Wilmington, NC Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 10-4 makes participation mandatory: no owner or occupant inside the city limits is exempt from an approved solid waste collection service, and occupied property on a publicly maintained street cannot avoid the collection and disposal charges the city council sets, which become a debt owed to the city. Section 10-5 defines what that mandatory service actually delivers: at least one collection per week of household refuse, yard waste, and bulky items, combined with a biweekly collection of recycling, all placed in one or more approved roll-out carts.

The superintendent of solid waste management can exempt a customer from the roll-out cart itself for hardship reasons tied to age, infirmity, or a difficult topographic site, but exempted customers still must follow the container and storage standards of Section 10-8. Section 10-3 places the superintendent of solid waste management, working with the director of public services, in charge of supervising collection, removal, and disposal citywide, and gives the city manager authority to temporarily vary service elements, including collection frequency, container type, and allowable volume per pickup, for experimental purposes at the city council's direction.

Landlords carry a specific continuing duty under Section 10-4: upon a rental unit's vacancy, the owner resumes financial responsibility for the account and its fees until the owner formally notifies the city to terminate service.