Junk removal handles furniture, appliances and general household clutter — but it can't take household hazardous waste like paint, chemicals, propane tanks or certain batteries, and a junk-hauling business legally can't use a county's household hazardous waste program on a customer's behalf either. In Fairfax County and Arlington County, those items go through separate, resident-only programs, and the two counties don't run them the same way.
Fairfax County's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program is free, but it's for Fairfax County residents only, with proof of residency required — a driver's license, state ID, property tax bill or utility bill. It runs at two sites: the I-66 Transfer Station and the I-95 Landfill Complex (Fairfax County HHW program, as of September 2026). Check the current hours before you go, since HHW hours differ by site and by day.
The program takes paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, household cleaners, aerosols, automotive fluids, propane tanks up to 20 pounds and similar items. Some things that sound hazardous are actually fine in the regular trash: dried latex paint (air-dry the can first) and empty containers, for example.
A junk-hauling business can't bring a customer's hazardous waste here. Fairfax says directly that "hazardous wastes from businesses are regulated separately and may not be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Program." If you're hiring junk removal and you have old paint, chemicals or similar items mixed in, set those aside and take them to an HHW site yourself.
Arlington's equivalent is the Household Hazardous Materials (HHM) Facility, which moved to 565 31st St. S. as of October 2025. It's free, for Arlington County residents and employees only, and business or commercial hazardous materials aren't accepted there either (Arlington County HHM Facility, as of September 2026).
Arlington also runs E-CARE, a household hazardous materials and electronics drop-off event held twice a year, for residents only (bring ID). The spring 2026 event already took place on March 28 at Wakefield High School; the county hadn't posted a fall 2026 date as of this writing, so check Arlington's E-CARE page for it. E-CARE is free except for a fee on CRT televisions and CRT computer monitors — the only items that carry a charge.
This depends entirely on who collects your trash, and most people in both counties are on a private hauler rather than county service:
| Fairfax County | Arlington County | |
|---|---|---|
| Direct county collection | About 10% of residents; the rest use a private company | Covers single-family homes, duplexes and some townhouses; apartments and condos use private haulers |
| If you have county collection | Scheduled special collections for bulk items, appliances and metal, arranged in advance | Bulky furniture can be set at the curb with regular trash without a pickup request; appliances and metal need to be scheduled |
| If you have a private hauler | Contact your hauler directly for bulk pickup rules | Contact your hauler directly |
| Heavy items | — | Anything over 500 pounds needs a private hauler, at your own expense |
All as of September 2026, from each county's official page.
If you're not on direct county collection — the situation for most Fairfax households — junk removal is usually the more practical option for a large piece of furniture or an old appliance than waiting on a private hauler's bulk rules.
Fairfax and Arlington genuinely disagree here, so use your own county's rule rather than a neighbor's:
| Fairfax County | Arlington County | |
|---|---|---|
| Latex paint | Air-dry the paint and throw the can in the regular trash | Under 25% full: solidify with an absorbent material and trash it. Over 25% full: take it to the HHM Facility |
| Alkaline batteries (AA/AAA) | Not specifically listed as trash-safe on the county's HHW page | Regular household alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries go in the regular trash |
| Rechargeable batteries | Accepted at HHW sites | Drop off at an Arlington fire station or the HHM Facility |
All as of September 2026, from each county's official page.
In Fairfax County, common 20-pound barbecue-style propane tanks are accepted at the HHW sites for a fee; anything larger needs to go back to a supplier instead. In Arlington, propane cylinders — "small hand-held or larger" — are taken at the twice-yearly E-CARE event. Whether Arlington's year-round HHM Facility also takes propane outside of E-CARE wasn't clear from the county's page, so call ahead and ask before you make a special trip.
Fairfax caps residential electronics drop-off at 10 large items per visit (TVs, printers, scanners, computers), and asks residents to delete personal data and remove batteries before dropping equipment off. Strands of Christmas lights are accepted year-round at the same e-cycling stations, for what it's worth outside the holidays too. In Arlington, curbside electronics pickup carries the same fee structure as E-CARE: a charge for CRT televisions and CRT monitors, with everything else collected free.
Junk removal is the right call for furniture, appliances that don't need special disposal, general clutter and cleanout debris — not for the items above, which need to go through your county's own hazardous-waste or bulky-item program instead. Sort those out ahead of time, and book junk removal with an independent local Pro for everything else.
Last updated September 2026.
No. Fairfax County's Household Hazardous Waste program is for residents' own household waste, and hazardous waste from businesses is regulated separately and can't be brought there. Set hazardous items aside and take them yourself, or ask the company what it can legally haul.
Only if the county collects your trash directly, which covers about 10% of residents. The other 90% use a private hauler and need to contact that company for bulk pickup rules — junk removal is the other option for anyone in that majority.
It depends on the type and the county. Fairfax says to air-dry latex paint and trash the can; Arlington allows a can under 25% full to be solidified and trashed, but a fuller one needs the HHM Facility. Check your county's own rule rather than assuming.
In Fairfax County, common 20-pound barbecue-style tanks go to the county's Household Hazardous Waste sites for a fee; larger tanks go back to a supplier. In Arlington, propane cylinders are accepted at the twice-a-year E-CARE event — check the county page for whether the year-round facility takes them too.