Pitt County, NC Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Container standard
- durable, rust-resistant, watertight, fly-tight cover
- Container sizing
- enough for one week's garbage accumulation
- Bulky waste limit
- 72 hours maximum outside a dwelling
- Refrigerator rule
- doors must be removed if left outside
- General penalty
- $100/$200/$400 first/second/subsequent offense
Summary
Pitt County's Solid Waste & Recycling Ordinance requires garbage to sit in a durable, rust-resistant, watertight container with a close-fitting, fly-tight lid sized for a full week's accumulation, and it caps how long bulky waste like furniture or appliances can sit outside a home at 72 hours.
C. Garbage shall be stored only in a container that is durable, rust resistant, nonabsorbent, water tight, and easily cleaned, with a close-fitting, fly-tight cover in-place, with adequate handles to facilitate handling. Solid waste receptacles, as defined by this Ordinance, may also be used for storage provided they meet the requirements of this subsection. The number of containers shall be adequate to store one week's accumulation of garbage. Each container shall be kept clean so that no odor or other nuisance condition exists. ... E. No owner, occupant, tenant, or lessee of any building or dwelling, other than a licensed junk dealer, may place or leave, or cause to be placed or left, outside the building or dwelling, any bulky wastes for longer than 72 hours.
Full Breakdown
Section 8(C) of the Solid Waste & Recycling Ordinance (No. 3) sets the container standard for anyone storing garbage on their property: it must be 'durable, rust resistant, nonabsorbent, water tight, and easily cleaned, with a close-fitting, fly-tight cover in-place, with adequate handles to facilitate handling,' and the ordinance also allows a 'solid waste receptacle' (its term for a large, mechanically-emptied container) to double as storage if it meets the same standard. The number of containers on a property has to be enough to hold a full week's worth of garbage, and each one has to stay clean enough that it creates no odor or other nuisance.
' A related safety rule in § 8(F) bars leaving an abandoned icebox, refrigerator or other airtight container outside where children can reach it unless its door has first been removed. Together these subsections cover the physical container itself and how long non-container waste like furniture can wait at the curb or yard before it must go.
Violations & Fines
Storing garbage in a container that isn't durable, rust-resistant, watertight or fly-tight, or leaving bulky waste outside longer than the 72-hour limit in § 8(E), is enforceable under the ordinance's general civil-penalty catch-all at § 16(B)(4), which sets a civil penalty of $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $400 for each offense after that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of trash can can I use in Pitt County?
How long can I leave an old couch or appliance outside before pickup?
Can I leave an old refrigerator in my yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pitt County
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