Trash & Recycling in Chesapeake, VA (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Chesapeake, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Chesapeake will collect no more than two 96-gallon carts or four 35-gallon containers per address each week, plus up to two rimless tires. Hazardous waste, construction debris and manufacturing scrap are never picked up by the city at all.
Chesapeake Trash Pickup Quantity Limits
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-61
The city shall limit its waste collection services to single-family, duplex, triplex, quadraplex and townhouse residential dwelling units situated on separate lots abutting the right-of-way of a publicly maintained street, provided that those multi-family residential developments and non-residential properties being served by the city as of December 18, 2007, will continue to receive city waste...
Bin Placement Rules
Chesapeake requires trash carts at the curbline in front of the home, kept at least three feet from mailboxes, vehicles or other carts. Between pickups, carts belong in a carport, enclosed building, or behind the house, not visible in the yard.
Chesapeake Garbage Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-58(a)
All containers garbage and trash and bagged or bundled yard waste eligible for collection shall be placed at the curbline or edge of public street in front of the premises where said solid waste is generated, unless otherwise specified in this section, or at such location as may be prescribed by the director of public works. ... All automated containers set out for collection shall be placed at...
Bulk Item Disposal
Chesapeake collects bulk trash curbside on your regular garbage day, capped at 4 feet wide by 4 feet high by 10 feet long per collection and limited to twelve pickups per residence each calendar year. Residents must call or go online to request a pickup, and items can't sit at the curb more than three work days before collection.
Chesapeake Bulk Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-58(d)
Bulk trash collection shall be on the same day as garbage collection unless separately scheduled at the discretion of the department of public works. All bulk trash eligible for collection shall be placed at the curb no earlier than three (3) work days before collection. The person or entity requesting bulk trash collection shall be responsible for contacting the department of public works by t...
Recycling Requirements
Chesapeake's municipal collection program does not pick up recyclables set out separately at the curb: Sec. 62-59(f) says the city will not collect them for recycling. Any recyclable material placed in a city garbage container or bag is hauled away and landfilled as ordinary trash instead, not diverted to a recycling facility.
Chesapeake Curbside Recyclables Collection Policy
Few RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-59(f)
(f)Recyclables. Recyclables set out for collection separately from other garbage, trash, or refuse for the purpose of recycling will not be collected by the city. Recyclable material placed in a receptacle permitted for garbage collection pursuant to this chapter will be collected by the city as garbage and will not be recycled.
Illegal Dumping
Chesapeake bans dumping garbage or trash anywhere except a lawful solid waste facility, bars hauling waste generated outside the city in to dump it, and even prohibits moving your own trash to another address's curb for pickup. Violations are a class 1 misdemeanor, with each day a separate offense.
Chesapeake Illegal Dumping Prohibition
Heavy RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-6
It shall be unlawful for any person to bring into the city any garbage, refuse, trash, debris or other solid waste materials, as defined in section 62-86 below, accumulated outside of the city and dump or deposit the same at any place within the city other than at a lawful solid waste management facility constructed and operated in accordance with this chapter. It shall be unlawful for any indi...
Yard Waste Collection
Chesapeake collects yard trimmings and grass separately from bulk trash under Sec. 62-60, but only when bagged or containerized: up to 30 bags of 35 gallons or less per address each week, rising to 50 bags in November and December when leaf season peaks. Tree limbs and branches go out bundled too.
Chesapeake Yard Waste Collection Limits
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-60
(a)All yard trimmings, grass, etc., must be bundled or containerized to be collected by the city as trash. Containers shall include manual dumped plastic or metal cans and clear plastic bags, not exceeding 35 gallons in size. No more than 30 yard waste bags not exceeding 35 gallons in volume may be collected at any one residence per week. No more than 50 bags not exceeding 35 gallons in volume ...
Collection Schedule
Chesapeake's normal collection never starts before 7:00 a.m., carts can go out no earlier than 24 hours ahead of that, and must come back in within 24 hours after collection. The director of public works sets which day each street is served.
Chesapeake Trash Collection Time Window
Some RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-58(b)
Normal collection service shall not begin prior to 7:00 a.m. All containers and bagged or bundled refuse shall be placed at the curb for collection no earlier than 24 hours prior to 7:00 a.m. of the day of collection. At the discretion of the department of public works and upon proper public notification, collection may begin earlier than 7:00 a.m. Once placed at the curb for collection, no con...
Recycling Rules
Chesapeake makes it a crime to take recyclables someone else has set out for collection. Sec. 62-63.1 bars removing recyclable material, whether bagged with the trash or set out separately, without the consent of the person who put it there, and charges each unlawful removal as its own Class 1 misdemeanor.
Chesapeake Ban on Taking Set-Out Recyclables
Significant RestrictionsChesapeake City Code Sec. 62-63.1
It shall be unlawful for any person to remove recyclable material set out for collection, whether together with or separately from garbage, trash, or refuse, without the consent of the person who set the material out for collection. Each unlawful removal of recyclable material shall constitute a separate Class 1 misdemeanor.