Bulk Waste & Furniture Collection

Bulky item service is provided to residents who have large items that are too large to be collected by rollout cart crews.

We pick up:

• • Furniture/Mattresses and Box Springs

  • Window/Mirrors (with glass taped and “X” marked on both sides so that it does not shatter when collected.

  • Lawn Equipment (drain oil and gas from discarded lawn mowers, weed eaters)

  • A maximum of two automobile tires will be collected.

We do not pick up:

• • Dirt/Rocks

  • Concrete/Concrete Blocks/Bricks

  • Hazardous/Flammable Material

  • Loose Ashes/Loose Sawdust

  • Roofing Shingles

  • Car Parts/Batteries

  • Logs or Stumps

  • Closed Containers (such as oil drums)

  • Propane/Oxygen Cylinders

  • Tires from Commercial Establishments

  • Large Truck or Farm Tires

Bulky items that cannot be collected by rollout cart crews require special pickup. Pickup may be scheduled by calling in two-business days prior to your scheduled collection day by calling 252 467-4800, option 7.

The City may need to designate where bulky items are to be placed by residents in order to provide safe and efficient service. Residences on corner lots will be collected from the street locations considered most serviceable for collection crews and equipment.

Bulky items should be placed away from automobiles, mailboxes, fences, low hanging wires or limbs or other items, which might hamper collection.

The City will not pick up bulky or discarded items resulting from eviction or other legal proceedings.

The City will not pickup bulk waste from commercial establishments or multifamily locations serviced by stationary containers (dumpsters).

For additional information please contact:

Environmental Services Division
1221 Thorpe Road
P O Drawer 1180
Rocky Mount, NC 27802-1180
Phone: 252 467-4800, option 7
Fax: 252 467-4965

Loose Leaf Collection, Mulch & Compost Giveaway

The Streets Division collects loose leaves from residential properties between November 1 and March 31.  To facilitate collection, the City is divided into two (2) collection zones (North and South) with collection alternating from one area to the other.  Depending on weather and volume of material, it may take several weeks to complete a zone. Collection operations are suspended if the material is too wet.    To determine which route a residence is assigned to, download the loose leaf collection map. During loose leaf collection season, residents are asked to place their leaves and pine straw free of limbs and debris into piles behind the curb or onto the road shoulder if no curb exists. Failure to adhere to this practice can lead to clogged storm drains, ponding water on streets, and localized flooding.

Loose leaf piles should be free of trash, sticks, limbs, bottles, cans, and other debris so that leaves and pine straw may be mechanically collected and processed into clean mulch and compost. Piles containing limbs, trash and other debris cannot be processed by the leaf vacuum collection machines and crews will not collect the loose leaf pile if these items are present. Bagged or containerized loose leaves and yard waste will be collected by the Environmental Services Division on the normal day of trash and yard waste collection.  Bagged yard waste should be in a clear plastic bag so it can be easily identified as yard waste.

If you would like the City to deliver a load of uncomposed leaves to your home for mulch, or have any other questions regarding the loose leaf collection program, please call the Streets and Stormwater Division at 252-467-4800 option 6.

Mulch & Compost Giveaway

Collected yard waste is composted and given away at no charge between April 1^st and October 31st.  The mulch/compost can be obtained from the City’s composting facility located at 394 Arrow Rd. without appointment every Friday between 8 am to 3:30 pm and the first Saturday of each month between 8 am to 12:00 pm. during the months of April through October. If an observed holiday falls on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday; the Friday giveaway will be canceled, and the Saturday giveaway will be rescheduled to the following Saturday.  Individuals or businesses wishing to obtain mulch or compost totaling 15 cy or more, may obtain the material at any time of year by special appointment.

To schedule an appointment call 252-467-4800 option 6.

Rollout Cart/Garbage Collection

Household garbage and refuse is collected once each week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday from residences located within the city limits of Rocky Mount. Your street address determines the collection day.

• Place your rollout cart at curbside (behind the edge of curb and gutter or edge of pavement) prior to 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day. Remove the cart from the curb by midnight on the day of collection.
• Rollout carts which are not out when the collection equipment personnel passes your location will not be collected until your next scheduled day of collection.
• Place the rollout cart at curbside, not in the street, for collection. The cart should be placed away from obstacles such as automobiles, mailboxes, yard waste, bulky items, and telephone poles.
• Place the rollout cart at curbside with the lid opening (see cart lid) toward the street and handles of the cart toward the residence to avoid damage to the lid.
• The City may need to designate where rollout carts are to be placed by residents in order to provide safe and efficient service. Residences on corner lots will be collected from the street locations considered most serviceable for collection crews and equipment.
• An additional rollout cart designated for garbage collection may be purchased from the City. Service will be provided for a maximum of two approved City rollout containers for each residence.
• Place only garbage and household waste inside your rollout cart.
• Do not use your rollout cart designated for garbage collection for: Dead Animals, Recycling, Hot Ashes, Loose Sawdust, Yard Waste, Motor Oil, Wet Paint, Animal Waste (unless properly double bagged in plastic bags and securely tied), Human Waste, Flammable Liquids, Unprepared Medical Waste, Other Hazardous Materials.

• Building materials are not considered residential solid waste and will not be collected. Removal and disposal of these materials are the responsibility of the resident, contractor, or homeowner. Examples of building materials we do not collect include, but are not limited to: Lumber, Bricks, Roofing Materials, Plumbing/Electrical Materials, Carpet/Flooring, Sheetrock/Plaster/Wallboard.

For additional information please contact: Environmental Services Division:

1221 Thorpe Road
P O Drawer 1180
Rocky Mount, NC 27802-1180
Phone: 252 467-4800, option 7
Fax: 252 467-4965

Yard Waste Collection

Yard waste consists of grass, weeds, leaves, tree trimmings, pruning, limbs and shrubbery no longer than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter that result from homeowner maintenance of yards and gardens. A different collection crew will collect yard waste that is properly prepared and/or containerized in compliance with City regulations on the same day that your garbage and household trash are collected.

• • Your yard waste crew will collect limbs, no larger than 4 feet in length and 4 inches in diameter, that have been bundled and tied up with string or twine and weigh less than 50 lbs. For pickup of large limbs and shrubbery (8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet in height), residents must call 252 467-4800, option 7 two business days prior to their scheduled collection day.
  • Tree and shrub trimmings resulting from work performed by a contractor(any one you pay to do the work) will not be collected. The contractor will be responsible for removal and disposal of this debris. The City will not pick up materials resulting from land clearing, landscaping or large improvement projects involving large or multiple tree removal.
  • Place all leaves, grass clippings, shrubbery and small limbs in a container (boxed, clear or transparent bags, yard waste carts purchased from the City or 32 gallon cans) for collection at the curb by 7:00 a.m.on your collection day. Containers should not weigh more than 50 lbs. Bags used for yard waste disposal should be left with top untied so that the driver can see that it is yard waste only. Yard waste will not be collected from wheelbarrows, drums, sheets, oversize bags or tarps.
  • Yard waste must be containerized or properly prepared and placed at curbside for collection on the resident’s property, not in the street. Rollout containers designated for yard waste disposal may be purchased from the City. Service will be provided for a maximum of two City rollout containers designated for yard waste for each residence.
  • The City may need to designate where yard waste is to be placed by residents in order to provide safe and efficient service. Residences on corner lots will be collected from the street locations considered most serviceable for collection crews and equipment.
  • The City will not pick up yard waste from vacant lots or abandoned structures. The City will not pick up yard waste from commercial establishments or multifamily locations serviced by stationary containers (dumpsters).