Sussex County, DE Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

§ 91-3 governs how solid waste, a term the chapter defines to include garbage, rubbish, bulky wastes, construction and demolition debris and hazardous materials, may be stored and disposed of anywhere in Sussex County. Subsection C requires that any storage for collection or transfer, the category that covers dumpsters, roll-off containers and similar equipment placed on a property, include effective provisions to prevent odor, nuisance to adjacent inhabitants, and access by rodents, animals and insects. Subsection B separately bars disposing of solid wastes on any property without the written consent of the owner or the person legally responsible for it, which reaches a contractor or hauler who drops a container on land without the landowner's sign-off.

Chapter 91 layers additional equipment standards onto any public collector's vehicles and containers: under § 91-7, vehicles licensed after July 1, 1972 with capacities over 10 cubic yards must have bodies that are totally enclosed to prevent spillage, watertight against leakage, and equipped to unload mechanically, while detachable bodies and containers used to transport waste must carry a display license tag under § 91-4C. A public collector operating dumpsters or roll-offs must hold an annual license from the county, at $100 per year plus $5 per vehicle for larger equipment or $25 per year plus $5 per vehicle for smaller equipment, running July 1 to June 30 under § 91-4.