Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Wilson
Trash Day
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday depending on your neighborhood zone.
Recycling
Collected weekly on the same day as your trash pickup.
Yard Waste
Collected weekly on the same day as your trash pickup.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential waste and recycling services are billed monthly as part of your City of Wilson municipal utility statement.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Phone (Express Pay), Mail, In-Person, Drive-Thru
Pro Tip / Discount
Backyard collection assistance is available for qualifying elderly and disabled residents.
City-issued Roll-out Container Bin (Trash)
All garbage inside the roll-out container must be bagged. Position the container with the handle facing your house, at least 3 feet away from mailboxes and 15 feet away from parked vehicles.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
City-issued Roll-out Container Bin (Recycling)
Recyclables should be placed loose in the bin, not bagged. Ensure the container is at the curb before 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Steel and aluminum cans
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓#1-#7 plastics
- ✓Newspapers, inserts, magazines
- ✓White paper and phone books
- ✓Cardboard boxes (flattened)
Do NOT Include
- ✕Pizza boxes
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Tanglers (cords, hoses)
- ✕Food-soiled materials
Yard Waste Bin
Bagged compost is strictly prohibited. Place loose yard waste in a container or on a tarp (max 100 lbs). Limbs must be bundled and tied. For larger limbs, you must request a special pickup.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Limbs (under 4 feet in length)
- ✓Brush and plant trimmings
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Wednesdays for small overflow; By request for large bulk items
Placement
Place items behind the curb, clear of water meters, utility boxes, and sidewalks. Do not place items in front of or on top of dumpsters.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (sofas, chairs, beds)
- ✓ Appliances and White Goods
- ✓ Tires
- ✓ Large limbs (over 4 feet)
- ✓ Used motor oil and cooking oil
- ✓ Dried latex paint and batteries
Not Accepted
- ✕ Contractor-generated yard waste
- ✕ Commercial construction and demolition debris
- ✕ Excessive waste beyond ordinary residential amounts
Residential bulky item pickup is covered by your flat monthly $23.50 Solid Waste fee, though excessive amounts may incur an extra charge.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a city-observed holiday falls on a weekday, collections for that day and subsequent days in the week are typically delayed by one day (e.g., Monday routes move to Tuesday).
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste is typically delayed along with regular trash on major holidays. However, note that on some holidays like Veterans Day, there are no bulky item pickups.
Even during holiday shifts, all containers must be placed behind the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your adjusted pickup day and retrieved within 24 hours of service.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Late Fall to Early Spring
November - MarchBetween November 1st and March 1st, leaves are collected loose at the curb. During all other times of the year, leaves must be placed inside standard yard waste compost containers.
Hurricane Season
June - NovemberDuring severe weather watches or hurricane warnings, do not leave your roll-out containers at the curb. High winds can scatter waste and block storm drains, leading to neighborhood flooding.
Winter Holidays
November - JanuaryMajor holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas usually push collection days back by one day. Always check the city's website or the Fix-It Wilson app for exact routing changes during these busy weeks.
Local Tips & Community Info
Your Guide to Wilson's Environmental Services
Operating a clean, healthy city takes coordination, and the City of Wilson Environmental Services Division leads the charge for local sanitation. Every residential property is equipped with standardized rollout carts designed specifically for the city's automated collection fleet. To make certain your household garbage is emptied on your scheduled day, you need to push your cart to the curb no later than 7:00 a.m. Residents are encouraged to place their bins out the night before to avoid missing the early morning routes. Once the truck has serviced your street, town codes require you to return the empty bins to your property to maintain neighborhood aesthetics.
Cart Rules for the Automated Fleet
Because Wilson utilizes modern sanitation trucks with mechanical hydraulic arms, how you place your bin at the curb is critically important. Homeowners must leave a minimum gap of three feet around the container, keeping it completely clear of mailboxes, fire hydrants, parked vehicles, and utility poles. The cart must face the street, meaning the lid opening points toward the road and the wheels touch the curb. Overloading is strictly prohibited; the lid must close entirely to stop windblown litter and keep out local wildlife.
Navigating Yard Debris and Loose Leaves
Maintaining a pristine lawn means dealing with grass clippings and fallen branches. The city provides a robust yard waste collection program, but specific preparation rules apply. Plastic bags are entirely banned for organic waste. Instead, citizens must place leaves and grass in reusable containers or specialized biodegradable paper yard bags. Limbs and brush must be cut to a maximum length of four feet and stacked neatly. During the peak autumn months, Wilson also runs a specialized loose-leaf collection service where residents can rake leaves directly to the curb line for vacuum trucks to suck up.
Discarding Heavy Furniture and Appliances
Getting rid of a broken washing machine, a worn-out mattress, or bulky living room furniture cannot be done using your standard rollout cart. Wilson offers bulk waste pickup, but it requires active communication from the homeowner. You must notify the city to schedule a collection for oversized junk or white goods. Certain items, like refrigerators, require the doors to be completely removed before being placed outside to prevent safety hazards. Hazardous materials, wet paint, and construction rubble from major renovations are not accepted and must be taken to the county landfill.
The Fix-It Wilson App Advantage
Embracing civic technology, the City of Wilson offers the Fix-It Wilson mobile application to streamline resident requests. Available on all major smartphone platforms, this app allows citizens to directly report a missed trash pickup, request a replacement for a damaged rollout cart, or schedule a bulk furniture collection. It serves as a direct line to the Environmental Services dispatch team, ensuring your waste management concerns are addressed swiftly without needing to wait on hold during a phone call.
Drop-off Facilities
Wilson County Landfill
2400 Hwy 42 E, Wilson, NC 27893
Materials Accepted
Wilson County Solid Waste Convenience Center (Sims)
5733 Grover Ln, Sims, NC 27880
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
When should my trash cart be at the curb in Wilson?
Your garbage cart must be positioned at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the morning of your scheduled collection day.
Can I put yard waste in plastic garbage bags?
No. The City of Wilson strictly prohibits plastic bags for yard waste. You must use paper yard bags, reusable containers, or leave limbs stacked neatly at the curb.
How do I get rid of an old refrigerator or mattress?
You need to schedule a bulk pickup for large appliances and furniture. This can be done by calling Environmental Services directly or by submitting a request through the Fix-It Wilson app.