Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for New Castle
Trash Day
Trash is collected once per week, Monday through Friday, depending on your neighborhood route.
Recycling
Recycling is collected every other week on the same day as your regular trash pickup.
Yard Waste
Curbside leaf collection occurs for 2 weeks in spring and 6 weeks in fall on alternating recycling weeks, plus Christmas tree pickup during the first 2 weeks of January.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residents have the choice between buying official City per-bag stickers/bags at local retailers or subscribing to a quarterly billed 95-gallon cart service with contracted hauler Aiken Refuse.
Billing Cycle
Quarterly
Accepted Methods
Online, Phone, Mail
Pro Tip / Discount
A medical exemption form is available for residents needing assistance with curbside placement, but no specific low-income or senior discounts are listed.
95-Gallon Cart (Aiken Refuse) or Orange Aiken Bags Bin (Trash)
Cart users MUST bag all trash inside the 95-gallon bin to protect workers. The lid must close. Any excess trash outside the cart must be in a pre-purchased Aiken Orange Bag. Have items at the curb within 3 feet of the street by 6:00 AM on your collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Broken glass (securely wrapped in heavy paper)
Blue Bin (Provided by the City) Bin (Recycling)
Keep recyclables loose in the blue bin; never use plastic bags. Place the bin out every other week according to your designated Aiken Refuse zone schedule.
Accepted Items
- ✓Plastic bottles and jugs only
- ✓Steel, tin, and aluminum cans
- ✓Corrugated cardboard (flattened)
- ✓Newspapers, magazines, and junk mail
- ✓Mixed office paper
Do NOT Include
- ✕Glass bottles and jars (depending on current Lawrence County updates, check hauler site)
- ✕Plastic bags
- ✕Yogurt tubs, butter tubs, and clamshell containers
- ✕Toys or plastic tubing
Yard Waste Bin
Must be placed in biodegradable brown paper leaf bags. Do not use plastic bags. Grass clippings, brush, sod, and dirt are strictly prohibited and will not be collected.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves only
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
On-demand, requires pre-purchased tags.
Placement
Attach the purchased tag to the item and place it at the curb on your normal trash day. Ensure it does not block the sidewalk or street.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (sofas, chairs, dressers)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs (MUST be wrapped in plastic and taped shut)
- ✓ Small appliances and lamps
- ✓ Bundled carpeting (max 4 feet in length)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction debris
- ✕ Tires and auto parts
- ✕ Hazardous waste and chemicals
- ✕ E-waste (TVs and computers)
Tags can be purchased via the Aiken Refuse website or by calling 724-758-9400. Prices are subject to change.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a major holiday falls on a weekday, garbage and recycling collections will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week (e.g., Monday pickup moves to Tuesday).
Yard Waste Exception
Seasonal leaf collections that fall on a holiday week will follow the same one-day delay as standard recycling and trash.
Always verify exact dates directly on the Aiken Refuse website, as weekend holidays typically do not disrupt the weekday schedule.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Spring & Fall
Variable (2 weeks in Spring, 6 weeks in Fall)Aiken Refuse provides dedicated leaf waste collections during these seasons. Leaf bags are collected bi-weekly on your alternating recycling week. Dates are advertised in the New Castle News and on the city website.
Winter
January (First two weeks)Christmas trees are collected for free between January 4 and January 14 on your normal garbage day. Trees over 8 feet tall must be cut into 4-foot sections, and all decorations, lights, and tree bags must be removed.
Winter
December to MarchDuring severe Lawrence County snowstorms, ensure your 95-gallon cart is cleared of snow and placed at least 3 feet from snowbanks to allow the trucks clear access to the bin.
Local Tips & Community Info
Navigating City Waste Collection with Aiken Refuse
Residential sanitation in the City of New Castle is exclusively handled through a municipal contract with Aiken Refuse. To maintain a clean and pest-free community, households must strictly adhere to the designated collection guidelines. Pickups are scheduled weekly, and all materials must be placed at the edge of the street the night prior to your collection day. To ensure worker safety, the city requires residents to keep all loose pets inside when the refuse trucks are operating in the neighborhood.
The Choice Between Mobile Carts and Orange Bags
New Castle offers a unique dual-option system for household garbage. Residents can opt into a quarterly billed cart service, which provides a serialized mobile cart for a flat rate of $69.00 every three months, plus a one-time $75.00 delivery fee. Alternatively, households that generate less waste can utilize the Pay-As-You-Throw method by purchasing official Aiken Orange Bags. These municipal bags are available at local retailers like Save-A-Lot and Last Minit Mart. If you use the bag method, each orange bag must weigh less than 40 pounds to prevent tearing during transit.
Curbside Recycling and Contamination Prevention
Whether you use the cart system or the orange bags, all residents are required by local ordinances to participate in the recycling program. You must place your recyclables loosely into your designated bin—never pack them inside plastic grocery bags, as the soft film jams the mechanical sorting screens. Acceptable materials include rinsed steel cans, aluminum, plastic jugs, and flattened corrugated cardboard. Aiken Refuse operators reserve the right to leave your bin at the curb if it is contaminated with unapproved items like glass panes or food waste.
Rules for Yard Debris and Holiday Trees
Seasonal landscaping cleanup requires special attention. The city periodically schedules leaf pickups, but all organic waste must be packed exclusively into biodegradable brown paper bags. Standard plastic trash bags will be ignored. It is critical to note that the yard waste program is strictly for leaves; grass clippings, sod, dirt, and thick brush are not permitted. During the first two weeks of January, Aiken Refuse also offers a complimentary Christmas tree collection on your normal trash day. Trees must be stripped of all decorations and cut down so that no section exceeds six feet in length or 30 pounds in weight.
Proper Disposal of Bulky Furniture and Medical Sharps
Throwing away large household goods like mattresses or broken couches requires advance preparation. You cannot simply drag heavy furniture to the sidewalk. Instead, residents must purchase specific bulk item tags directly through the Aiken Refuse website to guarantee pickup. Furthermore, the city heavily enforces rules regarding medical sharps. Syringes, lancets, and needles must be enclosed inside a hard-plastic container, tightly taped shut, and thrown into the regular garbage stream. Placing exposed needles in the trash or recycling endangers the sanitation workers and violates health regulations.
Drop-off Facilities
Lawrence County E-Waste & Hazardous Waste Collection Events
Various pre-scheduled locations in Lawrence County
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Who provides garbage pickup for the City of New Castle?
Aiken Refuse is the officially contracted waste hauler for the city. Residents can choose between subscribing to their quarterly cart service or purchasing official Aiken Orange Bags from local grocery stores.
Can I put grass clippings out for yard waste collection?
No. The municipal yard waste collection program is strictly for leaves packed into biodegradable paper bags. Grass clippings, dirt, and brush are prohibited and will not be picked up.
How do I throw away large furniture like a couch?
To dispose of large furniture or appliances, you must purchase a special bulk item tag online directly through Aiken Refuse. Once tagged, the heavy items will be collected by a specialized truck.