Trash & Recycling in Chesterfield County, VA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Anyone paid to collect, transport or dump trash in Chesterfield County must hold a license from the director of general services under Sec. 11-12, one per truck. Licensed haulers must render reasonable service and avoid creating a nuisance or excess noise under Sec. 11-17, or face license revocation.
Chesterfield County Trash Hauler Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsChesterfield County Code § 11-17
Sec. 11-17. - Manner of collection generally; revocation of license for violations. Licensees authorized to collect or transport waste collected from others pursuant to this article shall render reasonable service to their clients in the interest of public health, and their employees shall be physically and mentally capable of performing the required duties. Waste shall be collected in such a m...
Bin Placement Rules
Chesterfield County does not run municipal trash pickup; residential garbage is handled by private haulers you contract with. The county's role is property maintenance: it can require accumulated trash, refuse, and debris to be removed and bill the owner.
Trash Containers and Accumulation Rules
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County Waste and Resource Recovery Division
Residential trash disposal and recycling services in the county are provided by private waste management companies operating in the area.
Bulk Item Disposal
Drop off bulky items at Chesterfield's two convenience centers, open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fees apply: $9 per pickup-truck load of residential trash, plus item fees like $15 for Freon appliances and $9 for mattresses.
Bulk Item Disposal at Convenience Centers
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County Convenience Centers fee schedule
[Convenience centers are] open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.... Residential trash (one pickup truck): $9... Appliances with Freon: $15 fee per item... Tires: limit of 5 tires.
Recycling Requirements
Chesterfield makes it a crime to take recyclables out of an approved county recycling container once they've been set out for pickup. Sec. 11-7 defines recyclable material broadly, glass, aluminum and steel cans, newspapers, mixed paper, plastic bottles and jugs, and bars anyone unauthorized from removing it from a container serving the county's authorized recycling program.
Chesterfield County Recycling Bin Theft Law
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County Code § 11-7
Sec. 11-7. - Removal of recyclable materials from recycling containers unlawful. (a)"Recyclable material" as that term is used in this section shall mean material deposited in or at approved containers for collection and recycling by a recycling program authorized by the county. Such materials may include but are not necessarily limited to glass bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, newspapers, m...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping trash, garbage, or debris on public property, a highway right-of-way, or private property without the owner's written consent is a misdemeanor under Virginia Code § 33.2-802, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and fines of $500 to $2,500.
Illegal Dumping and Litter Law
Some RestrictionsVA Code § 33.2-802
It is unlawful for any person to dump or otherwise dispose of trash, garbage, refuse, litter... or other unsightly matter on (i) public property, including a public highway, right-of-way, or property adjacent to such highway or right-of-way, or (ii) private property without the written consent of the owner or his agent.
Yard Waste Collection
Chesterfield County Code §§ 11-41 and 11-42 control when residents may burn leaves at home: only in set spring and fall windows, and never inside a board-designated "no burn area" where the county runs a leaf pickup service instead. Anyone who burns outside those windows, or inside a no-burn zone, faces a misdemeanor charge under § 11-43.
Chesterfield County Leaf Burning and Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County, VA, Code of Ordinances §§ 11-41(a)-(b)
(a)No person in the county may burn leaves from trees on property where they reside, except: from March 15 to April 15 from 4:00 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and from November 15 to December 15 from 8:00 a.m. on Monday to noon on Friday; provided, however, that leaf burning shall be permitted from December 19, 2001 through January 18, 2002.(b)Notwithstanding any other provision of t...
Collection Schedule
Chesterfield County doesn't run curbside trash pickup itself: homeowners contract with a licensed private hauler under the county's own collector-licensing program. But Sec. 11-6 puts a direct duty on multifamily and commercial properties: every motel, apartment house and shopping center must furnish covered containers and adequate collection service.
Chesterfield County Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County Code § 11-6
Sec. 11-6. - Motels, apartment houses and shopping centers to provide trash and garbage containers and collection service. (a)The owner or operator of all motels, apartment houses and shopping centers shall provide adequate, tightly covered, leak-proof trash and garbage containers at on the grounds of each motel, apartment house or shopping center.(b)The owner or operator of all motels, apartme...
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