Queen Anne's County, MD Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Section 25-23 of the Queen Anne's County Code limits what the weekly household pickup takes. The stated intent is that the reasonable accumulation of refuse of each family for the collection period will be collected. The Director may authorize the collector to refuse to collect unreasonable amounts of refuse, and the County's collector will not collect large, bulky items, such as appliances, furniture, and similar materials. Under § 25-1 the Director is the Director of Public Works for Queen Anne's County or the Director's authorized deputy, agent, or representative.

That leaves residents to dispose of bulky items themselves. Section 25-6 applies to a person who wants to personally collect and dispose of refuse they have produced, refuse accumulated on premises the person owns, waste material not included in the definition of refuse, or who is not in a solid waste subdistrict that provides collection service. Anyone hauling must use a watertight container with a tight cover and haul the refuse in a manner that prevents offensive odors from escaping and prevents the refuse from being blown, dropped, or spilled. Under § 25-5 B, hauling refuse generated solely on your own premises needs no permit, but under § 25-5 A anyone who collects and hauls refuse as a service to others in the County needs a solid waste collection permit from the Director.

Tipping or dumping fees apply at disposal. Under § 25-4 C the Director shall enforce and collect tipping or dumping fees for refuse as established by the County Commissioners.

What counts as refuse matters. Refuse is garbage, rubbish, or ashes, and rubbish excludes building rubbish or other materials from building construction or reconstruction, stones, street refuse, industrial refuse, dead animals, abandoned large machinery or vehicles, and other waste materials not commonly produced in homes. Those excluded materials are not part of ordinary household collection either.

Other preparation limits in § 25-16 keep ordinary bulk within the pickup. Tree trimmings must be cut to no more than four feet and tied in bundles no more than two feet thick. Cardboard boxes must be broken down, flattened, and tied in bundles not exceeding four feet in diameter and six inches in thickness. Ownership of refuse set out for collection is vested in the collector as of the time of collection (§ 25-7).

The chapter covers the County exclusive of incorporated municipalities, so Centreville, Queenstown, and the other towns follow their own codes.