Newport News, VA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Trash pickup frequency
- Once per week, director-set schedule
- Bulk/recycling/yard waste
- Separate schedule based on resident needs
- Large appliance pickup
- Call by 4:00 p.m. day before bulk day
- Extra collection
- Available for a fee under Article IV
- Inaccessible waste
- Not collected if blocked by fences, cars, wires
- Emergency schedule changes
- Director may adjust for exigent circumstances
- Article II penalty cap
- $3,000 per year, Sec. 19-17
Summary
Newport News collects residential trash once a week on a route the director sets, with recycling, bulk waste and yard debris picked up on a separate schedule based on resident needs. Waste blocked by fences, cars, mailboxes or low wires simply gets skipped, and the city can shift routes on short notice during storms or other emergencies.
(a)Collection of residential trash shall be provided to occupied residential dwelling units throughout the city on a one (1) time per week basis according to a schedule prepared by the director.(b)... Although collection of large appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dryers and other large white goods will be made on bulk waste collection days, residents must contact the department prior to 4:00 p.m. on the last business day before such resident's bulk waste collection day to schedule the collection of such large appliances. ... (d)The director may make exceptions to collection schedules in times of exigent circumstances; however, missed collections will be collected as soon as possible. Notice of changes in collection schedules will be promptly provided to affected residents by any reasonable means considering the nature of the exigent circumstance. (e)Residential solid waste that is inaccessible to collection vehicles shall not be collected. Inaccessibility includes, but is not limited to the following: debris blocked by or in close proximity to cable boxes, mail boxes, fences, street signs, vehicles, and/or under low wires or overhead powerlines.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 19-11 puts residential trash collection on a one-time-per-week basis under a schedule the director of public works prepares for each route. Recycling, bulk waste and residential vegetative (yard) waste run on a separate schedule the director sets around residents' needs rather than a fixed weekly day. on the last business day before the scheduled bulk day to get an appliance added to the route; multi-family owners and property managers have to schedule those pickups themselves and keep white goods staged separately so they don't block the truck.
Residents who want service beyond the standard route, such as an extra pickup, can request it and pay the additional-collection fee set in Article IV of Chapter 19. The director can also depart from the posted schedule 'in times of exigent circumstances,' for example after a hurricane or ice storm, and the code only requires that missed collections resume as soon as possible and that affected residents get notice 'by any reasonable means' fitting the emergency. Any pilot collection program the city runs still has to follow every other provision of the chapter.
Separately, Sec. 19-11(e) excuses the city from collecting solid waste it can't safely reach: the code lists debris blocked by or close to cable boxes, mailboxes, fences, street signs, parked vehicles, or set under low wires or overhead power lines as inaccessible and therefore uncollected until the resident clears the obstruction.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 19-17 caps the civil penalties for violations of this Article II (which includes the Sec. 19-11 collection-schedule rules) at a combined three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) per year for multiple violations arising from the same set of operative facts, with the specific penalty schedule for each provision set out in Article IX of Chapter 19.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does Newport News collect residential trash?
How do I get a refrigerator or washing machine picked up?
Why didn't the truck empty my container?
Can Newport News change my collection day without much notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
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