6 Items Bulk Pickup Will and Will Not Accept

Curbside bulk pickup runs on a published accept-and-refuse list. If you leave bulk pickup items at the curb that aren’t on the approved list, the municipal service simply won’t pick them up.

If you or your crew schedules a bulk pickup and then stages items at the curb, you’ll likely find that sofas, box springs, and dressers will be picked up. But a mini-fridge, flat-screen TV, or tires won’t be.

Knowing which items are eligible for the municipal bulk pickup service is necessary. Equally important is knowing when the better option is a roll-off dumpster that can stay on-site while the work runs and handle debris the municipal service isn’t designed for.

1. Furniture and Mattresses

Couches, sectionals, recliners, dressers, tables, mattresses, and box springs are common items for bulk pickup programs. A mattress left out through a coastal rain soaks up enough water to turn a one-person lift into a two-person lift, so bag or wrap anything soft and absorbent when there’s rain in the forecast. Break down bed frames and sectionals so the pieces load flat. 

Virginia Beach also wants three feet of clearance around trash carts, so a couch shoved against a cart can mean neither the cart nor the couch gets picked up. There are other rules for placing bulk items at the curb, such as setting items at the curb between 5 p.m. the day before collection and 7 a.m. on collection day, and giving the city at least three days’ notice for a bulk pickup.

2. Large Appliances Without Refrigerant

Washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and water heaters move as scrap metal and are accepted in most oversized item pickup programs. Water heaters should be drained and washer hoses disconnected, because a partially full tank is heavy, awkward, and prone to dumping water on the sidewalk when it’s tipped. 

Pull the doors off anything a child could climb into and shut. On a multi-unit turnover, stage appliances at the end of the run so the loader can work the heavy pieces without climbing over furniture.

3. Refrigerators, Freezers, and Window Air Conditioners

Items with a sealed refrigeration system are treated separately. Under EPA Section 608, a certified technician must recover refrigerant before an appliance is disposed of, scrapped, or recycled, and the final processor is responsible for confirming the recovery. 

That requirement is why Virginia Beach routes refrigerant appliances through the household hazardous waste side of its Landfill and Resource Recovery Center rather than ordinary curbside collection. Set a mini-fridge out with the couches, and it will still be there after the truck pulls away, so separate these from the start. 

Using the Resource Recovery Center requires proof of city residency and waste from a resident’s own address, which leaves out most rental turnovers.

4. Televisions and Electronics

Municipal bulk pickup programs in the Virginia Beach area won’t collect televisions, monitors, computers, or anything running on a rechargeable battery. Instead, electronics go through the alternative recycling program at the Resource Recovery Center. 

Property managers who are clearing several units should consider holding electronics in a locked maintenance space until there is enough for a single trip to the recovery center.

5. Tires and Vehicle Parts

Tires are on Virginia Beach’s do-not-collect list, so they never go to the curb. Virginia regulations require tires headed for a landfill to be split, cut, or shredded before burial, and Virginia Code § 10.1-1418.2 makes it a misdemeanor to store or dump more than 100 waste tires without a permit.

Virginia Beach accepts residential tires through recycling at the Resource Recovery Center but turns away commercial, agricultural, and industrial tires. Vehicle parts fall into this same category. 

6. Paint, Propane, and Other Hazardous Materials

Household hazardous waste should never go to the curb. Virginia Beach won’t collect paint cans, propane tanks, flammable liquids, hot ashes, or hazardous materials at the curb. The EPA groups leftover paints, cleaners, oils, pesticides, and similar products as household hazardous waste that needs to be handled separately. 

One half-full can of deck stain sitting on an otherwise eligible pile is enough for a driver to skip everything near it. Pull these items out first, before anything else goes to the curb. Requirements vary by locality and material, so confirm the rules for your city before hauling anything yourself.

Which Bulk Pickup Items Belong in a Container Instead

Bulk waste disposal programs are built for the occasional household good, not the quantity that comes out of a renovation or construction. Virginia Beach’s do-not-collect list covers building materials, carpet, doors, cabinets, toilets, sinks, concrete, dirt, and gravel, which describes most of what comes out of a unit turnover or a bathroom remodel. 

Once flooring, cabinetry, or fixtures are involved, your waste has become construction debris and is best disposed of with a roll-off container. A roll-off puts the waste from an entire job in one spot and can be swapped the same day if you call by 9 a.m. 

Get a Container on Site Today

Full Strut Disposal has 10-, 20-, and 30-yard roll-off dumpsters, plus residential trash pickup for multi-family and large group properties, across the Virginia Beach metro area. 

Most haulers in this market need one to three days to get a container to you. But if you call us by 9 a.m., yours can be delivered, emptied, or swapped the same day. 

Call Full Strut Disposal at 757-805-5749 or reach our team online to get a quote or a container on site.