Portsmouth, VA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

City Code Sec. 16-34 lays out material-specific preparation rules for collection. Paper must go in an approved receptacle or bag, or be securely bundled so it cannot blow into the street. Cartons and boxes must be flattened and securely tied into bundles not exceeding 25 pounds using strong, stout cord. Yard waste containing dirt, rocks or other non-yard-waste material cannot be set out, and raking or sweeping yard waste into the street, curb, gutter or drainage structure is unlawful. Small dead animals will be collected during normal operating hours if sealed in a plastic or polyethylene bag placed near the curb or between the sidewalk and curb.

Tires must be placed near the curb per Sec. 00 per additional tire plus subject to the Sec. 16-31 abatement penalties. White goods such as refrigerators, water heaters and washing machines must be placed near the curb, and refrigerators and freezers must be empty with the door removed before collection. Sec. 16-39 lists items the city will never collect at all: industrial wastes, construction/remodeling/demolition debris or anything generated by a contractor, hazardous wastes, and large dead animals, all of which are the generator's own responsibility to transport and dispose of.