New Hanover County, NC Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Sec. 44-48(a) lets the director of environmental management, with the county manager's approval, set the collection schedule and routes for the whole county. Sec. 44-48(b) then fixes where containers go along that route: alleys serve as collection routes wherever they are physically practical, and any right-of-way dedicated for that purpose behind or beside a lot must be at least 20 feet wide to count. Where collection runs along the side or rear of a property, containers go near the service street, and rear collection only happens where that service street actually exists and is usable.

Where there is no alley or access road, containers must sit directly behind the curbing, or three feet from the pavement edge on a paved street with no curb, and every container has to be placed only next to the premises it serves, not shared across a lot line. Sec. 44-48(c) restricts set-out timing: roll-out carts, recycling containers, yard waste, bulky items and every other container for refuse may go out for pickup only on the specific day the schedule designates for that address, not early.

Sec. 44-48(d) closes the loop by requiring roll-out carts and other containers to come back off the street or alley promptly after the truck has serviced them, rather than sitting out for days. Sec. 44-45(a) adds physical limits on the cart itself: the lid must close tightly over the body, and the franchisee will not lift a cart so full that it exceeds about 200 pounds or blocks the mechanical lifter, so overloaded or open carts simply get skipped.