A Reduction in Waste: The Success of the City of Fairfax, VA’s Recycling Audit

This article originally appeared in the December issue of Waste Advantage Magazine.

By Melissa Pennett, a 2024 SWANA Young Professional of the Year. 

Over the past few years, the City of Fairfax has been successful in striving to reduce the contamination rate from the single stream curbside recycling program. By continuing to educate and participate in outreach efforts, we also aim to integrate more zero waste principles into our solid waste services and reduce the amount of waste produced from all sectors.

The annual audits of the City of Fairfax’s curbside recycling program began in 2022 as part of contracted services through our MRFs. Although the first audit result in August 2022 came back as 20.1 percent, which was on par with the national average, we saw it as an opportunity to create data-driven education and outreach based on the audit findings in order to improve our overall recycling rate and reduce tipping fee costs. Since that time, the city has been annually conducting these audits to continually track our progress and benchmark recycling right as a goal of our city. This data also helps to conduct targeted education and outreach on residue and how to further improve recycling in the City of Fairfax.

Performing the Audit
The annual recycling audit is conducted at the City’s contracted materials recovery facility Waste Management and consists of sorting and weighing an approximately 250 to 300-pound sample from an inbound recycling truck over a two-week period. The material composition percentages from the audit are used to estimate the monthly commodity pricing calculations. Material sorted as trash during the audit included:

• Wet paper and cardboard
• Paper with more than 50 percent of its surface area covered by food or liquid
• Closed containers containing food or liquids
• Bagged material
• Materials that are not easily separated from one another
• Paper wrapped in plastic
• Material smaller than one inch

City staff members observed the audit firsthand to learn what items are being improperly disposed of in the recycling bin. Their observations will help improve ongoing efforts to reduce contamination in the curbside recycling program. The successful audit may be attributed, in part, to the city’s persistent message to place only loose, clean, dry, acceptable material in recycling bins. Items accepted in Fairfax City’s curbside recycling program include paper; cardboard, plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs, and metal cans and tins. All material should be placed in the bin loose, clean, and dry. Recyclables that are bagged are collected as trash. Glass should be taken to a purple container or placed in the trash.

^{City staff member Melissa Pennett overseeing the 2024 annual audit at the MRF, inspecting items thrown into the bin.}

Education and Outreach Efforts
The results of our annual recycling audits are essential for shaping our education and outreach efforts, allowing us to refine our approach based on specific contamination data. By pinpointing common items mistakenly placed in recycling bins, we can create targeted messages that address these problem areas, making our outreach more impactful. To ensure equitable access, all of our recycling information is graphic-forward, and in plain language that is translated into multiple languages, making it accessible to our diverse community. We also prioritize in-person engagement, attending community and HOA meetings upon request to meet residents where they are and answer questions directly. Throughout the year, we set up informational tables at popular community events like the annual Fall Festival, Rock the Block, and Earth Day to connect with residents. Online, we maintain consistent and seasonal “recycle right” campaigns across multiple media platforms, providing regular reminders about best practices. Our “Know Before You Throw” newsletter and social media posts feature quick, easy-to-understand “Recycle This, Not That” graphics that address common recycling misconceptions. These bite-sized tips help residents avoid contaminating the recycling stream by clarifying what belongs in recycling bins.

We have found that City of Fairfax residents are eager to recycle correctly, and these accessible, straightforward posts have made a significant positive impact on the quality of our recycling stream. Using a comprehensive, accessible, and nearly continuous outreach strategy, we aim to reach all residents with clear, actionable guidance on proper recycling practices, ultimately reducing contamination and fostering stronger community-wide participation in sustainable waste management.

Efforts to educate residents on how to recycle right include:

• Sending a weekly Know Before You Throw e-newsletter and social media post to educate residents about recyclable materials, with a simple, yet affective, recycling this, not that snapshot.
• Providing a “What Goes Where?” online wizard tool to help residents figure out how to properly dispose of a wide range of materials.
• Providing residents with a magnet listing accepted material.
• Distributing a solid waste services guide that explains recycling, trash collection, a separate glass program, electronics, household hazardous waste, and composting.
• Providing educational material in five languages.
• Tagging recyclables placed out in bags and leaving the bags at the curb.

^{City of Fairfax tipping their recyclables onto the MRF floor to begin the 2024 recycling audit.}

^{City of Fairfax refuse and recycling crew member on his way to service routes.
Photos courtesy of the City of Fairfax.}

Making Progress
The city’s annual audit of its curbside recycling program showed a reduction in the contamination rate from 11.4 percent in 2023 to 7 percent in 2024. This means that 93 percent of the material collected is recyclable and not trash destined for a landfill. In comparison, the national average for recycling contamination is estimated to be 17 percent, with some areas experiencing rates as high as 40 percent. The results of our 2024 curbside recycling audit reflect an extraordinary achievement by our residents and refuse and recycling crew members.

This year, the annual audit was conducted in August 2024 at the city’s contracted recycling facility that sorts and sells the city’s recyclable material. The recycling processing fees are directly associated with the amount of contamination (or trash) in the recycling stream. By conducting these annual audits, the city has proven it has reduced trash in the recycling stream and improved the cost effectiveness of recycling.

After the 2023 audit showed improvements in the quality of collected material during the previous year, The City of Fairfax’s recycling costs were reduced by an average of 43 percent. With the outstanding results from the 2024 audit, the city anticipates even further cost savings. This achievement is a testament to the hard work of our team and the ongoing commitment of our residents to recycle right. Working with our community, we are improving our sustainability efforts and our cost efficiency.

^{Sample of the City of Fairfax’s Know Before You Throw social media outreach graphic.}

^{Recycling education and outreach being conducted at a Fairfax Flea market.}

Long-Term Goals
In the forthcoming years, the City of Fairfax is going to continue education and outreach efforts and strive to reduce the contamination rate in our single stream recycling program. We are also aiming to integrate more zero waste principles into our solid waste services and reduce the amount of waste produced from all sectors.

Our residents and elected officials have been thrilled by the audit results, and it really is a testament to their efforts to do the right thing and recycle right. City staff can conduct endless outreach on recycling right and our crew members can continue to tag recycling bins, but at the end of the day it is each of the city’s residents who are making an impact to create a more sustainable planet. | WA

Melissa Pennett is the Environmental Sustainability Specialist for the Public Works Department at the City of Fairfax, VA where she has worked for more than five years integrating solid waste management and planning, and zero waste principles in her role with the city. Melissa obtained a master’s degree in Sustainable Urban Planning from George Washington University. In 2024 she was recognized for her distinction and dedication to the field by being awarded the Young Professional of the Year Award by the Solid Waste Association of North America. For more information, visit  www.fairfaxva.gov/recycling.