Loudoun County is encouraging residents to increase their recycling efforts during the holiday season. The county has outlined several ways for people to recycle common holiday materials and provided reminders about accepted items at its recycling drop-off centers.
Residents are advised to recycle extra packaging such as cardboard boxes, paper gift wrap (excluding ribbons and bows), bottles, and cans at county recycling centers. Cardboard should be flattened before being placed in bins, and metallic or plastic-coated wrapping paper is not accepted. Items that can be recycled include aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles and jars, various plastic containers, paper products, and shoe or tissue boxes. All recyclables should be deposited loosely rather than in plastic bags.
The Loudoun County landfill’s Food Waste Composting Center continues to accept compostable food scraps from residents throughout the year.
For those replacing electronics over the holidays, the county will hold electronics recycling events starting in spring 2026. Until then, other local services are available for responsible disposal. Residents are reminded to remove batteries from electronics before disposal or recycling; these batteries can be brought to household hazardous waste collection events for free recycling. Lithium batteries must not be placed in trash or regular recycling bins due to fire risk. When storing lithium batteries for recycling, terminals should be covered with clear packing tape and kept out of reach of children. More information is available on the county’s battery disposal page at loudoun.gov/batteries.
Christmas trees will be accepted for recycling from December 26, 2025 through January 20, 2026 at five locations across the county: Leesburg (Loudoun County Landfill Recycling Center), Lovettsville (Game Protective Association), Purcellville (Franklin Park), South Riding (Meadows Pool Parking Lot), and Sterling (Claude Moore Park). Only natural cut trees and wreaths without decorations or non-organic material will be accepted; artificial trees are not eligible for this program. Mulch produced from recycled trees will be available free of charge at the landfill.
Residents using curbside collection services should contact their service providers for specific Christmas tree pickup schedules. Before dropping off a tree or wreath for recycling, all ornaments, lights, tinsel, wire, stands, bags, bows, twine and tags must be removed; otherwise they should go in regular trash.
Tree vendors may also recycle leftover trees at the landfill for a fee of $78 per ton after removing netting and other non-biodegradable materials.
Additional details about Loudoun County’s recycling programs can be found at loudoun.gov/recycle.
During the 2023-24 school year in Loudoun County Public Schools District—the only district in the area—there were 82,028 students enrolled according to state education data. Independence High School had the highest enrollment among local schools with 2,080 students as reported by state sources. White students made up just over 40% of total enrollment while Asian students accounted for about one quarter based on demographic reports. Overall student numbers saw a slight decrease of 0.1% compared to the previous year per official statistics. Sugarland Elementary School enrolled the largest number of pre-kindergarten students in the county with 38 children attending during this period according to enrollment data.
