Trash & Recycling in Barrow County, GA (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Barrow County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Barrow County Code § 78-41 sets the operating standards for anyone collecting and hauling litter or refuse in unincorporated Barrow County. Collection vehicles must have a watertight body and be approved by the county sanitarian, and hazardous waste or dead animals must be removed through the county health department, with dead-animal burial billed at $50 for the first hour and $50 per hour after.
Barrow County Refuse Collection Standards
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-41(a)-(b), (f)
(a)Generally. ... Proper collection and disposal of accumulated litter and other refuse is required, and such collection and disposal may not be conducted in a manner contrary to the public health, order, morality, safety or welfare.(b)Equipment standards. All equipment used for the collection and transportation of litter and other refuse shall be so designed as to prevent its escape therefrom ...
Bin Placement Rules
In unincorporated Barrow County, every tenant, lessee or occupant of a residence or establishment must provide enough garbage containers to hold waste between collections under Barrow County Code § 78-37(d). Section 78-37(f) caps each individual refuse receptacle at 90 pounds and requires containers be kept clean and treated with insecticide when needed to prevent nuisances, with heavier bins allowed only by written permission of the county sanitarian.
Barrow County Garbage Container Rules
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-37(d), (f)
(d)Adequate receptacles required. It shall be the duty of every tenant, lessee or occupant of any residence or establishment where people reside, congregate or are employed to provide sufficient garbage containers or receptacles to effectively handle the accumulation of garbage, waste, litter and debris during the intervals between collections and to maintain the property free and clear from li...
Bulk Item Disposal
Unincorporated Barrow County makes the property owner responsible for arranging and paying for removal of discarded furniture, appliances, machinery and other oversized trash under Barrow County Code § 78-37(e). A refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer or stove left where it could trap a child is banned outright, and any bulky item left out seven days or more is presumed abandoned.
Barrow County Bulk Item Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-37(e)
(e)Removal of furniture, appliances and other oversized items. In reference to any discarded furniture, appliances, machinery or other oversized litter or trash, arrangements must be made by the property owner, at his expense, for removal and disposal. Under no circumstances shall a discarded refrigerator, icebox, freezer, washer, dryer or stove or other item capable of entrapping a child be le...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping litter, hazardous waste or any other refuse on public or private property anywhere in unincorporated Barrow County is banned outright under Barrow County Code § 78-38(a) unless the site is specifically approved by the county or the state for dumping. Section 78-38(b) separately makes it a violation to dump waste into someone else's private dumpster or collection system without the owner's permission.
Barrow County Illegal Dumping Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-38(a)-(b)
(a)No person shall dump or otherwise dispose of litter, any waste containing hazardous substances, or other refuse or unsightly matter on any public or private property unless the property is specifically approved by the county or the state for dumping.(b)It is a violation of this article to dump any domestic, industrial, commercial or mining waste or litter, or refuse, into any private dumpste...
Dumpster Rules
Commercial dumpsters and roll-off receptacles in unincorporated Barrow County must sit on a concrete pad, be screened on every side with an opaque enclosure and gate that matches the principal building, and stay out of any required landscape buffer zone. The Unified Development Code also keeps dumpsters out of view from the street or from neighboring residential property, so placement is dictated by sightlines, not convenience.
Commercial Dumpster Placement in Barrow County
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 89-133(g)
(g)Dumpster enclosures.(1)Dumpsters and similar receptacles shall not be located at the rear or side of buildings where they are not visible from the street or adjacent residential property.(2)Dumpsters and similar receptacles shall be screened on all sides by opaque materials, including an access gate, that are compatible with the principal building.(3)Dumpsters and similar receptacles shall b...
Collection Schedule
Unincorporated Barrow County does not run its own trash trucks or set a fixed pickup day by ordinance. Barrow County Code § 78-41(g) says the county has only arranged for private contractor collection of litter and refuse, and property owners who choose to subscribe pay the contractor directly whatever reasonable charge is set from time to time.
Barrow County Trash Collection Service
Few RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-41(g)
(g)Collection service. The county has arranged for the collection of litter and other refuse from private or public property. Property owners choosing to subscribe shall be responsible for payment to the contractor of such reasonable charges as may from time to time be set for the regular removal of litter and other refuse.
Recycling Rules
Barrow County Code § 78-38(c) bars putting unsorted trash into any container marked for recycling in unincorporated Barrow County. Materials can go into a recycling container only if they have been separated and sorted by category and placed in the container approved for that specific type of recyclable, with no mixing of other debris or refuse.
Barrow County Recycling Contamination Ban
Some RestrictionsBarrow County Code § 78-38(c)
(c)The dumping of any litter or waste materials into any container specifically designated as a recycling container is prohibited unless the materials discarded are properly separated and sorted into categories which are deposited into the containers specifically approved for the same type of recyclable waste and not mixed with any other debris or refuse.
All Barrow County ordinances
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