BoS urged to act on illegal dumping
The Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council is urging county leaders to take action to curb illegal dumping along roadways and in parks, streams, and neighborhoods.
EQAC recommends the Board of Supervisors assign a county agency to take on a leadership role for eliminating illegal dumping. It also calls for better signage at dump sites and better enforcement.
Friends of Accotink Creek is urging residents to write to the Board of Supervisors and ask them to implement EQAC’s recommendations. Emails addressed to [email protected] will reach all supervisors.
Of particular concern in Annandale is the dumping of construction materials and other trash along Americana Drive in Annandale. FACC and the Fairfax County Restoration Project periodically schedule cleanups along that road. The next one is on Presidents’ Day, Feb. 17.
Volunteer-led cleanups aren’t enough, says Phillip Latasa of FACC. “Illegal dumping affects the most disadvantaged communities in Fairfax County. We appreciate EQAC for bringing this attention to the Board of Supervisors. We’re hoping for some action from the county.”
A Jan. 15 letter from EQAC to the BoS says, “Illegal dumping is a significant problem impacting specific locations along VDOT rights-of-way. Where dumping is present, it becomes an unintended invitation for more dumping.”
According to the Fairfax County Health Department, these locations are not only a nuisance, but also a threat to public health and the health of county streams.
At two meetings in 2024, the letter states, “EQAC received testimony from county staff that the problem would persist until there is a coordinated policy directed and approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to address the issue.”
Related story: 100+ volunteers clean up Americana Drive
The EQAC letter outlines the following additional recommendations:
- VDOT should install permanent signs in English and Spanish at dumping sites. The signs should state that dumping is subject to a fine of up to $1,500 per occurrence.
- Land Development Services should send a letter to builders stating that all construction materials must be disposed of properly. The letter should include instructions on how to dispose of waste.
- County officials should use social media and public meetings to let residents, business owners, and community stakeholders know about the problem and inform them how to report illegal dumping to the police.
- The Department of Code Compliance, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, and the Police Department should do a better job of coordinating with one another in handling complaints and should report back to the complainant.
- Complaints that are not resolved should be included in an annual report to the Board of Supervisors with an explanation of why the problem persists.
- The FCPD should issue a memorandum to officers on an enforcement policy for illegal dumping. That should include enforcement of illegal parking – including ticketing and towing – at known dump sites.
- Where dumping is a recurring problem, cameras should be put in place for a period of one month or more to monitor for dumping. When a suspect can be identified, FCPD should investigate and impose a fine.
- A formal agreement between the county and VDOT should be developed on the coordination of complaints and cleanup actions.
- Where other actions fail, fencing should be installed to restrict access to known dump areas.
17 responses to “BoS urged to act on illegal dumping”
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Dumping is routine, that is why people call Mason, the Mason Dump. Renters for which there are many just throw their crap at the curb and expect the garbage fairly to pick it up. Not going to happen. When you call Waste Management they say its a code compliance problem. When you call them they state that they are not responsible. Any wonder why Trump wants to blow up government? And that’s coming from someone that has a few loose screws. All FFX knows how to do is point the finger to another agency, state their department boundaries and make constituents very mad! So who has the most loose screws: Trump or FFX?
I don’t care whose responsibility it is, as far as I’m concerned its the renters/homeowner and if they cannot comply, government should have a mechanism to fine the homeowners promptly. But that would be too smart and Descano would probably block every effort for government to do its job effectively.
maga wackos will find anyway to make anything about their dumpy leader. worshipping false idols is a sin, btw.
Having a formal agreement between the county and VDOT on who cleans up dump sites would be really helpful. The county doesn’t have the authority to clean up dumps on VDOT right-of-way, and VDOT isn’t keen on sending their maintenance teams out to clean them up. VDOT loves to kick stuff to the county in cases where the county can’t do anything because it’s on VDOT’s right-of-way.
For anyone who would like to urge the Board of Supervisors to move ahead on these recommended actions, you will find a sample letter and more information on the Friends of Accotink Creek website – https://www.accotink.org/2025/EQACRecommendationsAppeal.pdf
“Thank you!” to everyone who has joined our cleanups or otherwise contributed to solving the problem. It’s a tough one.
It’s great to see this issue getting more attention. If you live along Americana and aren’t happy with the state of it, or if you’ve been down Americana and were embarrassed by it, make sure the BoS knows you’re unhappy about it. Funding and VDOT approval are not insurmountable obstacles and while the BoS have told me they’re working on it I suspect it could be prioritized higher if more people ask for it to be.
I think the trash all over is like modern art that perfectly depicts our times.
Meg, don’t be ridiculous. Trash is not art. Art is not trash.
While some see art, others see safety and health concerns including hazard waste like motor oil being swept into Accotink Creek and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. Others may see struggling contractors not having a nearby location to bring their spoils from the end of their work day. Still others may see one governmental entity pointing fingers at another and no one stepping up to get the job done. And then there are the residents who live there, paying taxes to both the county and the state and having no one who cares they are living in a dump site. Please consider writing and asking the BOS to approve the recommendations that EQAC has presented to them. This problem will not go away by itself. https://www.accotink.org/2025/EQACRecommendationsAppeal.pdf
It’s all horrendous and just goes to show you that the local governments’ current model is badly broken and cannot perform the simplest of services like picking up trash. If they can’t do the job then get out of the business of governance and go flip hamburgers. Hmmm can they do that; I guess if you like overdone or underdone burgers!
This is the kind of thing that the Sheriff’s Office Community Labor Force used to clean up, and it was done, nobody gave it another thought. They also enforced and cleaned up the signs in the medians and roadsides. Funding was cut and now we are seeing the results. Plus, keeping inmates busy is rarely a bad thing. Funding cuts have consequences folks.
Part of the problem is that garbage dumps are not always easy to get to and you have to pay to dump trash. So people skip the cost and inconvenience and just dump trash at the easiest place they can find.
There should be dumpsters placed around the county for trash collection. Yes that is another cost for tax payers, but it’s better than living in what looks like a third world country
I do appreciate the sentiment and the concept of placing dumpsters. But that could also contribute to a lower quality of life in a residential area. The Waste Management facility in Merrifield only accepts tipping trucks and perhaps a concerted effort to either open that facility to those with smaller trucks or instead of dumpsters supply tipping trucks to specific areas on specific days so off loading can be done there. The cost of landfill usage is an issue and it has been suggested that charging the contractors at the permit level up front would free the laborers to use the landfills with no charge. That would be also be more equitable since the permit holders are the ones making the money. These concepts have been presented as well.
Maybe Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez can seek redesigning Americana Drive as Gangnam Street. The name would be purely honorary, but maybe that would help keep it from being used as an illegal dumping ground. Of course I am being sarcastic. Many good ideas to push on state and local governments made above but this seems to be a fairly regular issue due to weak enforcement – thus our elected officials are not listening or pushing through or following up/through.
Americana Drive is located in Braddock District.
After the next volunteer cleanup , the bags and bags of garbage and debris should be left in the driveway of each BoS member. That may get action.
The next clean up event on Americana Drive is scheduled for Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 17, from 10AM-1PM. Students needing community service hours can get them through Friends of Accotink Creek. Please register here if you’d like to participate: http://www.fcrpp3.org
I frequently use Americana Dr. and no sooner is it cleaned up than it’s a mess again. Perhaps if parking violations were enforced there would not be room for all of the trucks and broken down vehicles to be parked on the street. When an area looks trashy, it invites more trash.