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1. What are the recycling options now?

A variety of new recycling options, from subscription-based home pickup to recycling drop-off sites, are now available. Learn more about the options and other frequently asked questions.

2. What do I do with my blue bin?

You can keep your blue bin to use as an extra trash bin which is now serviced weekly by the City, alongside your brown bin, unless you live in select townhouse communities which will have slightly different accommodations (see information on townhouse communities).

3. What if I don’t want to keep my blue bin?

We encourage you to keep your blue bin to allow for additional trash capacity. Also, if you voluntarily surrender your blue bin(s) but decide later on that you do in fact want the additional capacity, you will have to purchase an additional bin by contacting the Treasurer's Office. If you still do not wish to keep it, please call the Customer Contact Center at 757-382-2489 to request that we take it back.

4. How many bins will the City empty from my household?

We understand that many households have purchased additional brown or blue bins in the past, so City crews will empty a maximum of 3 bins per household per week. 

5. Will the City have enough staff and trucks to manage the extra waste?

Yes. We have hired additional staff and have leased additional trucks in order to meet the increased waste demand. 

6. Will bulk waste collection be affected?

There are no changes to bulk waste collection guidelines.  

7. Will this impact my taxes?

Several questions have been raised about whether or not this will impact taxes. The City examines all programs and services to identify savings. As previously noted, nearly half of the material formerly collected from the blue bins was either burned or disposed of in the landfill. This poor performance is why curbside recycling was one of several programs, services, and/or projects that was canceled.

City Council was able to identify enough savings to address their priorities and provide tax relief for Fiscal Year 2023. This tax relief will effectively reduce the tax rate by 4 cents per $100 of assessed value and will be applied in the form of a credit to Fiscal Year 2023 real estate tax bills.