Trash & Recycling in Wilmington, NC (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Wilmington, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
Wilmington requires roll-out carts to sit near the service street or, without an alley, directly behind the curb or three feet from the pavement edge, in a single location per property. City Code Section 10-14 lets carts go out no sooner than noon the day before collection and requires removal from the street or alley by midnight of collection day.
Wilmington Trash Cart Placement and Set-Out Times
Some RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 10-14(b)-(d)
(b)...Where collection of refuse is made from the side or rear of property, containers shall be placed near the service street. Collections will be made only to the rear of interior property when such service streets are provided and are usable. Where no access road or alley exists behind or beside property from which the city removes refuse, containers shall be placed directly behind the curbi...
Bulk Item Disposal
Wilmington collects normal household bulky items, such as sofas, refrigerators, washers, and hot water heaters, on a scheduled basis under City Code Section 10-6. Residents must request the pickup first, place approved items at curbside no earlier than noon the day before collection, and only from the premises the account serves; items left on a truck or trailer are not collected.
Wilmington Bulky Item Curbside Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 10-6(a)(1)
(a)The city will collect and dispose of the following properly prepared items on a scheduled basis based on requests for such services from the city's solid waste customers.(1)Bulky item pick up. The city will collect normal household discarded furniture and appliances, including sofas, chairs, beds, refrigerators, washers, dryers, hot water heaters and similar items. Items for collection shoul...
Recycling Requirements
Wilmington's curbside recycling program is voluntary under City Code Sec. 10-41, open to any regular user of city solid waste collection. Participants get a city-issued recycling container picked up every other week on the same day as trash, per Sec. 10-42. Recyclables set out for collection belong to the city, and taking them without a contract is unlawful.
Wilmington Curbside Recycling Program Rules
Light RestrictionsCity Code § 10-42
(a)Each participant in the recycling program shall be issued a container for disposing of recyclables in accordance with this article. This container shall be referred to herein as the "recycling container."(b)Collection of recyclables will consist of one (1) pick up every other week of properly prepared recyclables....(d)On designated collection days, recyclables shall be placed in the recycli...
Illegal Dumping
Wilmington makes it a misdemeanor to dump, throw, or deposit litter, trash, or refuse on any public street, sidewalk, or city-owned property outside a designated receptacle, or on private property without the owner's consent. City Code Section 10-17 also bars storing or leaving personal belongings unattended on public or city-owned property.
Wilmington Illegal Dumping and Littering Ban
Heavy RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 10-17
No person shall place, discard, throw, drop, dump, cause to fall, deposit, or cause to be placed, discarded, thrown, dropped, dumped or deposited any litter, trash or refuse on:(1)Any public street or sidewalk within the city or on any property owned or operated by the city or any other public property, except in properly designated receptacles; or(2)Any property owned, occupied or leased by a ...
Yard Waste Collection
Wilmington collects stacked yard waste, including tree limbs, hedge cuttings, bagged leaves, and grass clippings, at least once a week under City Code Section 10-6(c). Limbs cannot exceed six inches in diameter or four feet in length, weekly volume is capped at seven cubic yards, and bagged material cannot exceed thirty-five gallons or fifty pounds per bag.
Wilmington Yard Waste Curbside Collection Limits
Some RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 10-6(c)
(c)Tree trunks, limbs, branches, tree trimmings, hedge cuttings, bagged leaves, pine straw and grass clippings stacked in a neat and orderly manner for easy handling at curbside shall be collected at least once per week if limbs are not in excess of six (6) inches in diameter and are not in excess of four (4) feet in length. Yard waste curbside collection for occupant cut material is limited to...
Dumpster Rules
Wilmington requires any dumpster or trash receptacle storage area visible from an adjacent property or right-of-way to be screened. City Code Section 18-504 sets the screen at six feet high along a front or corner side lot line and eight feet high along any side or rear line, bans chain link as a screening material, and exempts sites next to industrial or towing and auto-repair uses.
Wilmington Commercial Dumpster Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 18-504
For any of the following uses located within the view of any adjacent property or right-of-way, a visual screen shall be required to shield the use from the view of any adjacent property or right-of-way. Screening shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in height along the front or corner side of any lot and eight (8) feet in height along any side or rear property line. Chain link fencing shall not ...
Collection Schedule
Wilmington requires every owner or occupant within the city limits to carry an approved solid waste collection account under City Code Section 10-4. Section 10-5 sets the resulting service at a minimum of one collection per week for household refuse, yard waste, and bulky items, plus biweekly recycling pickup, all placed in city-approved roll-out carts.
Wilmington Mandatory Weekly Trash Collection
Some RestrictionsWilmington City Code § 10-5
Solid waste collection service will consist of at least one (1) collection per week of household refuse, yard waste, and bulky items and bi-weekly collection of recycling, prepared in accordance with this article, and placed in one (1) or more of the appropriate roll-out carts or other approved containers.
Looking for New Hanover County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Wilmington city rules.
Trash & Recycling in New Hanover County →