Multiple Fairfax City residents raised concerns Sept. 30 about the city’s planned rollout of two rolling trash carts for households, saying the requirement will be unworkable for townhouse communities with narrow courts, steep steps and limited storage.

Why it matters: The planned change affects households required to use rolling carts for trash and recycling. Commenters said the city’s standard cart size and placement plan do not fit the physical realities of many townhouse clusters and that the city provided insufficient public engagement with affected homeowners’ associations.

What residents said

Ellen Pence described the physical constraints at her townhouse complex on Adams Court: no garage, tightly parked lots, steep stairs to the rear patio and rules restricting storage on patios because of rodent control. Pence said requiring carts to be stored on two blocks away at Cardinal Road would effectively end her trash service unless the city provides an accommodation.

Shelly Vance said the city’s plan to require each single-family and townhouse household to take two rolling carts was announced without outreach to homeowners in townhouse courts and that the 32-gallon cart being offered does not solve the physical storage and maneuvering problems. Vance asked the city to allow residents to opt out or to propose alternative pickup approaches for tight courts.

Other commenters who spoke in support of these concerns seconded calls for more neighborhood outreach and urged the city to consider flexible options for storage or opt-outs rather than a single mandatory approach.

Staff response and next steps

At the Sept. 30 meeting staff did not present a detailed outreach timeline or a specific accommodation plan for townhouse communities. Several council members asked staff to provide more details on implementation costs, whether carts would be distributed by the city or event organizers (in the context of signage discussion for other items), and to consider allowing opt-outs where carts are impracticable.

What was not decided

Council did not adopt policy changes or vote on exemptions at the Sept. 30 meeting. Commenters asked staff to return with an outreach plan and options for residents who cannot store or move rolling carts easily.

Ending

Speakers urged the council to explicitly allow exceptions or alternatives for tight townhouse courts and to do more direct outreach to affected communities before implementing mandatory cart requirements.