Solid Waste Services - Regular Schedule & Procedures
Residential Solid Waste Services
Residential household garbage, recyclables, and yard waste are collected once a week on each neighborhood's collection day. City of Washington employees and equipment pick up garbage, recycling, and yard waste.
Please place garbage, yard waste and recyclables next to the street by 7 a.m. on your neighborhood's collection day. Please remove bins and carts from streetside as soon as possible after collection.
Garbage
Place garbage inside your 90-gallon cart. The City will no longer service other types of containers full of household garbage.
Any resident which requires services for more than one bulk residential container will be charged an additional fee of $8 per city-issued cart. Call (252) 975-9302 to request additional carts.
Do not place yard waste or building materials in your garbage cart.
To reduce odor, rinse your cart periodically and seal messy items securely in plastic bags.
APARTMENT RESIDENTS: Dispose of garbage in the dumpster on your property or in the garbage chute at your building.
Yard Waste
Put yard waste in bags or containers and place next to the street betwen the curb and sidewalk.
Cut brush and tree trimmings in 3-foot (or shorter) lengths and 6-inches in diameter (or smaller); weight should be less than 80 pounds. Place next to the street between the curb and sidewalk. Do not place in the street or along the curb and gutter.
Tree limbs/branches that exceed above criteria can be picked up on a call per need basis for a charge. Call (252) 975-9302 for more information.
From November 1 to February 15, rake loose leaves next to the street between the curb and sidewalk. Do not place loose leaves in the street or along the curb and gutter.
Bulky Items (furniture, appliances*, etc.)
Bulky items (anything too large to place in a garbage cart) will be picked up at no charge once a quarter on the second full weeks of February, May, August and November (Solid Waste Schedule 
).
*NOTE: The City does not pick up items that contain, or did contain, Freon, such as freezers, refrigerators and air conditioners.
Place bulky items next to the street for collection on the regular solid waste pick-up day.
At other times, the City will haul away bulky items for a charge of $100 per trip. Call (252) 975-9302 to arrange for service.
Residents also may dispose of bulky items at no charge at a Beaufort County Solid Waste Convenience Center. Those closest to Washington are located on Magnolia School Road, Gray Road, (Chocowinity), and Cherry Run Road.
Recyclables
Place recyclables inside your recycling bin for collection. Recycle List
APARTMENT RESIDENTS: Recyclables are collected from individual recycling bins or from the centrally located recycling cart at the apartment complex.
The following materials may be recycled:
Newspapers, inserts, magazines and catalogs. These should be dry. On rainy days, put them in plastic bags and place on top of other items in the bin.
Aluminum and metal cans. Food and beverage containers only. Rinse. No need to remove labels. Crush to save space. No scrap metal, paint cans, aerosol cans, motor oil or antifreeze cans, aluminum foil, plates or pie tins.
Plastic containers — PETE #1 and HDPE #2. Items such as soft drink bottles, milk jugs, detergent, bleach and fabric softener bottles, and cooking oil bottles. Rinse. Discard caps with garbage. No need to remove labels. Crush to save space. No plastic wrap, plastic bags or motor oil and antifreeze bottles.
Glass — brown, clear and green. Bottles and jars only. Rinse. Discard caps with garbage. No need to remove labels. No light bulbs, plate glass or mirrors.
Non-recyclable materials will be left in your bin for you to discard in the garbage.
More Information on Recycling in Washington
Fees
The City of Washington charges residents a small monthly fee for solid waste services to help cover the cost of hauling away and disposing of solid waste. This fee appears on your utility bill.
Beaufort County charges an annual solid waste fee to each property owner to cover landfill costs. This fee appears on the annual property tax bill.
Holiday Schedule
The City will collect garbage and recyclables only on the following city-observed holidays (or an alternative day) when they fall on a day other than Monday:
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Independence Day
- Veterans Day
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
No garbage, recyclables and yard waste collections on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Holiday schedules are announced on the City Cable Access Channel (Washington Cable Channel 9), in the Washington Daily News and on this website (Solid Waste Schedule).
Storm Debris Collection
To help residents clean up after natural disasters, such as hurricanes and major floods, the City of Washington may temporarily suspend restrictions about collection of yard waste and bulky trash. Schedule changes will be announced on the City Cable Access Channel (Washington Cable Channel 9) and through the local news media. Dispose of debris from other storms according to the regular yard waste schedule.
Inclement Weather
If garbage or recycling collections are canceled due to inclement weather, make-up schedules will be announced on the City Cable Access Channel (Washington Cable Channel 9) and through the local news media.