Trash and recycling pickup in Wilmington: schedule, holidays, bulk

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Wilmington’s Trash page, its Bulky Item Collection page and its 2026 recycling calendar (PDF).

The city of Wilmington’s Solid Waste Services division picks up household trash and yard waste every week and recycling every other week, all on the same service day. Bulky items and electronics go on that day too, by appointment. Everything must be at the curb by 6 a.m. on your pickup day.

Who to call

• Your pickup day, bulky items, missed pickup, extra-trash stickers: Solid Waste Services, 910-341-7875
• Start service, change cart size, billing: Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), 910-332-6550, or the CFPUA trash service form
• Downtown “Bag-It” program (Water Street to Third Street): 910-341-0227
• Hazardous waste and the landfill: New Hanover County, 910-798-4450
• Official page: City of Wilmington Trash

What day is my pickup?

Trash, yard waste, recycling, appliances, bulky items and electronics are all collected on the same weekly day, according to the city’s Trash Routes page. To find your day, call Solid Waste Services at 910-341-7875. The city’s information guide (PDF) also points residents to wilmingtonnc.gov/pickup to look up an address.

The rules for the curb:

• Carts out by 6 a.m. on your day. The city says the evening before is best practice, and nothing may go out before noon the day before.
• Take carts back from the right-of-way by the end of your pickup day.
• Close the lid, face the wheels and handle toward the house, and keep carts within 2 feet of the curb with 3 feet of space around them.
• Bag household trash and put it inside the city cart. Bags outside the cart are not collected unless they carry an orange extra-trash sticker.

Stickers come in packs of at least 12. Call 910-341-7875 to have them mailed and billed to your utility account, or buy them at 929 N. Front St. The city says they do not expire.

Recycling

Recycling is collected every other week on your trash day. Recycling service has no extra charge; call 910-341-7875 and the city will deliver a blue cart. The city’s guide lists what goes in:

• Glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum and tin cans, and pots and pans without handles
• Newspaper, magazines, junk mail, cereal and food boxes, flattened cardboard, and juice and milk cartons
• Plastic bottles, jugs and containers, and rigid plastics such as laundry baskets and toys

Keep out plastic bags, plastic film, foam, bubble wrap, cords and rope, food and household trash. Extra recyclables can go beside the blue cart in a cardboard box on your recycling week.

Holiday schedule

Solid Waste Services does not collect on four holidays: New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every other holiday runs on the normal schedule. The city’s 2026 calendar sets the dates for the rest of this year:

The city announces each holiday change ahead of time. Call 910-341-7875 if you are unsure.

Bulky items and electronics

Bulky pickup has no extra charge, but it needs an appointment. Book by phone at 910-341-7875 or with the city’s online bulky item form by 4:30 p.m. on the business day before your trash day. Later requests roll to the following week. Name every item when you book.

• Put furniture and other bulky items, metal items, electronics and yard waste in separate piles. Three different trucks pick them up.
• Bend or pull nails out of lumber.
• Extra bagged trash is not a bulky item; it needs stickers.
• Debris from a contractor’s work is the contractor’s job to haul away.

TVs, computers and other electronics can also go free to the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3002 U.S. 421 North, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The county landfill takes up to five tires from a resident at no charge.

Yard waste

Yard waste goes out weekly on your trash day, according to the city’s guide:

• Limbs no longer than 4 feet and no thicker than 6 inches.
• Loose grass, leaves, pine straw, vines and pinecones in a box or a personal can of 30 gallons or less. No tarps, wheelbarrows or city carts.
• One neat pile in one consistent spot, clear of storm drains, and no more than 7 cubic yards a week.
• Keep lumber, shingles, rocks and trash out of the pile.

What the city will not take

Liquids, sharp items, dirt, rocks, bricks and concrete, hot ashes, pallets, wet paint, chemicals and other hazardous materials, medical waste and tires stay out of the cart. The city’s Trash page says old prescriptions can go in the locked drop boxes at the Historic Courthouse, 24 N. Third St. Most of the rest can go to New Hanover County’s recycling and solid waste sites.

The city’s guide lists a $50-a-day civil fine for common violations, including bags outside the cart without a sticker and carts left at the curb on other days.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Wilmington? Each address has one weekly service day for trash, yard waste and recycling. Call Solid Waste Services at 910-341-7875 to find yours, and have everything at the curb by 6 a.m.

How often is recycling picked up in Wilmington? Every other week, on your regular trash day. Trash and yard waste are picked up every week.

Is there trash pickup on Thanksgiving in Wilmington? No. The city’s 2026 calendar moves Thanksgiving collection to Wednesday, Nov. 25, and Christmas collection to Wednesday, Dec. 23.

How do I get bulky items picked up in Wilmington? Call 910-341-7875 or use the city’s online form by 4:30 p.m. on the business day before your trash day. There is no extra charge, and items go out no earlier than noon the day before.

Does Wilmington recycling take glass? Yes. Glass bottles and jars go in the blue recycling cart, along with cans, paper, cardboard and rigid plastics. Plastic bags and film do not.

What this means for you

• Carts out by 6 a.m., back in by the end of the day.
• Recycling is every other week; ask 910-341-7875 which week is yours.
• Book bulky pickup by 4:30 p.m. the business day before, and put it out no earlier than noon the day before.
• Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks move collection to the Wednesday before the holiday.

More city services: who to call at City Hall, property taxes and moving to Wilmington.