Chesapeake In The Know

The Waste Management Division of Public Works collects over 118,000 tons of solid waste from the curbside of over 60,000 households throughout the City. Here’s a breakdown of what we take and how we do it.

Automated Bins (aka “brown bins”) - Automated bin collection is our core service and our main priority when it comes to collecting trash from your curbside. Use your automated bin for things like food waste, containers and packaging, and other household-generated waste. Everything in your automated bin should be bagged to avoid attracting pests. Household hazardous waste (chemicals, paints) should never be placed in your automated bin and should instead be taken to SPSA for proper disposal.

Bulk Waste – Our bulk waste collection services allows residents to place larger items at the curb for free collection, up to 12 times per year. You must request a bulk waste collection online or by calling 757-382-2489 by 5 p.m. the weekday before your collection day. Accepted bulk waste items include furniture, appliances, shrubs, or tree limbs. It does not include hazardous waste, debris from construction or demolition work, or tree trunks/stumps. Bulk waste is collected by a grapple truck which limits the size and amount of the waste you can place at the curb to one 4 feet wide by 4 feet high by 10 feet long for household items and 4 feet wide by 4 feet high by 6 feet long for bulky yard waste such as limbs and shrubbery.

Bagged Yard Waste – Bagged yard waste should be relatively light things such as grass clippings, leaves, and pine straw which are placed into clear 35-gallon plastic bags. Bags filled with dirt, soil, sod, clay, rocks, or mulch will not be collected. Heavy bags pose a danger to workers and are prone to tearing and spilling. Our employees will physically lift hundreds of these bags up into the back of a rear-end loader truck every day. Please consider this when filling your bags. Three employees are required for each rear-end loader truck – one to drive and two to load bags into the back of the trucks and spot each other. Bagged yard waste does not require a collection request and can just be placed at the curb for collection. A maximum of 30 bags can be collected each week (50 in November and December).

Placement & Spacing – Automated bins require at least 3 feet of distance on either side to allow the truck’s claw to grab the bin. Bulk Waste should be placed in an area with clearance on both sides and up above (the grapple truck is tall so overhead wires could pose a challenge). No bin, bag, or pile should block the path of a vehicle, a pedestrian, or the flow of stormwater. 

Household Hazardous Waste - Household Hazardous Waste must be properly disposed of to keep you, your neighbors, Waste Management workers, and animals & wildlife safe. Things like pesticides, paints, cleaners, and other chemicals should not be placed in the automated bin or at the curb. Instead, all household hazardous waste should be brought to the SPSA Transfer Station in Greenbrier on the first Wednesday or third Saturday of the month, from 9 a.m. to Noon.

Other Trash - Items that can't fit into your automated bin and don't qualify for bulk or bagged yard waste collection can be brought directly to the SPSA Transfer Station in Greenbrier or the SPSA Regional Landfill in Suffolk on select days and times. The SPSA Greenbrier Transfer Station recently expanded their drop-off days to Mondays & Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Recycling - The City's curbside recycling contract with TFC Recycling will end on June 30, 2022. Learn more about the latest on recycling in Chesapeake.  Additional recycling opportunities for a variety of items are available through Chesapeake Recycles Day events.