Updated March 4, 2022. In recent years, Northern Virginia counties have introduced several regulations in an effort to increase local residents’ impact on the environment. From the newly implemented purple bins for glass recycling to programs centered on water conservation, sustainability reform is constantly popping up throughout NoVA.
One way to take part in lowering your carbon footprint on your own in 2020 is through composting—an easy, effective, and often misunderstood form of repurposing organic material as fertilizer to help plants grow.
According to the United States Environmental Agency, food scraps and yard waste currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, ultimately ending up in landfills and releasing potent greenhouse gas methane into the air. Yet if composted, these organic materials can enrich soul, reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, and encourage the production of beneficial bacteria that breaks down organic matter.
For those who don’t want to make a compost garden in their backyard, there are plenty of sites in the region where you can drop off your organic waste and here, we share them all.
Alexandria
Old Town Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon
Market Square: 301 King St., Alexandria
Del Ray Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon
Corner of East Oxford Ave. and Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
Four Mile Run Farmers’ Market
Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
4109 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
West End Farmers’ Market
Sundays 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (April through November)
4800 Brenman Park Dr., Alexandria
Arlington County
Earth Products Recycling Yard
Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
4300 29th St. S., Arlington
Pike Park Farmers Market
Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
2820 Columbia Pike, Arlington
Fairfax County
Composting Center
Open 24 hours daily
Fairfax City Hall: 10455 Armstrong St., Fairfax
McCutcheon/Mount Vernon Farmers Market
Wednesdays, 8 a.m.-noon (April through December)
2501 Sherwood Hall Ln., Alexandria
Burke Farmers Market
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon (April through December)
5671 Roberts Pkwy., Burke
Herndon Farmers Market
Thursdays, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (April through November)
765 Lynn St., Herndon
Freshfarm Farmers Market Mosaic District
Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (January through March), 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (April through December)
2910 District Ave., Fairfax
City of Falls Church
City Hall and Community Center parking lot
Open 24 hours daily
300 Park Ave., Falls Church
Prince William County
Balls Ford Road Compost Facility (BFDC Facility)
Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
13000 Balls Ford Rd., Manassas
For a full list of everything you can and can’t compost, click here.
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