure they are recycled.

If you still wish to use the RIC code for your sorting your recycling, the City of Manassas accepts plastic bottles and containers (such as tubs with lids #1, #2, and #5) and clean rigid/hard plastics for recycling. The City does NOT accept: #3, #4, #6 or #7.

Styrofoam is problematic for two reasons: it can’t be recycled along with other materials such as paper and plastic because it contains the a material called benzene, which is a known human carcinogen. Due to its known toxicity to humans approximately two dozen cities no longer allow the use of polystyrene for the purpose of shipping meat or in fast food establishments. Styrofoam is produced and trademarked by the Dow Company. Generically is called polystyrene. It is plastic and is marked with the Recycling symbol (Mobius Loop) #6 PS. Note that not all packaging that looks like Styrofoam is plastic #6. If the material is ridged and hard most likely it is Styrofoam. The logo is misleading. It's not a recycling stamp, even though the graphic is clearly slated towards recycling. It's a "resin recycling code", which tells you what kind of plastic you've got. Some plastics can be recycled, and some can't. Many recycling facilities won't take it just because they either do not have the appropriate recycling equipment or the amount is too small. The recycling facility that is used by the City of Manassas does not recycle Styrofoam. It isn’t the perfect scenario but hopefully over time Styrofoam’s use will diminish and will be replaced with other materials such recycled paper.

Plastic bags, as common as they are, are still not as widely recycled as other forms of plastic. According to the EPA, only 12 percent of the category of plastics that includes bags, sacks, and wraps ended up getting recycled. That’s compared to 31 percent of PET bottles and jars (water bottles or peanut jars, for example). Typically made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE, number 2 plastic) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE, number 4 plastic), plastic bags and other soft plastics are difficult to recycle because of their form. 

When plastic bags get mixed in with other recyclables, they are difficult to sort out, and often jam or damage the machines at materials recovery facilities and slow down the recycling process. The City of Manassas sends all of our recycling to the American Recycling Center in the City of Manassas. Their equipment is designed to separate rigid materials like cans, bottles, or paper products. 

How Can I Tell What is Plastic Film? 
That’s easy! If the plastic material in question can be wrapped around your finger, it doesn’t belong in your recycle bin. 

Where Can I Recycle Plastic Bags? 

While it is best to reduce the amount of plastic bags you use by reusing them or remembering to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store, you can still recycle plastic bags and keep them out of landfills or the environment. Most large grocery chains, home improvement stores, and retailers, like Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Giant, Walmart and Target, provide collection bins for clean and dry soft plastics such as: 

• Grocery/carryout bags
• Newspaper delivery bags
• Dry cleaning wraps 
• Bread and produce bags 
• Zipper food storage bags 
• Plastic cereal box liners 
• Case wrap/shipping packaging (often found around diapers, snacks, water bottles, and paper towels)

 All of the plastic bags and wraps are collected and then shipped to Trex in Winchester, where they are turned into backyard decking, fences and playground equipment. Trex also has a recycling program in local schools. If a school can collect more than 500 pounds of plastic refuse in a six-month span (about 40,500 plastic bags), Trex will donate a composite bench to the school. 

There are three reasons why your collection may be missed:

Timing:
The City of Manassas works with American Disposal Services to collect trash, yard waste and recycling. They work to a regular schedule for collection that often begins early in the morning and goes through to about 6 p.m. at night. The route taken by the contractor changes from time to time. Residents are asked to set their trash, yard waste and recycling out to the curb the night before their collection day to make sure that they have everything out at the curb in time for collection.

Incorrect Set Out:
Trash should be set out in the trash containers provided by the City or in private trash containers. Sometimes residents put their trash into their recycling carts.
 Please refer to our cart guide for more information. Please be advised that you may be fined for putting your trash in the wrong cart. If you need an extra trash cart, please call the Trashline on (703) 257-8252

Uncollectable Material:
The City does not collect everything that is set out. You may be fined for setting out excess material  or uncollectable material.  Please call the Trashline on (703) 257-8252 for more information.