Trash & Recycling in Greenville, NC (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Greenville, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Only city crews under the City Manager's direction, or someone with the City Manager's written consent, may haul away garbage, refuse or recyclables once they're set out for collection at a Greenville residence. Roll-out carts must be at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, and nobody may disturb the contents once they're out.
Greenville Trash Pickup Rules for Residents
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code §§ 6-3-3, 6-3-4(C), 6-3-5
No person other than those under the direction of the City Manager shall haul away or remove any garbage, refuse, or recyclables set out for collection at residential units or mixed-use complexes as in this chapter provided, except by the written consent of the City Manager. ... (C) The occupant of any residential dwelling unit must use an approved roll-out cart for garbage and/or recyclables...
Bin Placement Rules
Greenville residents can't roll a garbage or recycling cart to the curb earlier than noon the day before pickup, and it has to come back off the curb by noon the day after, into a spot that's not the right-of-way or the front yard. Placing any container within the street right-of-way for any reason other than pickup is separately banned outright.
Greenville Cart Placement and Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code §§ 6-3-4(E), 6-3-9
(E) No person shall place receptacles for residential garbage, refuse, or recyclables for removal by the city at curbside of a residential dwelling any earlier than noon the day before the scheduled collection. No later than noon of the day following scheduled collection, and at all times when not placed at the curbside for collection in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, rece...
Bulk Item Disposal
Junk, discarded furniture and white goods set out for Greenville pickup can go to the curb no more than two days before the scheduled collection day, and they must be piled separately from yard debris. The city hauls bulky loads over half a truckload as trucks and crews become available, not on a fixed weekly schedule.
Greenville Bulky Item Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code § 6-3-7(A)(3), (D)
(3) All other junk, debris, or discarded furniture shall be placed together at curbside for collection. ... (D) No person shall place junk, discarded furniture, or white goods at the curbside of a residential dwelling for removal more than two days in advance of the scheduled collection day.
Recycling Requirements
Every residential property owner, landlord or tenant in Greenville must provide roll-out carts or dumpsters for garbage, refuse and recyclables, and residential recyclables must be stored in a cart approved for pickup by city equipment. Carts can't be stashed behind closed fences, inside structures, under carports or on porches when special collection service applies.
Greenville Curbside Recycling Cart Requirements
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code § 6-3-4(A)-(B)
(A) All property owners, landlords, or tenants of residential dwellings shall provide receptacles (roll-out carts/dumpsters) for all residential garbage, refuse, and recyclables for removal by the city. (B) Residential garbage, refuse, and recyclables shall be stored in roll-out carts approved for collection by city equipment. Refuse and recyclable containers shall not be located behind clo...
Illegal Dumping
Throwing or dumping garbage, refuse or recyclables on Greenville streets, sidewalks or other public places outside an approved receptacle is a code violation carrying a $50 removal fee added straight to the resident's utility bill. Dumping old furniture, tires, appliances, building materials or any solid waste into a city-owned drainage ditch is separately prohibited.
Greenville Illegal Dumping of Refuse Rules
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code § 6-3-2(A)-(B)
(A) No person shall throw, place, or deposit any garbage, refuse, or recyclables of any kind, on or upon any of the public streets, sidewalks, ground, and other public places within the city, unless it shall be placed or deposited in a receptacle provided and maintained for that purpose and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Any garbage, garbage bag, refuse, or recyclables pla...
Yard Waste Collection
Tree limbs, cuttings, shrubbery and hedges have to be cut to six-foot lengths and piled separately from fine yard debris like leaves, grass and pine straw at the curb for Greenville pickup. Loads bigger than half a truckload are hauled once trucks and crews are available, not on a fixed weekly run.
Greenville Yard Waste and Brush Rules
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code § 6-3-7(A)
(A) Tree limbs, cuttings, shrubbery, and the like of more than one-half load will be hauled at such time as trucks and personnel are available. Limbs, cuttings, shrubbery, and the like must be cut in six-foot lengths or less and placed directly behind the curb or the traveled portion of the street upon the owner or tenant’s property in an accessible location for collection. Tree limbs, cuttin...
Dumpster Rules
Greenville requires multi-family, condominium, and duplex developers to size dumpsters at four, six, or eight cubic yards and place them where the Director of Public Works can approve access for city refuse trucks with the least maneuvering. The dumpster and recycling-center location must appear on the site plan, and the city withholds a certificate of occupancy until containers are installed on site.
Greenville Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code §§ 6-3-23, 6-3-32
Multi-family dwellings will be serviced by the city by a container-type refuse truck; therefore, these locations will be required to store their garbage, trash, or other waste in container sizes of four, six, or eight cubic yards equivalent to their needs. ... The location of these containers will be chosen with regard to the best interest of public safety and to where the city refuse trucks ca...
Collection Schedule
Greenville's Public Works Director sets the regular pickup schedule for garbage, trash and recyclables, and every residential unit in the city is presumed to receive that service automatically. Utility customers are billed a monthly fee through Greenville Utilities Commission for the mandatory collection, whether or not they think they're using it.
Greenville Trash Collection Schedule and Fees
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code §§ 6-3-22, 6-3-42(A)
Garbage, trash, and recyclables will be picked up from residential property on a regular schedule as established by the Director of Public Works. ... It is presumed that all residential units in the city receive service. This presumption may be rebutted, and the fee for service released or refunded in accordance with rules, regulations, interpretations, and policies established by the City Mana...
Recycling Rules
Greenville's solid waste code defines recyclables as glass jars and bottles, aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, plastic #1 and #2, newsprint and magazines, plus other materials with a post-consumer market. Used beverage cans, bottles or cartons can't sit outside in anything but an authorized rainproof commercial container for more than 24 hours, whether you're storing them for recycling or any other reason.
Greenville Recycling Rules: Materials and Storage
Some RestrictionsGreenville City Code §§ 6-3-1, 6-3-10
Recyclables. Glass jars and bottles, aluminum beverage cans, steel cans, cardboard, plastic #1 and #2, newsprint, magazines, and other materials for which a post-consumer recycling market exists. ... Except as provided in section 6-3-6, no used beverage cans, bottles, or cartons may be collected or stored outside in drums, cans, or any container other than authorized commercial rainproof refuse...
Looking for Pitt County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Greenville city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Pitt County →