Solid Waste and Recycling

General Information

2008 Trash Pickup Schedule

Weekly Curbside Collection is available to residential dwellings with up to eight units per property. Collection is limited to the equivalent of six 32-gallon containers per collection. All trash to be collected must be in plastic bags, placed in barrels with covers. Trash bags must be set out for collection in barrels with tightly fitting covers. Cardboard boxes are not acceptable as waste containers, as they are a mandatory recycling item. City sponsored collection is not provided to properties serviced by a commercial collection container or dumpster. To report a missed collection call Waste Management, Inc. at (401) 847-0230.

Businesses Within a Residential Dwelling are not entitled to City sponsored waste collection. Collection service is provided to residential units only. All businesses must hire private collection.

Set Out Time: All material to be collected must be set out at the curb for collection by 6 am on the day of collection and may not be set out earlier than 7 pm the night before the scheduled collection. Empty barrels and recycling bins should be removed from the curb as soon as possible after they have been emptied.

Holidays: In the case of a holiday, all collections are delayed by one (1) day. Saturday collections will only be made to compensate for a holiday occurring during the week. Please note that collections are not affected by the following holidays: Washington's Birthday and Rhode Island Independence Day (May 4th).

Bulky Trash in limited quantities is collected with every weekly trash collection. Items set out for collection are included in the six barrels per collection equivalent allowed each week. For example, if a resident sets out a bundle of sticks about the size of one trash can, they may now only set out five trash barrels.

There is no program to collect more than the equivalent of six trash cans in one collection. Those needing to dispose of more than the allowed amount in one collection need to hire private collection.

Furniture: Two pieces of furniture may be set out for collection each week, unless one of the pieces is a sofa, in which case only the sofa will be 7-collected that week. A mattress and a box spring are counted as two pieces of furniture. All furniture is included in the six trash cans per week equivalent. Appointments are not necessary for the collection of furniture, unless they are made primarily of metal.

Wood Waste is included in the six barrel allotment, but only if it is generated as a result of work done on the property by the homeowners themselves. All wood waste, construction or demolition debris generated as a result of work done by a contractor is considered commercial waste and is not eligible for City collection services. All eligible wood waste, including branches larger than 3" in diameter, must be less than four feet long and either in trash cans or tied in reasonably sized bundles.

Large Metal Items, Appliances and Tires are collected on residents regularly scheduled collection day. Residents must Contact the Citys waste hauler directly 24 hours in advance to schedule a collection. Tires must be removed from their rims. Limit four tires per collection. Auto parts are not eligible for City collection. The phone number to schedule an appointment is Waste Management, Inc. at (401) 847-0230.

Items Not Collected in the curbside collection program include, but are not limited to, brick, concrete blocks, dirt, automobile parts and hazardous materials. If in doubt, please call first.

Cardboard Boxes are included in the mandatory recycling program. Boxes need to be emptied, flattened and cannot measure more than three feet in any one direction in order to be collected. Pizza boxes are not accepted through the recycling program. Please dispose of pizza boxes through the refuse collection program. A drop-off is available for residential cardboard only. Call the Clean City office at (401) 845-5613 for details.

Small Metal Items, small enough to fit in your blue bin, should be recycled through the curbside recycling program. Pots and pans, wire hangers, used clothes irons and metal toasters are a few examples of small metal items that should go in your blue bin.

Clothing and Textiles: The City of Newports Clean City Program is working with nonprofit Community Crusade for Children, and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, in an effort to reduce solid waste by recycling clothing, shoes, and other textiles. A clothing collection container has been placed at the Citys Department of Public Works, located at 70 Halsey Street, off of Admiral Kalbfus Road. Newport residents are welcome to drop off clothing, shoes, sheets, and blankets in the container. All donations are tax deductible.

Yard Waste

Check the collection calendar to find out what week yard waste is collected

Yard waste is defined as leaves, grass, herbaceous material, brush, and branches up to 3 inches in diameter. Yard waste is set out in brown paper leaf bags or loose in barrels labeled yard waste. Free yard waste stickers are available from the Department of Public Works office located at 70 Halsey Street. Yard waste must be free of litter and will not be collected in plastic bags. There is a limit of 20 bags of yard waste per collection.

Christmas Trees are collected at curbside on collection day the first and second weeks of January.

Electronic Waste

Electronic waste is collected at the Citys Department of Public Works, located at 70 Halsey Street, weekdays, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. By recycling these items, hazardous materials are kept out of the waste stream, and out of the central landfill. Electronic waste often contains heavy metals such as lead and mercury and the responsible disposal of these items will help keep toxins out of our environment.

Electronic waste includes the following: Computer, printers, scanners, televisions, laptops, fax machines, cd-roms, dvd-roms, vcr's, audio equipment, video games, disc drives, modems, cards, keyboards, computer mice, electronic wires or plugs, pc speakers, recording, surveillance or camera equipment, digital cameras, cell phones & accessories, lcd products, and used ink jet cartridges.

Books

The City of Newports Clean City Program has teamed up with a Massachusetts based nonprofit organization, Hands Across the Water, in an effort to promote the reuse of books. Hands Across the Water collects used books in the United States and distributes the books at no charge globally to developing nations in need of textbooks and other materials, as well as locally.

This partnership will benefit Newport as books are being kept out of the landfill and given to those most in need.

A book collection container has been placed at the Citys Department of Public Works, located at 70 Halsey Street. Hands Across the Water will accept any type or style of books, including paperbacks, used textbooks, and hardcover books.

They will also accept books on tape and DVDs. Magazines, phonebooks, and books with mold or mildew on them, are not able to be collected. Books may be dropped off weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The books should be packed securely in a cardboard box or carton with a lid, and not weigh more than 40lbs. Books should not be packed in plastic or paper bags as they may tear through them. All donations are tax deductible.