Portsmouth, VA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Garbage/trash pickup
- Weekly
- Recycling pickup
- Every other week
- Set-out window
- 5:00 p.m. day before to 7:00 a.m.
- Container removal deadline
- Evening of collection day
- Repeat-violation fines
- $25 / $50 / $100
Summary
Portsmouth collects household garbage and trash once a week and recyclables every other week on the same day, with the city manager or a designee authorized to reset the schedule when needed.
Sec. 16-36. - Frequency, times and dates containers and bulk refuse to be placed for collection. (a)Garbage and household trash accumulated at residences shall be collected by the city one (1) time each week, except when otherwise designated by the city manager or his designee.(b)Recyclables shall be collected every other week on the same day as waste collection, except when otherwise designated by the city manager or his designee.(c)Normally, in the areas receiving automated refuse and recycling collection, residents may place the container for collection at any time after 5:00 p.m. the day before and by 7:00 a.m. on days of collection or as specified by the director.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 16-36(a) sets the baseline: garbage and household trash accumulated at residences is collected by the city one time each week, except when otherwise designated by the city manager or a designee. Subsection (b) puts recyclables on a biweekly cycle, collected every other week on the same day as regular waste collection, again subject to the city manager's discretion to adjust. on collection day; the empty container must be pulled back and stored beside or behind the dwelling, or at a director-approved site, by the evening of collection day.
on collection day; tires, white goods and cardboard must be kept separated from the bulk pile. This section works alongside Sec. 00 for further violations, added directly to the customer's refuse bill for chapter violations tied to a property's service account.
Violations & Fines
Missing the collection-day window under Sec. 16-36 or otherwise violating the chapter triggers Sec. 16-2's tiered penalty: a violation notice for the first offense, then a $25.00 fine for a second violation within 12 months, $50.00 for a third, and $100.00 for each further violation within that period, all billed to the address's refuse account.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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