- Home
- Departments
- Public Works and Water Resources
- Public Works
- Refuse Collection Services
Refuse Collection Services
- Household Trash
- Single Stream Curbside Recycling
- Green Wednesday - Yard Waste Collections
- Holiday Collection Schedule
- Recycle Coach
Collection Information
The City collects household trash once per week on Monday or Tuesday for all residents. To find out which day your household trash and recycling is collected, visit the Recycle Coach tab below. The City will provide one 35-gallon or 95-gallon trash cart to each household for curbside trash collections. If you have a need for an additional trash cart, you may lease one for $100 per year. To find out which day your household trash and recycling is collected, visit Recycle Coach!
Please remember...
- Carts must be placed at the curb (with the metal bar facing the street) by 7 am on the day of collection, and pulled back against the house or out of street view, by 6 pm the same day.
- Carts left at the curb, in the front yard, and/or driveway are subject to a $100 fine.
- Carts placed within three feet of a car may not be emptied, as the driver cannot risk the truck’s arm or the cart damaging private property.
- Items placed outside the cart will not be collected. Drivers are not allowed to exit the truck. If you have items too large in size or amount to fit in a cart, special bulk collections are scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please click here for complete information on the city’s scheduled bulk pick-up service.
- Large batteries, construction debris or items containing Freon should NOT be placed in your household trash carts. Please call (302) 366-7000 for information on how to dispose of these items.
For further information, please call the Department of Public Works and Water Resources at (302) 366-7000.
Single-Stream Curbside Recycling
The City collects single stream curbside recycling once per week on Thursday or Friday for all residents. To find out which day your household trash and recycling is collected, visit the Recycle Coach tab below. The City will provide one 35-gallon or 95-gallon recycling cart to each household for single stream curbside recycling collections. If you have a need for an additional recycling cart, you may purchase one for $75.
Please place all acceptable recyclables in a city-provided cart displaying the recycling symbol. Unlike household trash, recyclables should not be bagged inside the cart, but rather loose. The Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) owns all the recycling centers, and Republic Services operates their curbside collection sorting centers.Visit Delaware Recycles to download and print a helpful flyer listing acceptable recyclables.
There are many things that can be recycled but cannot be collected in your recycling cart. Please visit DSWA's website to learn more, and please see the list below for acceptable recyclables in the City of Newark's curbside collection:
GLASS
- bottles & jars
- food & beverage containers
CANS
- Aluminum and metal cans
- Loose metal jar lids
- Steel bottle caps
- Foil
PAPER
- Newspapers, magazines, brochures
- Corrugated cardboard & paper bags
- Paper towel rolls
- Paperback books
- Cartons
PLASTICS
- Plastic food & beverage containers
- Including bottles, jars, jugs and other rigid plastic containers
- Plastic grocery bags should not be placed in your recycling cart. Because they are so light, and easily blow around, they risk jamming and/or damaging the sorting center machinery. It is recommended that you return plastic grocery bags to the store for recycling. Most groceries have a container at their entrance just for these bags.
- The City of Newark does not recycle or collect household hazardous waste of any kind. (ex: paint, fluorescent light bulbs, motor oil, gas grill tanks, etc.) If you need to dispose of hazardous waste, please call DSWA at 800-404-7080 for information.
- 470 Corporate Blvd, Newark, Delaware
- 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Please call the Public Works Department at (302) 366-7000 for more information.
Each year, starting the first Wednesday in March through the first Wednesday in December, the City of Newark collects yard waste on “Green Wednesdays.” Accepted items include leaves, grass clippings, branches less than 6” diameter, and dirt-free garden debris. No man-made materials will be accepted.
Yard waste will not be collected during holiday weeks. For all collections, residents must use either a 35-gallon or 95-gallon cart provided by the City. A cart not provided by the City cannot be lifted by the automated trucks and will not be emptied.
Except for weeks that include a holiday, the City collects household trash on Mondays and Tuesdays and collects recycling on Thursdays and Fridays. To find out which day your household trash and your recycling is collected, click here.
If a holiday falls on Monday, Monday’s household trash is collected on Tuesday, and Tuesday’s household trash is collected on Wednesday. Similarly, if a holiday falls on a Friday, Thursday’s recycling will be collected on Wednesday, and Friday’s collection will be collected on Thursday.
As well, from the first week of March to the first week of December, the city collects yard waste on what is commonly called Green Wednesdays. But on weeks that include a holiday, Wednesdays are needed for household trash or recycling collections. Therefore, there is no Green Wednesday yard waste collection during a holiday week.
Special bulk collections are normally scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. During holiday weeks, however, bulk collection schedules may be limited. Please keep this in mind when planning your bulk collection requests.
2023 Holiday Collection Schedule
Additional Information
For further information, please call the Department of Public Works and Water Resources at 302-366-7000.
Have items too bulky to fit inside your cart?
Please call Public Works at (302)366-7000 to schedule a pick-up.
Except for holiday weeks, bulk item pick-ups are scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays each week.
Is this a free service?
- For those living within the city limits of Newark, Delaware, the collection of 1-4 bulk items is at no charge.*
- Please be prepared to list each item at the time of scheduling.
*Fees will be applied to items of excessive weight and/or require equipment to lift them onto the truck. Examples include riding lawnmowers, pianos, railroad ties.
What if there are more than four items to collect?
If there are more than four items, fees do apply. Fees are most often based upon the length of time it takes to load the items onto the truck. Additional fees may be applied for equipment, time and weight, and/or additional manpower. Further information is available at the time of scheduling.
Where and when to place bulk items for collection?
- Items are to be placed where refuse carts are normally placed (typically at the curb) by 7:00 am the morning of collection.
- It is permissible to put items out for collection the night before, but not until after 6:00 pm.*
*Items placed for scheduled collection prior to 6:00 pm the night before are subject to a $100 fine.
What items are acceptable for bulk collection?
Examples include, but are not limited to: furniture, appliances, area rugs/carpet rolls, lawnmowers/power tools (providing all fluids are drained), dried-out latex paint cans, mattresses, and box springs (providing they are wrapped & sealed in plastic*), air conditioners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators/freezers (with the door removed), household lumber (not yard waste lumber), televisions and home electronics, cardboard, bags &/or boxes of junk. Answers to specific inquiries will be provided at the time of scheduling.
What items are not acceptable for bulk collection?
Examples include but are not limited to: yard waste of any/all kind, unwrapped/unsealed mattresses and box springs, paint, household hazardous waste, and tires. Please call Public Works at 302/366-7000 if you are unsure an item is acceptable.
How often may a bulk collection be scheduled?
There is a one pickup per week maximum. Remember, if more than four items require disposal in a short period of time, scheduling a fee-based pick-up is the best option.
Please remember
This collection is not a supplement to excessive normal household trash. For excessive household trash, please retain it for the next collection OR call Public Works to lease a 2nd trash cart for $100/year.
Additional Information
To inquire about fees or to schedule a pickup, you may call Public Works at (302) 366-7000.