Trash & Recycling in Winston-Salem, NC (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Winston-Salem, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Bin Placement Rules
Winston-Salem residents may put garbage carts at the curb starting 5:00 p.m. the evening before pickup and must remove them by 8:00 a.m. the next morning; carts must stay covered and can't be hidden in a garage or an enclosure without gate access.
Winston-Salem Garbage Cart Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-6(c)
Residents may place the container at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the resident's normally scheduled collection day. Carts should be placed out no later than 6:00 a.m. on the normal day of collection. All carts should be removed from the curb by 8:00 a.m. the day after collection, unless collected on a Friday. Friday collection carts must be removed by 8:00 a.m. Monday, u...
Bulk Item Disposal
Winston-Salem hauls one truckload of brush free at the curb but charges $100.00 for each additional load, while furniture, appliances and other bulky household items are picked up only during the city's annual bulky item collection.
Winston-Salem Bulk & Brush Collection
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-9(c), (e)
The city will collect brush free of charge when the quantity is one truck load (ten cubic yards) or less and when the material is placed near the curb... Regulation brush in excess of one load (ten cubic yards) shall be picked up at the curb upon request for a fee of $100.00 per load or fraction thereof.
Recycling Requirements
Winston-Salem gives each household a city recycling roll-out cart that may be used only for recycling, and putting non-recyclable items in it can cost you the cart after three notices in a year.
Winston-Salem Recycling Cart Rules
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances §§ 26-3(h), 26-10(n)
(h)Use of recycling mobile containers. Residents shall use city provided roll-out containers only for recycling. These containers will be collected year round. Service for one additional recycling container may be purchased for a fee of $30.00 per year. ... (n) It shall be unlawful to place non-recyclable items inside the recycling cart for collection. The city may remove carts and discontinue ...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Winston-Salem's Sanitation Division publishes a separate rule for garbage, curbside recycling and yard waste carts on each holiday. For Thanksgiving 2026, Thursday garbage moves to Friday and Friday garbage moves to Saturday, November 28. Christmas and New Year's Day 2027 each push only Friday collection to Saturday.
Winston-Salem Holiday Trash Pickup Schedule 2026
Light RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-6(c); Holiday Collection Schedule 2026 (Sanitation Division)
THANKSGIVING DAY Nov. 26–27 (Thurs. and Fri.) Garbage: Tuesday collected Tuesday; Wednesday collected Wednesday; Thursday collected Friday; Friday collected Saturday, November 28. Curbside Recycling: RED WEEK Monday–Wednesday normal schedule; Thursday on Friday; Friday on Saturday, November 28. Yard Waste Carts: Monday thru Wednesday Normal collection; Thursday collected Saturday, November 28. ...
Illegal Dumping
Winston-Salem bans depositing litter anywhere in the city where wind or water could carry it onto streets, sidewalks, waterways, or public and private property, treating any accumulation as a public nuisance subject to civil penalties and criminal prosecution.
Winston-Salem Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-10(g)
It shall be unlawful for any person to scatter, cast, throw, place, sweep or deposit anywhere within the city any litter in such a manner that it may be carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk, alley, body of water, sewer, parkway, lot, public property or private property. Any unauthorized accumulation of litter is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and is prohibited...
Yard Waste Collection
Winston-Salem's fall leaf collection begins Monday, November 2, 2026, and the city says it runs through January or as long as it takes to make (3) passes through each quadrant. Rake leaves loose to the edge of your yard, behind the curb and out of the street, with no tarps. Leaves also go in a 96-gallon yard waste cart all year.
Winston-Salem Leaf Collection and Yard Waste Rules
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-6(d); § 26-9(a), (b)
(d)Leaves. Accumulations of loose leaves placed along and behind the curbline shall be collected by the city vacuum leaf loading equipment from the period November 1 through January 15 of each leaf collection season. During this period, leaves shall not be mixed with other waste material, shall not be placed in the travelway of the street, and may only be containerized as set out in subsection ...
Dumpster Rules
Winston-Salem requires bulk dumpster-style containers, not individual carts, for businesses generating over three 32-gallon receptacles weekly, apartments over ten units, mobile home parks over ten lots, and residential developments denser than eight units per acre.
Winston-Salem Mandatory Bulk Container Rules
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-3(e)
(e)Mandatory use of bulk containers.(1)Business, commercial and retail establishments generating more than three 32-gallon refuse receptacles of refuse per week;(2)Any apartment development which contains more than ten individual dwelling units;(3)Any mobile home park, as defined in the city zoning ordinance, constructed or approved after adoption of the ordinance from which this chapter is der...
Collection Schedule
Winston-Salem residents may set trash carts at the curb starting 5:00 p.m. the day before pickup, no later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day, and must pull them back in by 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
Winston-Salem Curbside Trash Set-Out Rules
Some RestrictionsWinston-Salem Code of Ordinances § 26-6(c)
Residents may place the container at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the resident's normally scheduled collection day. Carts should be placed out no later than 6:00 a.m. on the normal day of collection. All carts should be removed from the curb by 8:00 a.m. the day after collection, unless collected on a Friday. Friday collection carts must be removed by 8:00 a.m. Monday, u...
Looking for Forsyth County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Winston-Salem city rules.
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