Trash & Recycling in Franklin County, NC (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Franklin County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Franklin County Code Chapter 24 governs how solid waste and recycling get collected and transported countywide. Collection vehicles and containers must be covered, durable, and leak-proof, and any spillage during a pickup run is treated as litter unless the hauler immediately cleans it up, under §§ 24-3 and 24-118.
Franklin County Solid Waste Collection Vehicle Rules
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-3, 24-118
On and after the effective date of the ordinance from which this chapter is derived, the collection, transportation, and disposal of solid waste and recycled items within the county shall be governed by the provisions of this chapter. ... Vehicles or containers used for the collection and transportation of garbage or refuse containing garbage shall be covered, durable and of sturdy construction...
Bulk Item Disposal
Furniture, mattresses, televisions, and other oversize items count as bulky waste under Franklin County's solid waste code. Convenience center attendants cap residents at one load of bulky waste per day per household, and county residents get the first 2,000 pounds of any waste material free at the transfer station under §§ 24-4, 24-60(b), and 24-89(b).
Franklin County Bulky Item Disposal Rules
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-4, 24-89(b), 24-60(b)
Bulky waste means large items of solid waste such as furniture, mattress, television, and other oversize waste whose large size precludes or complicates their handling by normal solid waste collection, processing or disposal methods. ... The convenience center site attendant is given the authority to limit the bulky waste accepted from the resident based on the capacity (number of empty contain...
Recycling Requirements
Franklin County has no curbside recycling: the Solid Waste Department runs 11 staffed convenience centers instead. Sections 24-89 through 24-91 of the County Code make it unlawful to use a center unless the waste was generated on property inside the county, set fixed drop-off hours, and list the exact recycled items each center collects in separate containers, from aluminum cans to lead acid batteries and textiles.
Franklin County Recycling Drop-Off Rules
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-89, 24-90, 24-91
The convenience centers/recycling centers located throughout the county are maintained by the solid waste department and financed by revenues generated by the, solid waste availability fee, landfill tipping fees, the sale of recycled products, and other miscellaneous revenues. ... it shall be unlawful for any person, business, industry, or institution to use the county convenience centers or re...
Illegal Dumping
Dumping litter or solid waste on public or private property not designed to receive it is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Franklin County, carrying up to a $500.00 fine plus a $50.00 administrative penalty, and disposal outside approved landfill, transfer station, or incineration channels is separately banned under §§ 24-5, 24-117, and 24-120.
Franklin County Illegal Dumping Penalties
Heavy RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-5(a), 24-5(b)(4), 24-117(a), 24-120(4)
(a)The violation of any provision of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor and any person convicted of such violation shall be punishable as provided in G.S. 14-4 by a fine not more than $500.00. Each day's violation of this chapter shall be a separate offense. ... (4)The administrative penalty for violation of this chapter shall be as follows:a.Littering: $50.00 per offense. ... c.Residential vi...
Yard Waste Collection
Leaves, grass, limbs, and trimmings from landscaping count as yard waste under Franklin County's code. It costs $40.00 per ton to drop yard waste at the county transfer station, stumps are never accepted, and yard waste is also collected as a banned-from-landfill material at recycling centers under §§ 24-4, 24-59(7), and 24-62.
Franklin County Yard Waste Disposal and Fees
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-4, 24-59(7), 24-62(14)
Yard waste means solid waste consisting solely of vegetative matter resulting from landscaping maintenance, such as leaves, grass limbs, trimmings, etc. ... (7)Yard waste: $40.00 per ton; includes all parts of trees or shrubbery. No stumps will be accepted. ... The following items are banned from disposal in a landfill by state or county law and are collected and recycled at the solid waste tra...
Dumpster Rules
In unincorporated Franklin County, commercial trash, compaction and recycling service areas must sit on the side or rear of the building, fully enclosed by opaque walls, gates or fences at least as tall as the dumpsters inside, built from materials matching the primary structure, and kept at least 50 feet from any residentially zoned property line.
Franklin County Dumpster Screening Rules
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Unified Development Code § 6.6.5.B
B.Service Areas1.Trash collection, trash compaction, recycling collection and other similar service areas shall be located on the side or rear of the building and shall be effectively screened from view from adjacent properties and/or public rights-of-way.2.Service areas shall be fully enclosed by opaque walls, gates, and/or fences at least as tall as the dumpster containers inside and shall be...
Recycling Rules
Franklin County's convenience centers keep separate containers for aluminum, cardboard, glass, batteries, magazines, motor oil, newspapers, and plastic bottles, but each material has to match narrow code definitions: glass bottles yes, window or auto glass no, plastic soda and milk jugs yes, motor oil containers no, under §§ 24-4 and 24-91(b).
Franklin County Recycling Rules and Convenience Centers
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code §§ 24-4, 24-91(b)
Recyclable glass means glass bottles or jars. Will accept all colors. The term "recyclable glass" does not include window pane or auto glass. ... Recyclable ... plastic bottles/jugs means all plastic soda or milk containers. The term "recyclable plastic bottles/jugs" does not include bowls, tray, covers, bags, etc. The term "recyclable plastic bottles/jugs" also does not include motor oil or an...
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