Where we work
One metro area, three separate legal systems for waste. We cross those lines every week, which means the answer to “where does my junk actually go?” is different depending on which side of the river you are standing on.
Three jurisdictions, three rulebooks
The DMV trades like a single market. It is not one, and waste is where that shows up most sharply. Who is allowed to carry a load, which facility will accept it, what it costs per ton and what gets refused at the gate are all set separately by the District, by each Maryland county, and by each Northern Virginia jurisdiction.
That is not trivia. It is most of what sits behind a junk removal price, and it is why the same pile can cost differently on opposite sides of a bridge.
Washington DC
Rowhouse stairs, rear alleys, below-grade kitchens and permit-parking streets — plus a city transfer station that serves residents only and takes no commercial waste at all.
Maryland
Prince George’s, Montgomery, Charles and Anne Arundel counties. Each runs its own facility with its own bans, annual limits and proof-of-residency rules.
Northern Virginia
Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. Highrises, HOAs and a county that requires haulers working there to tip at its own facilities.
How the three actually differ
- DC — the District’s Fort Totten Transfer Station is open to DC residents with proof of residency and accepts no commercial waste
- DC — anyone collecting or transporting waste in the District must register annually with the DPW Office of Waste Diversion
- Maryland — Montgomery County’s Shady Grove station refuses shingles and roofing of any kind, and Sunday loads over 500 lb
- Maryland — Prince George’s County limits residents to one non-commercial load of construction debris per year
- Virginia — Fairfax County requires haulers operating in the county to use county disposal facilities
- Virginia — Fairfax’s published FY2026 commercial tipping rate is $90 per ton, with a $166-per-ton penalty for rule breaches
Each of those has a practical consequence for your job — on timing, on what you should pull out of the pile first, and sometimes on whether hiring anyone is worth it at all. The three pages below go through them properly.
All checked September 2026 against DC DPW, Montgomery County DEP, Prince George’s County and Fairfax County DPWES published guidance. Rules and rates change; confirm before relying on them.
Being in Suitland is the point
Suitland sits just inside the Capital Beltway on the south-east side of the District, in Prince George’s County. From there, downtown DC, the Maryland suburbs and the Virginia side across the Wilson Bridge are all short runs in different directions.
A company based well out in one county tends to serve that county well and treat the rest as an occasional trip. Sitting on the District line means all three jurisdictions are normal working days rather than exceptions — and it is why we bothered to learn three sets of disposal rules instead of one.
There is no page here for Suitland itself. Everything on this site already applies to it.
Ask — the answer is usually yes
If you are inside the DC metro area, you are almost certainly covered. Give us the city or ZIP code and we will tell you straight away, including if the honest answer is that somebody closer would serve you better.
Serving Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.