Norfolk, VA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Downtown recycling days
- Tuesday and Thursday only, § 41-20(c)
- Downtown trash days
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Container source
- SPSA-provided containers only, § 41-38
- Nonrecyclables on recycling days
- Barred entirely
- Business recycling fee
- $39.48/yr per container, § 41-21(g)
Summary
Norfolk runs recyclables on the same timing framework as trash collection, with one twist for the downtown business district: recyclables there go out only on Tuesday and Thursday nights, never on the Monday-Wednesday-Friday trash days. City Code Sec. 41-20(c) and Sec. 41-38 govern placement, containers and timing.
For those designated shopping centers and the central business district receiving collection services on a regular three-day per week schedule, place containers at the collection site no earlier than 5:00 p.m. and no later than 7:00 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Recyclables may be placed out at the collection site no earlier than 5:00 p.m. and no later than 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. No nonrecyclables may be placed out for collection Tuesday and Thursday.
Sec. 41-38. - Definitions. Recycling services. For recycling services provided by city forces or SPSA, requirements for placement for collection, collection times shall be the same as for city collection of household waste. Recyclables may only be placed in the SPSA-provided containers. Times for placement or removal of containers shall be as set for in article III.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 166).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 41-38, the definitions section opening Article VI's recycling rules, ties recycling placement directly to the household waste rules: requirements for placement, collection, and collection times for recycling services provided by city forces or the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) are the same as for city collection of household waste, and recyclables may only go into SPSA-provided containers. For most of the city that means the standard Sec. on collection day. The downtown exception sits in Sec. on Tuesday and Thursday, and nonrecyclable waste is barred from being set out on those two days entirely.
Sec. 41-20(h) makes clear the section's general placement, screening and removal rules apply to recycling containers just as they do to trash carts. Together the two sections mean a downtown business cannot simply put recyclables at the curb whenever convenient: the specific Tuesday/Thursday window keeps the recycling stream physically and temporally separated from the three-day trash pickup so SPSA trucks can service it cleanly.
Violations & Fines
Setting out nonrecyclable waste on the Tuesday/Thursday recycling days, or placing recyclables outside the designated evening window, violates Sec. 41-20(c). As elsewhere in the chapter, Sec. 41-1 makes a violation a class 3 misdemeanor, rising to a class 2 misdemeanor after three violations in twelve months, and Sec. 41-6 lets an inspector issue a prepayment penalty of $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, and $100 for a third or more within the same year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can downtown Norfolk businesses put recyclables out?
Do I have to use a specific recycling bin in Norfolk?
Do Norfolk's recycling placement rules also cover screening and removal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norfolk
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