Trash & Recycling in Dougherty County, GA (2026)
8 rules for unincorporated Dougherty County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Licensed collectors under contract with unincorporated Dougherty County homeowners must pick up nominal amounts of rubbish, such as leaves and lawn and shrubbery clippings, as part of the minimum service they owe. "Nominal" is capped at one bag a week on average, and a collector may charge an added fee to haul away more than that at a homeowner's occasional request.
Dougherty County Yard Waste Pickup Minimum
Light RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-9(2)
Collectors who contract with home owners/occupiers for collection of solid waste will provide the following minimum service: ... (2)Pick up nominal amounts of rubbish such as leaves, lawn and shrubbery clippings, etc., providing it is properly packaged in plastic bags or other containers as specified in section 2-14-6. For the purpose of this section nominal means not to exceed one (1) bag per ...
Bin Placement Rules
Every residence and business in unincorporated Dougherty County must supply enough waste containers to hold what it generates between collections, and those containers must be durable, watertight, rodent-proof, tightly covered, and no larger than thirty-two gallons unless they are bulk containers built for mechanical pickup. The county code does not set a curbside set-out time or a screening requirement.
Dougherty County Trash Container Requirements
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-6(a)
(a)Containers shall be provided by the owner or occupant of each residence or establishment sufficient in number of accommodate such waste generated by the residence or establishment between collections. Containers shall be of durable metal or plastic, watertight, nonabsorbent, rust-resistant, rodentproof and easily cleanable. They shall be equipped with handles and tightly fitted covers and sh...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
The county-operated Gaissert Road landfill runs 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, but shuts down entirely on six holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Residents who need to dump waste on one of those dates must arrange it with the county director of public works at least 72 hours ahead, per Sec. 2-14-28.
Dougherty County Landfill Holiday Closures
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-28
(a)The county solid waste disposal site will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. The solid waste disposal site will be closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Persons desiring to dispose of solid waste on holidays shall make special arrangements with t...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping, throwing, or leaving litter on any road, street, or public or private property in unincorporated Dougherty County is unlawful unless it goes into a designated disposal site or receptacle, or the property owner consents. A conviction carries a fine of one hundred to one thousand dollars, and a court can also order the offender to pick up litter along a public right-of-way or the dumping site.
Dougherty County Illegal Dumping Penalties
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code §§ 2-14-45, 2-14-57(a)(1)
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to dump, deposit, throw, or leave or cause or permit the dumping, depositing, placing, throwing, or leaving of litter on any road or street or any public or private property in the county, unless: ... (1)By a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00);
Yard Waste Collection
Dougherty County has barred yard trimmings from its Gaissert Road landfill since September 1, 1996, acting under the state Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-40.2. Sec. 2-14-30 states the ban directly; residents instead rely on their contracted private collector, who must pick up nominal amounts of leaves and clippings under Sec. 2-14-9.
Dougherty County Yard Waste Landfill Ban
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-30
The county board of commissioners, in accordance with Official Code of Georgia Annotated, section 12-8-40.2, prohibits the disposal of yard trimmings, as defined by the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act, at the county landfill, effective September 1, 1996.
Dumpster Rules
Only the owner of a commercial dumpster in unincorporated Dougherty County may disturb it, remove its contents, or relocate it before collection; anyone else who interferes is violating the county's solid waste rules. Haulers bringing roll-on/roll-off containers to the county landfill without truck scales available pay a flat ninety-five-dollar disposal charge per load.
Dougherty County Commercial Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code §§ 2-14-29(b)(2), 2-14-51
(2)Where truck scales not available. Should truck scales not be available, the following rates shall apply: Semitrailers, garbage packers, stake bodies or vans, roll-on roll-off containers, dump trucks with tandem axle and special handling waste requiring immediate disposal . .$95.00 ... No person other than the owner thereof, shall disturb or interfere with any container or dumpster used for t...
Collection Schedule
Licensed solid waste collectors under contract with unincorporated Dougherty County homeowners must pick up household garbage twice a week on scheduled dates. That twice-weekly minimum is the floor for residential collection contracts in the county, which relies on licensed private haulers rather than a county-run truck route.
Dougherty County Twice-Weekly Garbage Pickup
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-9(1)
Collectors who contract with home owners/occupiers for collection of solid waste will provide the following minimum service: ... (1)Pick up garbage twice weekly on scheduled dates.
Recycling Rules
County-run solid waste and recycling centers in unincorporated Dougherty County take glass, aluminum, newspaper, cardboard, plastic and tin free of charge when it's clean and separated. Sec. 2-14-95 bars dumping other waste into the recycling receptacles and limits deposits to official operating hours.
Dougherty County Recycling Center Rules
Some RestrictionsDougherty County Code § 2-14-95
(k)No person shall deposit any solid waste at a county solid waste collection and recycling center unless such solid waste is contained in a manner that it can be handled by the attendant and shall be deposited only during the official hours of operation.(l)No person shall deposit solid waste, water or litter of any kind at any county solid waste collection and recycling center into county owne...
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