Solid Waste Management

The annual Solid Waste Fee increased to $75 from $70 for a single-family home in July 2023. This fee is paid in two installments, $37.50 in July and $37.50 in December with the real estate taxes. See the Annual Solid Waste Fee tab for other residential dwelling fee changes. 

The annual Solid Waste Fee increase approved by the Board of County Supervisors in April 2023, began with the July 2023 real estate tax bill.  Property owners are charged half of the fee amount in July and the other half on the December real estate tax bill.

The Solid Waste Fee appears as a separate line item on the real estate property tax bill. The fee is divided in half between the July and the December tax bills, or it is paid via mortgage escrow.  

Fees fund landfill operations, trash disposal, composting, and recycling operations, as well as future landfill cell construction. Without an increase in revenue, the Solid Waste Fund was projected to be in deficit in 2025 and depleted in 2026. This deficit would negatively impact the County's ability to landfill residential and commercial trash and manage recycling and yard waste. 

The  solid waste fees fund numerous programs and services available to residents: 

• Convenience Centers at the Landfill and the Compost facility
• Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling Program
• Recycling trailers throughout the County
• Glass recycling trailers
• Paper Shred events
• Community Outreach Programs

Additionally, the fees fund landfill operations, trash disposal, composting, recycling operations, and future landfill cell construction. 

Prince William County residents can bring their household trash, recycling, and yard waste to the landfill or compost facility without paying a disposal fee. There is a disposal fee for materials such as tires, manure, pallets, and other items that require special handling.

Prince William County residents may also use the landfill Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Program without charge, but a ticket from traffic control is required.  

Use the A to Z Disposal Guide for disposal fees and preparation of materials that require special handling. 

Public Works Solutions (PWS), a consultant with experience in performing financial analysis of solid waste programs, was tasked at the end of 2021 with: 

• Preparing a fiscal impact analysis based on current and projected operational and capital expenditures
• Developing revenue recommendations to ensure Fund viability.

Consultant findings

• Evaluation indicated maintaining the existing $70 SFE would generate significant deficits by 2025 and fully deplete the fund balance in 2026.
• Fund balance and revenue stream is insufficient to construct future Phase III and Phase IV landfill cells and needed infrastructure.
• Increase in fee revenue is needed no later than FY2024 to maintain fund balances. 

Resulting Actions

The former annual Solid Waste Fee of $70 is equivalent to more than $125 in 2023.  This would be a substantial increase in the fee.  To fund the solid waste operation and programs and future cell construction for trash disposal a hybrid fee system was developed. This hybrid system includes a small increase in the annual Solid Waste fee and the addition of a traditional commercial tipping fee based on tonnage.  

Tipping fees are commonplace in the waste industry. The average tipping fee in the U.S. is about $54, which is low compared to the Northern Virginia area where tipping fees mostly range from $62 to $70 per ton.

For residential properties, the annual Solid Waste Management Fee is based on the type of residential dwelling.  It is not calculated on number of members in a household, or the amount of trash, recycling and yard waste that is generated at the property.  

Non-residential property owners can request an adjustment be made to future billings.  A business or non-profit organization can supply annual waste generation amounts for review and possible adjustment to the fee. For more details on the fee adjustment process, please review the Prince William County Code Sec.22-188.

For Solid Waste fee adjustment questions, call (703) 792-4670 (TTY:711). For other Tax Assessment related questions,  call (703) 792-6710 (TTY:711). 

The original Solid Waste Fee was $70 annually for a single-family home. This fee was established by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in September 1998 and implemented on January 1,  1999. This fee had not changed since its inception. In 2023 dollars, the $70 equivalent is more than $125. In April 2023, the fee was raised to $75 annually for a single-family home.

The Solid Waste Fee appears as a separate line item on the real estate property tax bill. The fee is divided in half between the July and the December tax bills, or it is paid via mortgage escrow.  

Annual Residential Fees January 1999- December 2022

The $70 fee is equivalent to more than $125 in 2023. 

Solid Waste Fee

The annual Solid Waste Fee is $75 for a single-family home (less for other dwellings), but it is not new.  This fee was instituted in January 1999 and remained unchanged until 2023.  The original fee of $70 for a single-family home is the equivalent of more than $125 today.

Businesses and non-residential properties pay the Solid Waste Fee based on actual waste generation, or an estimate calculated using the business type and size of the structure to determine a Single Family Equivalent (SFE) rate that is multiplied by the $75 Single Family Home fee. 

The Solid Waste Fee is on the property owner's real estate tax bill, half in July and half in December.

Tipping/Disposal Fee

The tipping fee begins in January 2024. The tipping fee is $40/ton for municipal solid waste (MSW)/ trash brought to the landfill for disposal by commercial haulers/trash collection companies  Haulers that use the Fairfax County Covanta waste-to-energy facility to dispose of waste generated in Prince William County will also be charged the tipping fee. 

Residents are not charged a tipping fee and may bring their trash, recycling, and yard waste to the landfill or compost facility at no charge. 

There may be fees for certain other items, however, these charges are not new. 

Tipping fees are common across the country. The average tipping fee in the U.S. is about $54, however, it ranges from $62 to $70 in the Northern Virginia region.

Beginning, in January 2024, a tipping fee of $40/ton will be charged for residential and commercial trash disposed of by commercial waste haulers at the Prince William County Landfill and at the Fairfax County waste-to-energy facility for disposal of municipal solid waste/trash generated in Prince William County.

Residents are not charged a tipping fee. 

Beginning in January 2024, a tipping fee of $40/ton will be charged for residential and commercial trash disposed of by commercial waste haulers at the Prince William County Landfill and at the Fairfax County waste-to-energy facility for disposal of municipal solid waste/trash generated in Prince William County. 

The landfill tipping fee for commercial refuse will change from $0 to $40 per ton beginning January 1, 2024, and is estimated to generate about $5.7 million in additional revenue during the second half of FY24.

The Solid Waste Division is an enterprise fund.   As an enterprise fund, the division must generate the revenue required for its operation.   The revenue received from the landfill tipping fee will primarily be used to cover landfill construction costs.  However, fees will also help fund operations, programs, and services related to waste disposal, waste reduction, and litter prevention.  The Division does not receive money from the General Fund where property, real estate, and other taxes are held and used to operate the vast and various programs and services of our County. 

The tipping fee that begins in January 2024 may impact what a commercial collection company charges its customers. Individual residents, businesses, and HOAs may experience an increase in the price of trash collection services.

A tipping fee is not applied to yard waste disposal and recyclable materials are not brought to the landfill by commercial haulers.

Note: The County does not have the authority to regulate the price companies charge their customers. Most customers have the option to change the company they do business with, or bring their trash, recycling, and yard waste to one of the County's solid waste facilities. 

Email the Solid Division at [email protected].