Christmas Tree Recycling

Curbside Recycling 

Residents who receive curbside recycling services should contact their homeowners association, town office, or private waste collector for Christmas tree curbside recycling information. See Residential Recycling tab for more information.

Christmas Tree Recycling Locations & Fees

From late December through mid-January residents may take their Christmas trees to the locations listed below for recycling. Christmas trees will be processed into mulch available for free to Loudoun residents at the Landfill.

Tree vendors operating in Loudoun County who have leftover trees may recycle them at the Loudoun County landfill for $68 a ton.  Netting, rope, wire, tags and other items must be removed prior to recycling.  The drop off locations listed here are for residential use only, no tree vendors.

Recycling Guidelines

• Christmas trees should not be placed in bags. 
• All decorations, light strands, tree stand, and bag should be removed before setting the trees out for recycling or taking them to any of the county's collection locations.
• The Christmas tree drop-off program is for residential use only. 
• Tree vendors are welcome to use the Loudoun County Landfill.

Contact

For more information, please call 703-771-5514.

Recycling Centers

View information on the Recycling Drop-off Centers including accepted materials.

Recycling Center Locations

• Arcola Community Center
• Central Western Loudoun (Hamilton)
• Loudoun County Landfill
• Lovettsville
• Lucketts Elementary School
• Mickie Gordon Memorial Park
• Philmont Fire Department
• Sterling Park

Donating Used Items

• Residents and businesses are encouraged to donate reusable items to donation centers. 
• Donation centers in the county are listed below and should be contacted directly for accepted items. 
  • This list is not all-inclusive. Inclusion on this list does not imply an endorsement of the organization or their services by Loudoun County. 
• Organizations interested in being added to this list should contact 703-771-5500 or email us.

Donation Centers in Loudoun County

Loudoun County Electronics Recycling Events

Loudoun County offers two electronics recycling events each year. 

Where to recycle your electronics

• For local electronic recycling resources, visit A to Z Local Recycling Resources (PDF).

Why recycle electronics

• Electronics are made with a variety of valuable resources such as precious metals, plastics, steel, aluminum, glass and other materials, all of which require energy to manufacture.
• When electronic equipment is simply discarded as waste, the energy value in these resources is lost and substantial amounts of waste and pollution result in the mining and processing of natural resources needed to replace those that were discarded.
• Electronics make up approximately 2% of our waste each year, which equates to nearly 6,000 tons in Loudoun County, and most of this material is recyclable.

Resources

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides information about electronics waste and recycling, and offers a comprehensive selection of recycling options.

Glass Bottle and Jar Recycling

Glass bottles and jars are accepted for recycling through the Loudoun County Glass Recycling Program at the following recycling drop-off locations:

• Arcola Recycling Center
• Central Western Loudoun Recycling Center
• Landfill Recycling Center
• Mickie Gordon Memorial Park Recycling Center
• Philomont Recycling Center
• Sterling Recycling Center

Recycling Guidelines 

• Glass bottles and jars only, no other glass or other items.
• No bottle caps or corks, and no lids. 
• Bottles and jars must be empty and rinsed out.
• No bags.
• Use caution depositing bottles and jars into container, broken glass may be present.
• If the recycling container is full, come back another day and do not leave items on the ground.

The Status of Glass Bottle Recycling in Northern Virginia

Jurisdictions throughout northern Virginia have added numerous recycling drop-off locations for segregated glass bottles and jars to help divert the material to more sustainable end uses such as bottle to bottle recycling, production of fiberglass insulation, and use as an alternative aggregate in construction.

Glass bottles and jars that are collected commingled with other recyclables, such as through curbside recycling programs, are currently unable to be processed for recycling by material recovery facilities serving our region. When glass containers go through the sorting process with other materials collected through curbside recycling, the glass ends up as a mixed material containing residual bits of plastic, paper and metal that are not able to be recycled. In order for the glass to be recycled at this point, additional processing capability which is currently unavailable to this region would be required. This means that the glass and other mixed residuals are disposed as waste, or are transferred to landfills to be used as “alternative cover,” such as material to cover the daily trash received at landfills. 

Hazardous Waste Programs

Residents

Visit Household Hazardous Waste for information on:

• Broken Thermometers, Fluorescent Bulbs, and CFLs
• Disposal of Sharps and Syringes
• Disposal of Unused Medication

Businesses

Information on business hazardous waste recycling. 

Paper Shredding and Document Destruction Services

Loudoun County does not offer paper shredding services.

Below is a list of local paper shredding and document destruction service providers:

• Leesburg Document Shred Events - Town of Leesburg residents only, events are held twice a year - in the spring and fall.
• Office Depot stores located in Leesburg and Sterling provide paper shredding services; fees apply.
• Securis located in Chantilly provided paper shredding during its monthly electronics recycling events. The cost is $10 per 10 inch by 12 inch by 15 inch box.
• Shred Nations located inside the UPS Store in Leesburg provides shredding services; fees apply.
• Staples in Leesburg provides paper shredding services at store locations; fees apply.

Plastic Bag Recycling

Loudoun County does not offer plastic bag recycling.

Listed below are locations that offer plastic bag recycling, check with individual locations for restrictions.

Guidelines

• Plastic bags, films, and wraps may be recycled at participating locations.
• All bags must be clean, dry, and free of food residue.
• Do not place plastic bags in curbside recycling bins or at the Recycling Drop-off Centers

This information is not all-inclusive. Inclusion does not imply an endorsement of the organization or their services by Loudoun County. 

Trex Recycling Program

For more information visit, the Trex Recycling Program.

Resources

Find a plastic bag recycling facility near you.

• Plastic Film Recycling Website

Recycling Bins for Special Events

• Loudoun County provides free recycling bins for loan to large and small gatherings including festivals, neighborhood parties, sporting events, family reunions, and for other events of any size.
• The recycling bins are constructed with a collapsible metal frame (lays flat) and a specialized snap-on lid. A clear bag inserts into the frame. Bags are provided at no charge.
• Up to 50 recycling bins are available for loan on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Up to five indoor recycling bins are available for loan also. The indoor recycling bins are plastic, approximately 3 foot by 2 foot by 8 foot and include a specialized lid.

Reserve Recycling Bins

The recycling bins may be picked up and returned by appointment in Leesburg.  Call 703-771-5500 to reserve recycling bins for your next event.

Consider the following items in order to determine how many bins are needed:

• Number of Vendors or Attendees
• Serving Food & Beverages
• Placement of Receptacles (entry/exit points, near vendors, near restrooms)
• Emptying & Transferring Material (during and at end of event)

What Do I Do with My Recyclables After the Event

Bagged recyclables may be deposited at any Loudoun County Recycling Dropoff Center location. Find out more information about the Recycling Dropoff Centers and the location nearest you.

Promote Recycling at Your Event

• Encourage recycling by promoting it during special announcements and by advertising recycling in the event program and on a sign at the entrance.
• Recycling bins should be clearly marked to help prevent them from being used for trash. The Loudoun County will provide recycling decals to assist your promotional efforts, please call 703-771-5500.
• It also helps to use recycling bins that have a reduced opening in the top that will limit the size to that of a bottle or can and help keep trash out. For example, plastic trash cans with lids are an inexpensive option for recycling bins by simply cutting a small circular hole in the lid for bottles and cans.

Residential Recycling

Curbside recycling collection services are provided only by town governments, homeowners associations / community associations, or directly by one of the solid waste disposal and recycling companies.

Residents may also drop-off their recyclables at any of several drop-off sites located throughout the county.

Curbside Trash and Recycling Set-Out Requirements 

Loudoun County Trash and Recycling Set-Out Requirements (town residents should check with their respective town administrative office as requirements may vary) -

Trash that is set out for curbside collection shall be in a durable container having a closely-fitting lid and handles to facilitate collection.

Materials intended for recycling such as bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard shall be set out separately from trash.  

Recyclables must be set out in a durable container that is adequately covered or secured and maintained so as to prevent blowing, spilling, or littering of the materials from the collection container.  In no event shall recyclable material be set out in plastic bags nor shall any plastic bags be deposited in any recycling container that is not specifically marked as accepting plastic bags.

Recyclable bottles and cans shall be empty, rinsed and drained of food particles, and shall be deposited loosely in the recycling container, not in bags.  Cardboard boxes shall be empty, flattened and secured to prevent blowing or littering.

Recycling Bins

Curbside recycling containers are provided by the service provider (i.e. town government, homeowners association / community association, or waste hauler) that is responsible for ensuring service. Recycling containers are also available for purchase at local home improvement stores and on the Internet.  

Recyclables should be placed loosely in the recycling container, without the bag, and the recycling container should have a lid or cover to prevent recyclables from falling or blowing out.  Do not use string, twine, rope, wire, or tape to bundle paper or cardboard.  Cardboard boxes should be empty and flattened.   

Yard Waste

Grass clippings, leaves, and twigs should not be set out in plastic bags, only use paper bags designed for yard waste or a reusable container.

Accepted & Unaccepted Items for Curbside Recycling

Items set out for curbside recycling should be limited to what is listed in the "Accepted Items" section of the following table unless specifically directed otherwise by your curbside recycling service provider.  

Bottles, cans, jugs, and jars should be empty and rinsed out.  Conserve water by using left over dishwater or add a small amount of water to the container, put the lid on and shake to rinse.   

Plastic bags of any type are not accepted for curbside recycling because they cause equipment jamming issues at recycling sorting facilities, which also includes any plastic bags used for carrying out the recyclables. Place all recyclables loosely in recycling container.  Plastic grocery bags should be returned to grocery stores for recycling. See the Plastic Bag Recycling Tab for programs related to plastic bag recycling.

More Information

• Recycling Guide (PDF)
• A to Z Recycling (PDF) contains more information for scrap metal items, household batteries, light bulbs, electronics, motor oil, other automotive fluids, and car batteries.
• Disposal of garbage, latex paint, construction materials, plate glass, and other types of trash is available at our landfill page.  
• Hazardous materials and substances and medical wastes disposal information.