Using Bulk Trash Pickup Services After a Loved One Passes

Losing a loved one is one of the most challenging life events, and having to dispose of their belongings or trash left behind can be too overwhelming. However, it is necessary to sort through their loved one’s belongings and prepare their home for its transition to a new owner. While some items can be kept or donated, other items will need to be thrown away.

If you’ve lost a loved one that lived in the Virginia Beach area, bulk pickup services can help you and your family move forward in a dignified and efficient manner. Although city bulk trash services may be available, they have many rules that must be followed to avoid delayed or canceled pickups. On the other hand, a local waste management service can help ease the stress of this process by making it easier and more efficient.

This article outlines some of the basic rules for using bulk trash pickup services effectively and the benefits of a bulk trash pickup service.

What is Bulk Trash?

The first step to managing bulk trash pickup is to correctly classify it. Most trash that can be bagged, such as paper and plastic garbage, can be easily managed. Larger items are more difficult, especially when they are too old or damaged to be donated or passed down to other family members.

In many cases, when people have lived in a home for a long time, they accumulate many oversized items that become the responsibility of the surviving family. Here is a brief breakdown of items that can and cannot be classified as bulk trash:

Bulk Trash Includes:

• Sofas, chairs, mattresses, and bedframes
• Appliances
• Rugs
• Shelves
• Office furniture
• Outdoor equipment
• Lamps

Bulk trash not included for pickup in Virginia Beach:

• Carpeting
• Doors
• Cabinets
• Building materials
• Concrete
• Toilets
• Cardboard boxes
• Sinks
• Boats
• Glass
• Propane tanks
• Rocks or dirt
• Tires
• Bags
• Vehicle parts
• Computer towers

For those trying to sort through their loved one’s belongings, these distinctions can be equally confusing and stressful. Unfortunately, these distinctions are necessary primarily for safety purposes.

For example, carpeting cannot be picked up even though rugs can, because carpeting often contains sharp tacks or adhesives, which are considered hazardous substances. Anything that can break apart into sharp fragments, such as glass or porcelain fixtures, is also not allowed to be included in bulk pickup piles.

Notably, hazardous substances are also excluded from bulk trash pickup. This means that old appliances such as a refrigerator, freezer, or HVAC unit can be denied pickup if the freon has not been removed. Other hazardous substances include paint, paint thinners, solvents, oil, gas, batteries, aerosols, and anything else that could contaminate soil, air, or water.

What Are Bulk Trash Pickup Services?

To help relieve some of the stress of disposing of a loved one’s belongings, here are some quick steps that homeowners can use to make the process easier if attempting to DIY:

1. Correctly Identify Bulk Trash

Use the list above and the website of the City of Virginia Beach Public Works to correctly identify bulk trash and hazardous waste.

2. Donate or Give Away as Much as Possible

In most cases, not all of the loved one’s belongings need to be thrown away. Many of the bulk items can be donated, given away, or passed down to other family members, taking pressure off the disposal process. 

Note that most donation sites will reject unusable, unsafe, or restricted items including items that may have recalls. Don’t let this catch you off guard if you have not properly sorted items before pickup or delivery.

3. Remove Hazardous Materials

Anything classified as a hazardous material must be removed from the bulk trash pile. This includes freon, oil, propane, batteries, paint, and more. Even items that can be collected as bulk trash must have any hazardous substances removed and be clearly marked as such. A common example of this would be disposing of old fridges and freezers, which contain freon.

4. Place Items by the Curbside

When placing items by the curbside, homeowners need to follow certain rules. These include maintaining at least three feet of clearance on all sides of the bulk items, placing the items on the curb no earlier than 5pm on the previous day and no later than 7am on the day of the pickup, and avoiding obstructing sidewalks, roads, and power lines.

5. Consider Alternative

Curbside bulk trash pickup may not be right in every situation. Consider alternatives such as private dumpster rentals from a waste management company, full-service bulk trash removal, or estate cleanout services.

6. Get Some Help with the Process

Disposing of a loved one’s belongings is difficult in many ways. Reach out to friends and family to help with the process. Additionally, waste management teams can help follow local regulations, classify bulk trash, and choose the disposal method that makes sense for your situation.

Partner with the Virginia Beach Waste Management Experts to Quickly Dispose of Bulk Trash

At Full Strut Disposal, our local team knows and adheres to the waste disposal regulations in Virginia Beach. We help people dispose of bulk trash items even in difficult situations, such as when a loved one has passed and left behind their estate. This process is emotionally and physically draining, but our experts can help ease this stress in any way we can.

Contact our team today to learn how full-service waste management can help you work through a tough situation and avoid unnecessary fines as you manage your loved one’s belongings.