Trash & Recycling in Brunswick County, NC (2026)
8 rules for unincorporated Brunswick County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Brunswick County, North Carolina requires unincorporated residents to keep their trash receptacle clean and odor-controlled and to bag or tie loose household trash before it goes in the cart, with an exemption for bulky items like large cardboard boxes, under Code Sec. 1-11-23(4)c.
Brunswick County Household Trash Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-23(4)c.2-3
Maintaining the cleanliness of the receptacle and to take steps to mitigate odors. ... Bagging and tying or otherwise securing trash placed in receptacle to prevent it from falling or blowing out. Bulky items such as large cardboard boxes are exempt from bagging requirements. Bags may be of any size, any thickness adequate for its contents, and any color.
Bin Placement Rules
Brunswick County, North Carolina tells unincorporated residents exactly where and when to put out a solid waste receptacle: at the curb or road edge, clear of traffic, no earlier than 6:00 a.m. and pulled back in by 9:00 p.m., at least five feet from mailboxes, poles, or parked cars.
Brunswick County Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-23(4)c.1
Placing the solid waste receptacle near the curb or road edge (not impeding traffic) before 6:00 a.m. and removing it before 9:00 p.m. on scheduled pick-up days. The receptacle must be at least five (5) feet from mailboxes, poles, parked cars, or other obstacles.
Bulk Item Disposal
Brunswick County, North Carolina caps how long bulky waste can sit outside a home in the unincorporated county at seven days, and requires anything too large for a standard trash cart to be hauled to an approved county collection site instead of curbside.
Brunswick County Bulk Item Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-23(4); § 1-11-22(b)
Items that are too large for refuse receptacles shall be brought to an approved solid waste collection site. ... No owner, occupant or tenant or lessee of a building or dwelling other than a licensed junk dealer, may place or leave or cause to be placed and left for longer than seven (7) days outside a building or dwelling any bulky wastes.
Illegal Dumping
Brunswick County, North Carolina makes it unlawful to use an unpermitted dump site for solid waste in the unincorporated county, and backs it with escalating fines: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $400 for every offense after that, per person.
Brunswick County Illegal Dumping Penalties
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-26(1); § 1-11-88(6)
It shall be unlawful for any responsible person to encroach on the rights of others through the neglect of property by: Using or allowing others to use an unpermitted dump site for disposal of solid waste. ... The citations so issued to this provision of this section shall specify a fine in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first offense for each individual, two hundred dollar...
Yard Waste Collection
Brunswick County, North Carolina bans yard waste from regular residential curbside pick-up in the unincorporated county and requires it to be securely covered or tied when placed near or transported on public roads, under Code Sec. 1-11-23(4)b and (14).
Brunswick County Yard Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-23(4)b, (14)
The following items are banned from residential pick-up: construction materials, yard waste, oil, antifreeze, tires, car batteries, appliances, and hazardous or medical waste. ... (14)Yard waste. Yard Waste placed adjacent to or transported upon public roads shall be securely covered or tied to prevent the depositing thereof on such roads or the property of any person.
Dumpster Rules
Brunswick County's Unified Development Ordinance requires dumpsters and trash handling facilities at nonresidential, multifamily, campground and mobile home park sites in the unincorporated county to sit on the same lot they serve, stay out of required front yards, and keep at least five feet from any property line or required buffer, whichever is farther. Screening and access rules apply too. Incorporated towns set their own rules.
Brunswick County Dumpster Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Unified Development Ordinance § 6.18.2
6.18.2. Location A.All utilities (including heating or air conditioning units and other mechanical equipment) dumpsters and trash handling facilities shall be located on the same lot as the use served unless shared facilities are approved by the Planning Board. No such facilities shall be located in any required front yard.B.Dumpsters and/or trash handling facilities shall not be located withi...
Collection Schedule
Brunswick County, North Carolina provides residential trash pick-up service to the unincorporated county under Code Sec. 1-11-23(4)a, using vendor-owned receptacles that residents must set out for pick-up between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on their scheduled day.
Brunswick County Residential Trash Collection Service
Light RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-23(4)a
The county provides residential trash pick-up service. Solid waste receptacles are the property of the vendor and may not be removed from the premises.
Recycling Rules
Brunswick County, North Carolina requires recyclables to be clean and source-separated from solid waste at its landfill and convenience sites in the unincorporated county. Code Sec. 1-11-9(g) and (i) bar mixing plastics, glass, cans, paper, and cardboard with regular trash and list which materials the county accepts for recycling.
Brunswick County Recycling Separation Rules
Some RestrictionsBrunswick County Code § 1-11-9(g), (i)
(g) It shall be unlawful for any person to dispose of used oil, yard waste, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, whole scrap tires, lead acid batteries, paper, steel, #1 & #2 plastics, glass, cardboard, or any item identified in G.S. 130A-309.10(f) in a county landfill or convenience site except as may be authorized by the county in separate areas or a recycling facility specifically maintai...
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