Solid Waste Management Plan Update

Summary

The City of Fairfax's Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) 5-Year Update is a state-required planning document, mandated by Virginia code every five years, covering a twenty-year planning horizon. The plan was last updated in 2021, and work on the current update was underway as of July 2025, with a public meeting announced for November 20, 2025. In February 2026, Environmental Sustainability Specialist Melissa McDonald and consultants Helen Lee and Olivia Poldamini of RRS Consultants presented a progress update to City Council at a work session, noting over 600 public survey responses had been received; no Council action was taken at that time. On May 12, 2026, City Council held a public hearing and unanimously adopted Resolution R-26-26 approving the SWMP Update. Following adoption, the plan is required to be submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) for review and approval.

Open questions & options on the table

• VDEQ review and approval of the adopted Solid Waste Management Plan Update is pending.

What members have said

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.

Discussion time

Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.