Championing Great Neighborhoods is a key priority of Arlington City Council and that includes improving neighborhood appearance and integrity throughout the city.

The City Council approved an ordinance at the evening session on November 10, 2015 related to the storage of residential recycling carts.

Residents will now be required to store the recycling carts out of sight when not placed at the curb for the permitted times of collection.

This ordinance has been drafted to address several concerns from residents about quality of life and the impact to the neighborhood. The City hopes that by storing recycling containers away from public streets, it will make parking easier for Arlington residents.

The previous ordinance required that recycling carts be removed from the curb before 7:00 a.m., the morning after the day of scheduled collection. However, residents have voiced concerns that the containers, once removed from the curb, are being stored in locations visible from the public street or right-of-way.

Under the new ordinance, if a resident commits three separate violations for failing to properly store the container, at least 10 days apart within a period of six months, Code Compliance may remove the recycling cart from the property, but no citations will be issued.

Code Compliance will first send a written warning by certified mail to the resident for each violation. Again, no citations will be written.

This ordinance is part of the mission of Code Compliance Services to foster healthy and attractive neighborhoods by gaining compliance of property maintenance and health codes.

You can report code violations 24 hours a day by calling the Arlington Action Center at 817-459-6777.