Trash & Recycling in Durham, NC (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Durham, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Before it hits the curb, Durham law requires garbage to be bagged, drained and free of standing liquid, and recyclables kept entirely out of the trash. Section 58-97 makes mixing recyclables into a garbage receptacle a violation, backing the city's separate-bin collection system enforced by the Solid Waste Management Department.
Durham Garbage Wrapping and Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-97
All garbage placed in receptacles shall be wrapped or contained in bags and shall be drained and free of wastewater. No liquids, except natural moisture contents of garbage, shall be placed in receptacles. Recyclables shall be properly prepared, separated from garbage and placed into a separate bin for collection. Recyclables shall not be put in the garbage receptacle.
Bin Placement Rules
Durham requires garbage receptacles to be watertight metal or plastic containers with tight-fitting covers and strong handles that keep flies out, and any cart with ragged edges or other defects must be replaced once the director gives notice, per City Code §§ 58-33 through 58-35. Deliberately damaging a city-provided roll-out cart or recycling bin draws a $100 civil penalty plus replacement cost, and is also a misdemeanor.
Durham Garbage Cart Construction & Damage Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-33; § 58-34; § 58-36
Sec. 58-33. Receptacles shall be made substantially of metal or plastic; watertight and provided with tight-fitting covers and strong handles. Sec. 58-34. Any receptacle that does not otherwise conform to the provisions of this chapter or that has ragged or sharp edges or other defects liable to hamper or injure the persons collecting the contents thereof shall not be used for holding yard wast...
Bulk Item Disposal
When trimmings, leaves or refuse pile up beyond what a routine truck can handle, Durham calls it "extra refuse". Section 58-99 lets an owner request a special haul for a fee covering actual cost, on top of the normal schedule. Stumps, trunks and limbs must be cut small enough for two people to load and piled somewhere accessible.
Durham Bulk and Extra Refuse Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-99
Large tree and shrub trimmings, bulky and excessive amounts of refuse, leaves and yard rakings that cannot be handled by routine collection procedure will be handled under regulations of the director, at the owner's request, for a fee to cover actual cost. This is referred to as "extra refuse" and will be hauled by the department as soon as conveniently possible, but such hauling shall not inte...
Recycling Requirements
Durham requires recyclable materials to go out in their own separate receptacle from the trash. Section 58-103 applies whether the city or a city contractor runs your route. It backs up the source-separation mandate in Section 58-97 and keeps recyclables out of the garbage stream city-wide.
Durham Curbside Recycling Separation Rule
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-103
Separate receptacles shall be used for the set out of recyclable materials that are collected by the city, or by the city's contractor.
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Durham doesn't fix holiday pickup dates in the code. Section 58-125 hands the Director of Solid Waste, or their designee, the authority to alter collection schedules to observe holidays or handle emergencies. Residents follow whatever adjusted schedule the department publishes rather than a citywide default in the ordinance itself.
Durham Holiday Trash Schedule Changes
Light RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-125
(a)Collection schedules shall be as determined by the director of solid waste. The director or the director's designee shall have the authority to alter collection schedules to observe holidays or to meet emergency situations.(b)Businesses that generate more than two cubic yards of refuse each week, which equals approximately the capacity of four roll-out carts, must install and maintain a stat...
Illegal Dumping
Depositing trash, garbage, debris, or any other refuse on Durham streets, sidewalks, parks, private property without the owner's permission, or into waterways is a misdemeanor citywide under Sec. 26-116, backed by a companion litter-control ordinance barring dumping in park, street, and public receptacles.
Durham Illegal Dumping Ban
Heavy RestrictionsDurham City Code § 26-116
Except as otherwise provided, it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly throw, place, drop or deposit upon any public sidewalk, street, lane, alley, drive, bridge, overpass, underpass, culvert, branch or catchbasin, or upon any grounds, walk, path, or drive appurtenant to any public building, park, recreation area or facility, or in or about any public swimming pool or facility, or upon ...
Yard Waste Collection
Durham won't collect yard waste bagged in plastic: leaves, grass and trimmings must go out in biodegradable paper bags made for yard waste or in city-approved receptacles. Tree and shrub trimmings get an alternative: bundles capped at four feet long, 18 inches across and 75 pounds, with no single piece of wood over six inches thick.
Durham Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-98
Yard waste will not be collected by the city or disposed of at the city landfill area if it is in plastic bags, plastic wrappers, or plastic sheets. Yard waste will not be collected by the city unless it is contained in biodegradable paper bags designed and marketed for yard waste, provided that such bags shall be subject to type, size, and closure restrictions and requirements as may be made p...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial developments with four or more businesses on one site must use a stationary bulk container instead of roll-out carts, and Section 58-65 makes every stationary-container pickup a fee service set by city council. Section 58-68 requires the dumpster to sit where a collection truck can safely reach it on an all-weather street or alley.
Durham Commercial Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code §§ 58-65, 58-68
"Each collection of garbage from a stationary container shall be for a fee, as set by the city council... The following locations must be served by a stationary container rather than roll-out carts:... (4)Commercial developments in which four or more businesses operate from the same site or location." (§ 58-65) "The location of required stationary bulk refuse containers shall be so as to permit...
Collection Schedule
Every Durham household, store, restaurant, market, and hotel must provide a proper refuse receptacle for collection unless the city supplies one, and the city offers only two collection methods, roll-out cart pickup or stationary bulk container service, under City Code §§ 58-31 and 58-32. The director sets each address's actual pickup frequency and container type by rule under § 58-2.
Durham Mandatory Trash Collection Service
Some RestrictionsDurham City Code § 58-31; § 58-32; § 58-2
Sec. 58-31. All householders, stores, institutions, restaurants markets, hotels, and other places where refuse is collected shall provide proper receptacles as defined in the rules and regulations established pursuant to section 58-2, unless a receptacle is provided by the city. Sec. 58-32. The director shall provide roll-out garbage collection and sanitary bulk container garbage collection ser...
Looking for Durham County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Durham city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Durham County →