Dumping Costs Are Rising in Northern Virginia. Here's What That Means for Junk Removal.

If you've made a trip to the I-66 Transfer Station In Fairfax, Virginia recently, you may have noticed that dumping isn't as cheap as it used to be. Like just about everything else, disposal costs in Fairfax County have continued to climb over the past few years. When we started Clean Out Kings back in college in 2022, commercial dumping fees were just $66 per ton. Fast forward to 2026, and that same ton of trash now costs $98 to dispose of. That's a 48.5% increase in just four years. Just last year, the rate was $90 per ton, meaning we've seen nearly a 9% increase in a single year. Fairfax County is also projecting rates to reach $108 per ton in 2028 and potentially $141 by 2031.

In no way are we pointing fingers at the County. Just like any business, Fairfax County has seen its own costs rise year after year. Between wages, equipment, transportation, and disposal contracts, operating these facilities isn't getting any cheaper either. The County is also planning millions of dollars in improvements at the I-66 Transfer Station, including building renovations, drainage repairs, upgraded truck scales, and traffic improvements. Disposal fees help fund the County's waste management system, including the maintenance and improvement of these facilities.

There's also quite a bit happening behind the scenes that most people probably don't realize. Despite what many call it, I-66 isn't actually a landfill. It's a transfer station. Trash dropped off there is loaded onto larger trucks and transported roughly 18 miles to the I-95 Landfill Complex in Lorton, Virginia for processing. That's about a 30-minute drive without traffic, or closer to 45 minutes on a typical Northern Virginia afternoon (with the lovely traffic we get to embrace). All that transportation, equipment, and labor adds to the cost of handling our waste.

Whether we're picking up a single couch or clearing out an entire house, everything we collect has to go somewhere. With disposal costs continuing to rise, we've made an effort to find new homes for items that still have some life left in them. Whenever possible, we try to sell, donate, or give away furniture rather than send it straight to disposal. Oliver, our co-owner, even started a Facebook group dedicated to rehoming furniture we come across on jobs, where members can pick up items for free or have them delivered for a small fee. The group (linked here) has since grown to over 200 members and has helped us keep a considerable amount of perfectly usable furniture out of the waste stream. Please join if you're looking for some serviceable furniture in the Northern Virginia area!

At the end of the day, rising disposal costs are something both local businesses and residents have to deal with. While we can't control what it costs to dump a truckload of junk, we can control how we approach each job. For us, that means finding ways to reuse what we can, limiting unnecessary disposal, and doing our best to keep our prices reasonable.

Got some unwanted items you need removed? Give us a call or text at 571-444-8421, or fill out the contact form below for a quote!