Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Rocky Mount
North Carolina residential routes run Monday through Friday. Please refer to your city or county zoning map for your specific curbside collection day.
State Mandate
NC DEQ strictly bans aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and electronics from landfill disposal.
Black Lid Cart Bin (Trash)
Carts must be at the curb by 6:30 a.m. on collection day. Keep the cart at least 3 feet away from mailboxes, cars, and other bins, with the lid opening facing the street. Remove by midnight.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
- ✓Animal waste (if double-bagged and tied tightly)
Blue Lid Cart Bin (Recycling)
Do not bag recyclables inside the cart; place them loosely. If the cart is full, extra recyclables can be placed in a clear plastic bag resting on top of the closed cart.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean plastic bottles and jugs
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Aluminum and steel cans
- ✓Paper and flattened cardboard
Do NOT Include
- ✕Food waste
- ✕Clothing and textiles
- ✕Wood and building materials
- ✕Electronics and batteries
- ✕Styrofoam
Yard Waste Bin
Yard waste bags must be left UNTIED so the driver can inspect them. Limbs must be tied with string/twine and weigh under 50 lbs. Keep yard waste out of standard garbage carts.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings and weeds
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Tree trimmings and prunings
- ✓Limbs (under 4 feet long and under 4 inches in diameter)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
By Appointment Only (Collected on normal trash day)
Placement
Place items at the curb away from mailboxes, fences, and low-hanging wires. Do not block the sidewalk or place items in the street.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture, mattresses, and box springs
- ✓ Mirrors or windows (glass must be taped with an 'X')
- ✓ Lawnmowers (oil and gas completely drained)
- ✓ Up to 2 automobile tires (non-commercial)
- ✓ Large household appliances (doors removed)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Building materials (lumber, drywall, bricks)
- ✕ Car parts and batteries
- ✕ Dirt, rocks, and logs/stumps
- ✕ Hazardous materials or wet paint
- ✕ Propane or oxygen cylinders
Bulk collection is provided at no extra cost for standard residential households. Multi-family dumpsters and commercial establishments are not eligible for this service.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
When a city holiday occurs, collections are typically pushed forward by one day. For example, a Wednesday holiday means Wednesday routes are collected Thursday, and Friday routes are pushed to Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Because yard waste and recyclables are collected on your normal garbage day, they will experience the exact same holiday delay schedule as your household trash.
Rocky Mount frequently shifts Thanksgiving collections, so always check the downloadable annual holiday calendar on the Environmental Services web page for exact dates.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Late Fall
November to JanuaryThe city operates a loose leaf vacuum collection program. Check the city's Loose Leaf Collection Map to find out when your zone is scheduled for unbagged leaf pickup.
Spring
March to MayHeavy spring pruning generates oversized limbs. If you have a brush pile up to 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet high, you must call Environmental Services two days in advance for a special heavy yard waste pickup.
Hurricane Season
August to OctoberDuring severe weather watches, secure all rollout carts inside a garage or tied to a sturdy structure. High winds can turn empty carts into dangerous projectiles and scatter trash into storm drains.
Local Tips & Community Info
Municipal Solid Waste Collection in Rocky Mount
As a growing city that spans both Nash and Edgecombe counties, Rocky Mount relies on its Environmental Services division to execute daily neighborhood sanitation. Every single-family dwelling is assigned specific green and blue rollout carts for domestic refuse and recyclables. To make certain your household waste is successfully collected by city crews, you must push your carts out to the street no later than 7:00 a.m. on the morning of your assigned route. Town ordinances also dictate that residents should not leave their containers sitting on the curb indefinitely; bins must be pulled back to the residence promptly after the collection trucks have serviced the neighborhood.
Spacing Guidelines for the Mechanical Fleet
Rocky Mount deploys advanced side-loading trucks to empty residential containers safely and swiftly. Because these vehicles utilize mechanical arms, homeowners must stage their bins carefully. Place your green and blue carts at least three feet apart from one another. It is equally important to maintain this three-foot buffer zone away from fire hydrants, utility boxes, parked cars, and low-hanging tree branches. When placing the cart down, rotate it so the metal lifting bar faces the roadway and the wheels point back toward your house, which prevents the lid from flapping open and spilling trash onto the street.
Rules for Leaves, Brush, and Organic Debris
Property upkeep naturally generates organic waste, and the city provides dedicated yard debris collections to manage it. Standard grass clippings and small plant trimmings must be bagged, boxed, or placed in a personal container. However, tree limbs and heavy brush require a different approach. Limbs must be trimmed down so they do not exceed four feet in length or six inches in diameter, and they should be stacked neatly parallel to the curb. Additionally, Rocky Mount operates a specialized loose-leaf vacuum program during the autumn and winter months, allowing citizens to rake leaves directly to the curb without bagging them, provided they do not block storm drains.
Bulky Item Disposal and Appliance Processing
When upgrading your living room or kitchen, you might need to throw away items that simply cannot fit inside a standard green cart. The Environmental Services department offers curbside removal for bulky goods, including old sofas, mattresses, and broken white goods like washing machines. While standard furniture is typically picked up without an issue, certain large appliances or excessive piles of construction-type debris may require coordination with the city and could incur a special hauling fee. It is best practice to separate metal appliances from regular junk piles to ensure the crews can process everything efficiently.
Dealing with Recognized Holidays and Route Changes
The standard neighborhood routing schedule will shift whenever a major municipal holiday occurs. If city offices close for events like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Independence Day, the garbage and recycling trucks will pause their routes. Typically, the schedule is pushed forward by a single day for the remainder of the holiday week, meaning a Monday route shifts to Tuesday, and so forth. Rocky Mount officials post real-time updates regarding these seasonal delays and severe weather disruptions on the local government website and local public access channels.
Drop-off Facilities
Oakwood Shopping Center Recycling Drop-Off
Fairview Road, Rocky Mount, NC
Materials Accepted
Nash County Landfill
3057 Duke Rd, Nashville, NC 27856
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest time I should have my bins at the curb in Rocky Mount?
All green garbage carts and blue recycling bins must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your designated collection morning.
How do I need to prepare tree branches for city pickup?
Tree limbs must be cut to a maximum length of four feet and cannot exceed six inches in diameter. They should be stacked neatly next to the street.
Does the city pick up loose leaves in the fall?
Yes, Rocky Mount runs a specialized vacuum truck service during the fall and winter seasons for unbagged, loose leaves raked to the edge of the property.