Dare County schedules 1-pass large-item pickup starting April 7; private contractor to collect curbside items

Dare County Public Works announced that its annual large-item curbside pickup for unincorporated areas will begin Monday, April 7, 2025, and run continuously for about 12 to 15 days. The county said the collection will be performed by private contractor Southern Disaster Recovery and that crews will make only one pass in each service area due to budget and time constraints.

The department said it will not be able to notify residents of the exact day their items will be collected because the contractor will determine the schedule for each area. To avoid missed pickups, Dare County Public Works asked residents to place large items at the roadside beginning April 7 and to ensure items are there before the contractor’s single pass through each neighborhood.

Dare County Public Works described acceptable items as falling into two groups: large furniture (sofas, beds, mattresses, chairs, dressers, tables) and appliances/white goods (air conditioners, dishwashers, stoves, washers and dryers, refrigerators, freezers). The county asked residents to separate items into two piles—one for furniture and one for appliances—and, where possible, to clean off and unmount refrigerator and freezer doors.

The county listed items that will not be accepted: regular household garbage; old clothes and shoes; cardboard; tree limbs, stumps, and yard-clearing debris; construction and demolition materials including lumber, toilets, windows, and doors; and hazardous materials such as oil-based paints, pesticides, and fuels. The county also instructed residents not to place items on the roadside until the day before pickup in their area.

Officials warned that items not collected by the end of the 12- to 15-day collection period should be considered rejected and must be disposed of at the owner’s expense. Rejected items may be taken to the Buxton Transfer Station or the Dare County C And D Landfill. The county added that the first 500 pounds for residential customers at the county facility is free.

For more details and the county’s guidance on preparing items for pickup, Dare County Public Works directed residents to darenc.gov/largeitempickup.

The announcement contains operational details—contractor name, schedule window, acceptable and unacceptable items, handling instructions, and disposal options—but did not specify neighborhood-by-neighborhood pickup dates or any enforcement mechanisms beyond the one-pass rule.