SCHEDULE: Garbage and Recycling collection occurs WEEKLY, Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. View the County schedule for your assigned collection day. Yard Waste collection also occurs weekly during April through December each year. Collection times will vary.
PUT CONTAINERS OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR COLLECTION DAY. Place containers at end of
driveway, away from mailboxes, parked cars or other obstructions – (including other containers/cans) (OBSTRUCTED CONTAINERS CANNOT BE COLLECTED).
HOLIDAYS: Collection will NOT occur on the holidays listed below; collection will be 1 day later
* New Years Day * July 4th Independence Day * Thanksgiving Day
* Memorial Day * Labor Day * Christmas Day
If holiday falls on Monday (Memorial Day and Labor Day), ALL residents are collected 1 day later.
If holiday falls on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) only Thursday and Friday collections are 1 day later.
If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no change to the schedule.
WEATHER: If collection cannot occur due to serious weather events or road restrictions, service will occur on the next
possible day. See County website for updates. Missed collections may occur due to unplowed or inaccessible roads.
CONTAINERS: A BLACK garbage container and a BLUE and YELLOW recycling container are placed at each property. A GREEN yard waste container will also be placed at properties in districts that have yard waste service. Residents must use the provided containers on each collection day. Containers are owned by Kent County and remain on the property if the ownership changes. Residents should identify containers with the property address to help avoid loss or theft. A 2nd garbage, recycle or yard waste container may be requested. A maximum of 4 containers per property will be provided by Kent County.
Residents may use personal 32-gallon cans for additional garbage, recycling or yard waste -
maximum weight is not to exceed 40 pounds. County or personal containers cannot be collected if overweight.
Garbage, Recycling, and Yard Waste Collection Guidelines
GARBAGE GUIDELINES:
* BAG ALL GARBAGE - ALL BAGS INSIDE A CAN. Bags left on the ground, on top of can, etc. will not be collected. DO NOT OVERFILL CONTAINER - LID SHOULD CLOSE. (Overfilled containers cannot be collected).
* MAXIMUM QUANTITY: A maximum of 5 GARBAGE items will be taken each collection. The first item must always be the County garbage container; the remaining 4 items may be a combination of privately owned, 32-gallon cans or “Bulk Items”.
** BULK (Large) ITEMS: A large or “Bulk Item”, such as furniture, appliances, electronics, mattress, carpet, TV’s, patio furniture, grills, lawn mowers and other types of large household items that require special handling. A bulk item must fit into the truck, must be manually lifted into the truck and must be able to crush in the truck. RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF AN ITEM IS AN ACCEPTABLE BULK ITEM - SOME ITEMS CANNOT BE COLLECTED. A maximum of 4 Bulk Items will be taken each week. There is no additional fee for bulk item collection.
** RESTRICTED ITEMS: Restricted items will not be collected. Residents are responsible for the proper disposal of restricted items at the “Sandtown Landfill”. (SLEEP SOFAS can be collected ONLY if inside mechanism is removed.)
Restricted items include Hazardous materials - gasoline, oil base paint, propane fuel tanks, pesticides, pool chemicals, oil filters/motor oil, automobile parts - (such as tires, batteries and motor parts), and construction/landscaping materials - (such as drywall, lumber, sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, cinderblock, patio block, pavers, wooden or plastic deck and fence materials, etc).
* APPLIANCES: (refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners) Appliances that contain
freon require special handling. Residents should contact the Department of Public Works for disposal instructions.
* ELECTONICS: Electronic items such as computers, laptops, cell phones, etc. can be recycled by dropping them off at any DSWA electronic drop off site. For more information about the electronic recycling program contact DSWA at (800) 404-7080 or visit www.dswa.com. For the nearest location contact DSWA at (800) 404-7080.
* PAINT: Small quantities of water-soluble paint (Latex) must be air dried in the can or absorbed with cat litter. Place dry paint can - with lid removed - into garbage container. Cans containing wet paint cannot be collected.
* CARPET / PADDING: Cut to widths of 4 feet or less, must be rolled and secured with rope, twine or duct tape and placed next to garbage container. Each roll of carpet or padding counts as 1 bulk item.
RECYCLING GUIDELINES
* DO NOT BAG RECYCLING - PLACE ALL RECYCLING INSIDE A CAN. DO NOT OVERFILL CONTAINER - LID SHOULD BE CLOSED. (Overfilled containers cannot be collected).
* MAXIMUM QUANTITY: A maximum of 5 RECYCLING items will be taken each week. The 1st item must
always be the County recycle container. The remaining 4 items may be privately owned, 32-gallon cans or bundles of cardboard boxes. THESE ITEMS SHOULD BE PLACED IN YOUR RECYCLE CAN (Empty and rinse all bottles, cans and jars – items must be clean and dry).
RECYCLING ITEMS
* PAPER - Newspapers, Catalogs, Magazines, Junk Mail, Phone Books
* PAPERBOARD - Gift boxes, Cereal, Cracker, Cookie, Pasta and Tissue boxes
GLASS (Any Color) - Bottles and jars only.
METAL CANS (Aluminum or Steel) - Food, Beverage and Pet Food cans only
* PLASTICS - Milk, Water, Soda, Laundry Detergent, and other plastics with recycle symbol #1, #2, #4, #5 & #7
* CARDBOARD - All corrugated boxes including Shipping, Moving and Storage boxes. Remove any plastic bags, bubble wrap and Styrofoam, flatten box and place into recycle can. Cut larger boxes down to fit inside can. Large quantities of cardboard boxes may be flattened, tied securely into bundles and placed next to recycle can for collection. Large quantities of cardboard boxes may also be taken to a recycling drop off station.
For the nearest location contact DSWA at (800) 404-7080.
THESE ITEMS SHOULD NOT BE PLACED IN YOUR RECYCLE CAN
Styrofoam - such as egg cartons, meat packaging, coffee cups, take-out meals and any other type of Styrofoam
Garbage - Paper plates, napkins, paper towels and any containers or other items with food residue
Shrink Wrap / Plastic Wrap / Bubble Wrap - such as plastic newspaper bags and shrink wrap from cases of water and soda
Plastic Shell Packaging - such as plastic party platters and trays, plastic cake, pie and cookie trays
Other Plastics - such as plastic silverware, picnic plates, mini-blinds, plastic furniture, plastic pools, toys, strollers and car seats
Aluminum Foil and Aluminum foil baking pans and trays
Household Glass - such as dishware, windows, mirrors, glass tabletops and shelves
Furniture - such as tables, chairs, wall units, entertainment centers, dressers and bed frames
Clothing, Shoes & Textiles - such as clothes, shoes, purses, belts, coats, blankets and towels
Household Hazardous Materials - any product marked as “Hazardous”, “Flammable”, “Poisonous”, “Corrosive” and “Explosive” such as gasoline, motor oil/oil filters, car batteries, oil base paint, varnish, wood stains, drain cleaners, bleach, pesticides, and pool chemicals.
These items may be taken to one of the free Hazardous Waste Collection events held throughout Delaware. For a schedule of events contact DSWA at (800) 404-7080 or visit www.dswa.com.
YARD WASTE
(April through December)
(to find out exact dates please contact Kent County Department of Public Works at (302) 744-2429)
Delaware Code prohibits residents from combining yard waste with household garbage or recycling. All yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, tree branches, twigs, brush, shrubs, bushes, and weeds must follow these steps for proper deposal.
* UNBAGGED - DO NOT BAG YARD WASTE - BAGS OF YARD WASTE WILL NOT BE COLLECTED (bags cannot be mulched).. place yard waste into the green yard waste container provided by Kent County. (Kent County provides “Yard Waste” service to the communities that voted to receive the service). Yard Waste collection occurs on the resident’s normal collection day.
* ALL YARD WASTE MUST BE PLACED INSIDE A CAN (except tied bundles of branches). Do not overfill containers. - LID SHOULD BE CLOSED. (Overfilled containers cannot be collected).
* MAXIMUM QUANTITY: A maximum quantity of 5 YARD WASTE items will be taken each week. The first
item must always be the County green yard waste container. The remaining 4 items may be a combination of privately owned, 32 gallon cans or bundles of branches.
* TREE BRANCHES: Tree branches must be 3 inches in diameter or smaller, cut to a length of 4 feet or less and must be tied securely into bundles. Place bundles (maximum of 4) next to the green yard waste container for collection. Tree branches sticking out of a can CANNOT BE COLLECTED, they are a safety hazard.
* RESTRICTED ITEMS: Restricted items CANNOT be collected – MULCH, DIRT, PAVERS, RAILROAD TIES,
FENCING, CONCRETE, ROCKS, etc.….
* CHRISTMAS TREES: For residents receiving “Yard Waste” service, Christmas trees will be collected on the resident’s normal collection day during the 2nd and 3rd week of January each year only. (The dates for Christmas tree pickup will change, please contact the office to verify the dates of collection) 302-744-2429
LANDFILL: The “Sandtown Landfill” is located at 1107 Willow Grove Road (Route 10 West) in Sandtown, Delaware and is operated by the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA). A disposal fee will be charged for disposal at the landfill. For directions, fees and hours of operation, please call DSWA at (800) 404-7080 or visit www.dswa.com.
For any questions regarding any of your Garbage, Recycling or Yard Waste services, contact
Kent County Department of Public Works at 555 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901 by phone (302) 744-2429