Bulk Trash Collection

WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICE ALERT

The City of Chesapeake will temporarily suspend new bulk trash and yard waste collection effective Tuesday, January 18, 2022, until further notice, due to ongoing staffing shortages. The City will not accept new bulk trash collection requests during this suspension, and residents should not place additional bulk trash or yard waste bags at the curb. This suspension will allow Waste Management to catch up on collection of items already at the curbside while working to hire and train new staff. All items with an existing submitted bulk trash request will be collected as soon as possible -- please leave these items at the curbside. Residents may transport bulk items and other eligible waste to the SPSA Greenbrier Transfer Station or SPSA Regional Landfill in Suffolk. For hours of operation at SPSA drop-off locations, visit bit.ly/SPSAhours. There are no changes to brown automated bin trash collection service at this time. More information about the resumption of normal service will be released as it becomes available.

As a reminder, the City continues to offer attractive employment packages, including $2,000 sign-on bonuses, for new staff in the Waste Management Division. Information and applications are available online at https://jobs.cityofchesapeake.net.

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Residents may request bulk collection of limbs and branches as part of standard bulk waste pickups. Residents must request a bulk pickup by calling 757-382-2489. No fencing, construction materials, carpet, refuse wood, roofing materials, wooden pallets or landscaping byproducts will be collected. Residents should place items at the curb for their normal collection day. Residents may also continue to drop off bulk waste at all SPSA Transfer Stations, but should be mindful of hours and restrictions.

Yard waste will continue to be collected in clear or any other color plastic trash bags until further notice. We ask residents to place as much of their yard waste as possible in these bags and place curbside on their normal scheduled collection days.

Residents may request bulk pickups for household debris, appliances, and furniture by calling 757-382-2489. Residents may also continue to drop off bulk waste at all SPSA Transfer Stations, but should be mindful of hours and restrictions.

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Bulk trash is oversized waste that is too large to place in your trash container. Bulk trash is separated into household items and yard/tree debris. Bulk trash collection is only available to residents currently being served by the City of Chesapeake Waste Management Division. Collections are made on the same day as regular garbage collections or when schedules permit. Rules and limitations are listed below.

When scheduling your bulk trash collection, you no longer have to differentiate between household and yard/tree bulk trash. You will simply request a Bulk Trash Collection and then note what items need collected (e.g. appliance, mattress, bushes, tree limbs, etc.)  All restrictions and limitations will remain the same and you must separate your household bulk trash piles from your yard debris bulk trash piles when you place them at the curb.

As a reminder, the City of Chesapeake DOES NOT collect construction debris as part of bulk waste collection, in accordance with Section 62-59 of the City of Chesapeake Code of Ordinances. Construction debris includes building materials, fencing and siding, refuse wood, roofing materials, wooden pallets, landscaping debris, demolition debris, pavement or driveway debris, soil and loam, and other items. Removal should be made by the original contractor, a contracted disposal company, or self-transported to a SPSA transfer station or other legal disposal site. The City is required to give 48 hours notice upon violation of the ordinance. If the violation is not remedied after 48 hours, the City may remove the items and charge the responsible party all costs of removal plus an administrative fee of $100.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How do I schedule a Bulk Trash Collection?
• What items are considered Bulk Household Items?
• What is considered Bulk Tree/Yard Debris?
• When can I place bulk items at the curb for collection?
• Where do I place bulk items for collection?
• What are the size limits for bulk collections?
• How often can I schedule a bulk collection?
• What do I do with small debris left behind after a bulk collection?
• How do I handle items with glass?
• What if I have excessive garbage from moving in/out of my home?
• Can I schedule a bulk collection for tires?
• Bulk Waste Violations

How do I schedule a Bulk Trash Collection?

To request a Bulk Trash Collection, call the Chesapeake Customer Contact Center at 382-CITY(2489) by 5 p.m. the work day prior to your scheduled collection day or fill out the online Bulk Trash Pickup Request by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to your scheduled collection day.

What items are considered Bulk Household Items?

Appliances, boxes/bags of household dry goods, furniture, mattress/box-spring, patio furniture, small garage clean-out. Remove doors from refrigerators/freezers and tape all glass surfaces. Items that are not allowed include hazardous waste, carpet, wood and fencing, construction and demolition debris, manufacturing process debris and loose or dangerous refuse. Hazardous waste requires proper disposal at a SPSA Transfer Station.

What is considered Bulk Tree/Yard Debris?

Bushes, shrubbery, tree branch/limbs and large yard trimmings. Tree limbs, branches, sticks must not exceed 6 feet in length and 6 inches in diameter. Items that are not allowed include tree trunks/logs/stumps that exceed 6 feet in length and 6 inches in diameter and any limb debris trimmed/removed by a contractor.  (Please note that lumber and fencing is considered household bulk waste not yard bulk waste.)

*Grass clippings and leaves can be bagged in clear plastic bags or paper compostable bags and placed at the curb on your scheduled collection day without a bulk reservation. Limit is 30 bags per week per residence (except in November and December when the limit is 50 bags).

When can I place bulk items at the curb for collection?

Bulk waste cannot be placed at the curb for collection any earlier than three (3) work days prior to your regularly scheduled collection day.

Where do I place bulk items for collection?

Bulk waste should be placed as close as possible to the curb or roadside and 3 feet away from any obstructions such as mailboxes, telephone poles, garbage containers, etc. Do not place items underneath overhead wires or tree limbs.  Do not block the passage of vehicles, pedestrians or drainage. Household items must be separated from yard waste piles as these items are disposed of at different locations.

What are the size limits for bulk collections?

Bulk household waste is limited to one 4 foot wide x 4 foot high x 10 foot long pile per residence per week and is limited to 12 collections per calendar year. Bulk yard waste is limited to one 4 foot wide x 4 foot high x 6 foot long pile per residence per week. Your household pile should always be separate from your yard waste pile.

How often can I schedule a bulk collection?

Bulk Household Items are limited to 12 times per year per residence. Bulk Yard/Tree Debris collections are not limited.

What do I do with small debris left behind after a bulk trash collection?

The resident is responsible for cleaning up any small debris (debris that can fit into a garbage bag or a clear yard waste bag) that is left behind following a bulk pickup.   

How do I handle items with glass?

For items that have glass (windows, doors, tables, stoves), all glass surfaces must be extensively taped to prevent shattering. The resident is responsible for cleaning up any broken glass debris that may result from the collection of those items.

What if I have excessive garbage from moving in/out of my home?

While we do not offer special collections for excessive garbage generated by moving, you can schedule a bulk trash collection and note the items you have at the curb. All the rules and restriction still apply.

Can I schedule a bulk collection for tires?

You can schedule a Bulk Trash Collection for up to two passenger car tires with no rims, per residence per collection.

Bulk Waste Violations

The City is required to give 48 hours' notice upon violation of the Solid Waste Ordinance (City Code Chapter 62, amended April 23, 2013). If the violation is not remedied, the City may remove the item and charge the responsible party all costs of removal plus an administrative fee of $100.