Chesapeake, VA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Sec. 1 targets recycling scavenging: anyone who removes recyclable material set out for collection, whether it is bagged separately for recycling or mixed in with garbage and trash, commits a separate Class 1 misdemeanor for each unlawful removal, unless the person who set the material out consented to its removal. Virginia treats a Class 1 misdemeanor as the most serious misdemeanor level, carrying up to 12 months in jail and a fine up to $2,500. The companion provision, Sec. 62-63, backs this up from the other direction: no one except city employees on duty may overhaul, molest or interfere with the contents of any container, bundle or bag set out for removal, or carry away rubbish, recyclables or other set-out articles within a public right-of-way, or within five feet of the curb line or pavement edge, except under a valid franchise or contract awarded by the city.

Beyond that five-foot buffer, a person still needs authorization from the director of public works to collect or carry away recyclables that have been set out. The same section separately bars anyone from removing, damaging or disabling the radio frequency identification tag affixed to city-supplied containers, and confirms that garbage containers remain city property that must stay at the assigned address unless a resident purchased an extra one. Together, these sections protect both the city's exclusive collection franchise and the value of the recyclable stream from informal scavengers and competing haulers.