Trash & Recycling in Carroll County, MD (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Carroll County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Carroll County licenses every trash and recycling hauler under Chapter 50, and § 50.03 sets the operating rules collectors must follow on every route: covered, leak-proof loads, a 24-hour cap on storing waste in a truck, no littering or spillage, and prompt cleanup if a load must be dumped because it is on fire.
Carroll County Waste Collection Handling Rules
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 50.03(B), (F)
Any person, regardless of whether he or she is required to be licensed, who collects, hauls, or disposes of solid waste shall comply with the following requirements. ... (B) No person shall cause solid waste except recyclables to remain or to be stored in any collection or haulage vehicle. In case of inclement weather, act of God, or emergency such as equipment breakdown or accident, no solid w...
Bulk Item Disposal
Carroll County has no curbside bulky-item pickup. Residents and licensed haulers must self-haul furniture, mattresses, boats, campers, trailers and non-recyclable appliances to a county solid waste acceptance facility, where staff decide on the spot whether a load actually meets the code's BULKY WASTE definition. Construction debris and recyclable appliances do not qualify and are billed under separate rules.
Carroll County Bulky Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 50.01; § 50.04(C)(1)(o)
BULKY WASTE. Larger items of solid waste which because of their size or weight require handling other than normally used for typical household solid waste, or which do not readily compact or decompose in the landfill. BULKY WASTE includes but is not necessarily limited to such items as furniture and fixtures, mattresses and box springs, boats, campers and trailers, non-recyclable appliances, an...
Recycling Requirements
Any company licensed to collect trash in Carroll County must also collect recyclables. Section 50.04(E) requires a hauler who collects municipal solid waste to collect, or arrange for the collection of, recyclables kept separate from all other solid waste, and haulers delivering to a county facility must segregate waste into whatever categories the county requires.
Carroll County Hauler Recycling Requirement
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 50.04(E)
(E) Recyclable materials. A hauler who collects municipal solid waste must also collect or provide for the collection of recyclables separated from all other forms of solid waste. Haulers delivering solid waste to a county facility shall segregate solid waste separately into any category as may be required by county. Upon the passage of 90 days from the county's adoption of a resolution declari...
Illegal Dumping
Carroll County makes it a crime to dump trash on public streets. Section 92.065 flatly bans casting, throwing, or sweeping any trash, refuse, leaves, or sweepings into a county street, and Chapter 92's general penalty provision treats a violation as a misdemeanor with fines that grow the longer the dumping goes uncorrected.
Carroll County Illegal Dumping on Streets
Heavy RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 92.065; § 92.999(A)
§ 92.065 DEPOSIT OF REFUSE ON STREETS. It shall be unlawful for any person to cast, throw, or sweep any trash, refuse, leaves, or sweepings into any of the streets. ... § 92.999 PENALTY. (A) Any person who violates a provision of § 92.001 or fails to comply with any of the requirements of this chapter ... shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonme...
Yard Waste Collection
Yard waste and yard trim cannot be mixed with regular trash in Carroll County. Section 50.04(E)(1) requires it to be kept separate and, if taken to a county site, dropped only at the Northern Landfill or another site the county designates, in the specific area set aside for yard waste.
Carroll County Yard Waste Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 50.04(E)(1)
(1) Yard waste/yard trim. No person shall dispose of yard waste/yard trim by commingling it with other solid waste. If yard waste/trim is to be disposed of at a county facility, it may be disposed of at the Northern Landfill or at other sites as may hereafter be designated by the county, but only in the location designated by the county for its disposal at the Northern Landfill or other designa...
Dumpster Rules
Carroll County allows a dumpster or portable storage container on residential property under Zoning Code § 158.048.01(H). Tied to an active building permit there is no separate day count, but without one placement is capped at 60 days, renewable twice for good cause, up to six months per calendar year, and R-10,000/R-7,500 lots limit units to 20 feet.
Carroll County Residential Dumpster Limits
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 158.048.01(H)
(H) Dumpsters and self-contained portable storage containers may be used on a residential property. (1) A dumpster or self-contained portable storage unit may be used in conjunction with a valid residential building permit during the time the construction is active. (2) When not used in conjunction with a valid residential building permit, a dumpster or self-contained storage ...
Recycling Rules
Carroll County can require recyclables to be kept out of the trash. Section 50.03(A) and (L) let the County Commissioners declare recycling mandatory by resolution, after which residents and haulers have 90 days before they must stop commingling recyclables with other solid waste and start using a separate designated container.
Carroll County Recyclables Separation Rule
Some RestrictionsCarroll County Code of Ordinances § 50.03(A), (L)
No person shall deposit solid waste except in approved solid waste acceptance facilities in accordance with § 50.04; no person shall scavenge; and upon the passage of 90 days from the county's adoption of a resolution declaring that recycling is mandatory, no person shall deposit recyclables except in a separate container designated for that purpose, nor shall any person commingle recyclables w...
All Carroll County ordinances
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