Wilmington, NC Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Section 10-1 defines bulky items as inorganic items too large for a roll-out cart, such as appliances, furniture, play equipment, and building fixtures. Section 10-6(a)(1) turns that definition into an operating rule: the city collects normal household discarded furniture and appliances, including sofas, chairs, beds, refrigerators, washers, dryers, and hot water heaters, but only on a scheduled basis after a customer requests the service. Items must come from the premises served by the account, must be set at curbside no earlier than noon the day preceding the scheduled collection, and items still sitting on trucks or trailers will not be picked up.

Section 10-10 layers on exclusions: bulky items from contracted work, from anywhere other than the premises served, or from commercially related activity not named on the account will not be collected, and bulky waste that has not been scheduled with the city in advance is also refused outright, meaning residents cannot simply set items at the curb without first calling in a pickup request. Building materials from repairs, additions, or demolition work performed by a contractor must be removed by the owner or contractor rather than placed for city collection. 00 civil penalty to other Chapter 10 provisions like bulky item handling, with each continuing day treated as a separate offense.