Wilmington, NC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Under Sec. 10-41, participation is voluntary and available on request to any regular user of the city's solid waste collection service; participants face the same civil or criminal penalties in Sec. 10-2 as any other chapter 10 violation. Sec. 10-42 governs collection: the city issues each participant a recycling container, pickup happens once every other week, and the container is set at the same curb location used for the roll-out trash cart. The superintendent of solid waste management designates which categories of recyclables the city will collect and can change that list, notifying participants of updates.

When recyclables exceed the container's capacity, the excess may sit next to the container in a bag or other container as long as it is obviously recyclables, not trash. Sec. 10-43 sets preparation rules: containers must be rinsed free of residue and cardboard must be flattened before it goes in. Material that is not prepared this way will not be collected, and the account customer or owner is responsible for separating out anything unacceptable. If a customer repeatedly misuses the recycle container, the city can remove it and end that address's participation in the program, with no reduction in the solid waste fee.

Sec. 10-41(b) also makes it unlawful for anyone without a city contract or the city's permission to collect recyclables that have already been set out for pickup, since that material becomes city property once placed for collection.