Trash & Recycling in Asheville, NC (2026)
7 verified trash & recycling rules for Asheville, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Sec. 15-45 sets Asheville's weekly collection schedule: non-automated customers get up to six approved receptacles emptied once a week, automated customers only get their city-owned rollout cart collected, and haulers must run watertight, covered trucks that won't spill or leak.
Asheville Weekly Trash Pickup and Hauling Rules
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 15-45(a), (d), (i)
(a) Household customers not on the city's automated trash collection system: Residential. Garbage and household trash accumulated at residences shall be collected once each week at curbside or at the edge of the vehicular travel-way. In accordance with a schedule determined by the solid waste manager, such collections shall be limited to six approved receptacles. ... (d) Commercial establis...
Bin Placement Rules
Sec. 15-44 requires Asheville's automated rollout trash carts to sit at least five feet from cars, trees, poles or mailboxes, within two feet of the curb edge, clear of low-hanging utility lines, and turned so the handle faces away from the street, out by 7:00 a.m. on collection day (5:00 a.m. downtown).
Asheville Curbside Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 15-44(a)(2)
(a) On the day of collection, unless otherwise provided by this chapter, it shall be the responsibility of the owner or occupant to place refuse receptacles at curbside or at the edge of the vehicular travel-way. ... (2) Household customers, multiple residential complexes and commercial establishments receiving automated trash collection service shall place the city owned automated rollout ...
Illegal Dumping
Asheville City Code § 15-4 bans discarding, abandoning, or causing litter, foul odors, or dangerous devices on any public or private property in the city. Enforcement runs through § 15-52's notice process, which lets the city assess a civil penalty of $100.00 per day of continued violation, capped at $5,000.00 per notice.
Asheville's Illegal Dumping Ban and Fines
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code §§ 15-4, 15-52(a)(4)
Sec. 15-4. Litter, offensive odors, dangerous devices prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to cause or allow unsightly litter, foul or offensive odors or potentially dangerous devices to remain on or emanate from any property under his control or to discard, abandon or cause such material on any public or private property within the corporate limits of the city. ... (4) Citation fo...
Yard Waste Collection
Asheville City Code § 15-38(f) requires brush trimmings and leaves to be bagged in approved biodegradable paper yard waste bags or marked reusable containers and set at curbside by 7:00 a.m. Monday of the collection week. Tree limbs over six inches in diameter, four feet long, or 50 pounds are not collected, and grass clippings are never picked up.
Asheville Yard Waste and Brush Rules
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 15-38(f)
(f) Brush trimmings. All brush trimmings shall be collected by the city when placed at curbside for collection by 7:00 a.m. on the Monday of the collection week as determined by the solid waste manager. Loose brush trimmings shall not be placed on storm drains, or on or under utility guy wires, low-hanging utility wires, utility pedestals, meter boxes, or other utility structures. If brush tr...
Dumpster Rules
Asheville's Unified Development Ordinance, Sec. 7-11-3(d)(6), requires every dumpster, loading dock, outdoor storage area and utility structure visible from a public street or adjoining property to be screened with either a dense evergreen hedge or a minimum six-foot fence or wall.
Asheville Requires Screening Around Dumpsters
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 7-11-3(d)(6)
(6) Screening of dumpsters, loading docks, outdoor storage areas, and utility structures. All dumpsters, loading docks, mechanical equipment, residential garbage containers (over four), or utility structures visible from a public street or adjacent property line shall be screened unless already screened by an intervening building or bufferyard. All enclosed outdoor storage areas greater than ...
Collection Schedule
Asheville City Code § 15-45 sets residential garbage and household trash collection at once per week, curbside or at the edge of the travel-way, on a schedule the solid waste manager sets. Households on the automated cart system get pickup only of their city-owned rollout container; other households are capped at six approved receptacles per pickup.
Asheville Weekly Trash Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 15-45(a)-(b)
(a) Household customers not on the city's automated trash collection system: Residential. Garbage and household trash accumulated at residences shall be collected once each week at curbside or at the edge of the vehicular travel-way. In accordance with a schedule determined by the solid waste manager, such collections shall be limited to six approved receptacles. (b) Household customers and...
Recycling Rules
Sec. 15-51 requires households to separate designated recyclables, aluminum cans, cardboard, glass bottles, newsprint, plastic bottles, steel and tin cans, and mixed paper, from trash and set them out in city receptacles; scavenging those materials from the curb is a separate violation.
Asheville Curbside Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 15-51(a), (c)(1)
(a) Recyclable materials. All recyclable materials generated by a household customer shall be separated from municipal solid waste and placed in recycling receptacles for curbside collection or taken to collection facilities. Recyclable materials shall consist of the following: Aluminum cans, Corrugated cardboard, Glass bottles and jars (clear, green, and brown), Newsprint and inserts that ar...
Looking for Buncombe County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Asheville city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Buncombe County →