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    • Environmental Services

    Solid Waste Management Plan

     

    Overview of Solid Waste Management Plan

    The Arlington County Board adopted the Arlington County Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) on June 12, 2004. The plan was based on the recommendations of the Solid Waste Committee of the Arlington Environment and Energy Conservation Commission and includes important solid waste goals to help achieve environmental sustainability.

    The SWMP was developed in response to regulations adopted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in 2001 that require all local Virginia jurisdictions to submit updated 20-year plans by July 1, 2004. The plan meets the state requirements and lays the groundwork for the future expansion of the County’s solid waste programs.

    The SWMP establishes Arlington's policies for solid waste management. The SWMP also serves as a guide for the future growth of the County’s solid waste management system, which includes:

    • Waste-to-energy plant that converts waste collected in Arlington and the City of Alexandria into electricity
    • Recycling requirements for businesses and multi-family dwellings in the County
    • Refuse and recycling collection services for all single-family and duplex residences
    • Waste reduction programs (yard composting, etc.)

    Arlington’s Environmental Goals for Solid Waste

    The Solid Waste Management Plan describes a strategy to help achieve environmental sustainability. To do so, Arlington is focusing on moving the County toward waste reduction, specifically:

    1. Reduce. The most desirable behavior. Reduction of solid waste is the most efficient way to keep materials out of the landfill, reduce costs of collection and reduce air pollution from collection trucks.
    2. Reuse. Reusing materials is an excellent way to reduce solid waste.
    3. Recycle. When the first two steps cannot be avoided, recycling of all possible materials reduces materials going to the landfill.
    4. Waste-To-Energy. All materials left over from steps 1, 2, and 3 should be taken to the County’s waste-to-energy plant, where waste is converted to electricity that supplies power to 23,000 homes. This reduces the waste in volume by 90% thus decreasing the amount sent to the landfill.
    5. Landfill. The solution of last resort where waste is buried in the ground.

    Solid Waste Management Plan

    Cover Page (PDF) (309KB)
    Table of Contents (PDF) (393KB)
    Introductory Materials (PDF) (438KB)
    Section 1: Introduction (PDF) (425KB)
    Section 2: Projections and Waste Quantities (PDF) (808KB)
    Section 3: Waste Composition, Collection and Disposal (PDF) (758KB)
    Section 4: Hierarchy (PDF) (393KB)
    Section 5: Citizen Advisory Group (PDF) (416KB)
    Section 6: Objectives (PDF) (429KB)
    Section 7: Implementation Plan (PDF) (498KB)
    Section 8: Funding and Construction Schedules (PDF) (384KB)
    Section 9: Public Participation (PDF) (455KB)
    Section 10: References (PDF) (377KB)
    Section 11: Acronyms (PDF) (377KB)
    Section 12: Glossary (PDF) (381KB)
    Appendix A: Solid Waste Management Plan Adoption Resolution (PDF) (528KB)
    Appendix B: Notes for Tables 2-5 and 2-6 (PDF) (417KB)
    Appendix C: Virginia DEQ Recycling Report as Submitted by Arlington County for CY 2002 (PDF) (1317KB)
    Appendix D: Multi-Family and Commercial Property Recycling Reports (PDF) (458KB)
    Appendix E: Solid Waste Committee Meeting Minutes (PDF) (493KB)
    Appendix F: Environment and Energy Conservation Commission (PDF) (470KB)
    Appendix G: Solid Waste Committee Recommendations for Solid Waste Management Plan (PDF) (516KB)
    Appendix H: Public Hearing Summary (PDF) (385KB)
    Appendix I: Staff Response to Public Comments at Public Hearing (PDF) (426KB)
    Appendix J: DEQ and Staff Correspondence (Added February 2007) (PDF) (1.8MB)
    Entire Document (PDF) (4MB)

    Last Modified: May 10, 2013
    2100 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201 Tel: 703-228-3000 TTY: 703-228-4611