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Trash & Recycling in Guilford County, NC (2026)

7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Guilford County, North Carolina.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Guilford County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Unincorporated Guilford County has no county-run trash truck: residents contract with a privately licensed solid waste hauler. Every hauler must hold a three-year license from the Board of Commissioners, run covered leak-proof trucks, and make up any missed pickup no later than the customer's next regularly scheduled collection day.

Trash Hauler Licensing & Pickup Rules in Guilford County

Some Restrictions

Guilford County Code Sec. 15.5-6(a), (b), (d)(2), (h)

(a) No person shall engage in business as a solid waste collector except under a license issued by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. (b) Application Filing Dates. Applications for licenses to engage in the business of solid waste collection shall be filed with the Environmental Services Program Manager no later than September 1st of the calendar year in which the license expires. ... ...

Recycling Requirements

Every licensed hauler serving unincorporated Guilford County must offer curbside recycling as an option to residential customers, though subscribing is the resident's choice, not a mandate, and rates for that service are capped at what the Board of Commissioners approves.

Curbside Recycling Service Rules in Guilford County

Light Restrictions

Guilford County Solid Waste Collection Customer Bill of Rights, PP1, 3, 9-10 (Guilford County Code Sec. 15.5-6(e))

1. The Customer Bill of Rights applies to customers provided solid waste (including recyclables) collection service by a licensed solid waste hauler in Guilford County; ... 3. Solid waste haulers shall provide optional curbside recycling service to residential subscribers; ... 9. Solid waste collection rates for all services charged by the hauler may not exceed those rates set by the Guilford C...

Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping in Guilford County is a public nuisance under Solid Waste Ordinance Sec. 15.5-2 and a crime under NC Gen. Stat. 14-399 (littering). Dumping solid waste, tires, appliances or debris on land or in creeks can bring county fines up to $3,000 and, under state law, misdemeanor or felony

Illegal Dumping Rules in Guilford County

Some Restrictions

NC Gen. Stat. 14-399(a)

No person, including any firm, organization, private corporation, or governing body, agents or employees of any municipal corporation shall intentionally or recklessly throw, scatter, spill or place or otherwise dispose of any litter upon any public property or private property not owned by the person within this State or in the waters of this State.

Yard Waste Collection

Guilford County treats leaves, grass clippings, and other yard debris as regulated solid waste: it must be removed from your property weekly, hauled in a covered load, and never dumped on land, in ditches, or in streams.

Yard Waste Disposal Rules in Guilford County

Some Restrictions

Guilford County Code Sec. 15.5-1; Sec. 15.5-3(e)-(f)

Yard waste means solid waste consisting solely of vegetative matter resulting from landscaping maintenance per. 130A-290(a)(45). ... (e) Discarding of solid waste regulated. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, discard, bury, store, dispose, leave or dump any trash, debris, garbage, litter, electronics, recyclables, discarded cans or receptacles, land-clearing debris, construction and ...

Dumpster Rules

Multi-family and other group developments in unincorporated Guilford County must provide trash containers, dumpsters or compactors sized and numbered to the jurisdiction's requirements, sited on a concrete pad and positioned so they never block sight distance, street access or a collection truck's approach, under UDO Subsec. 4.5.H.

Dumpster Placement Rules for Guilford County Developments

Some Restrictions

Guilford County UDO Subsec. 4.5.H

H. Trash containers (dumpsters or compactors) of a number and size conforming with the requirements of the Jurisdiction shall be provided. Each container shall be located so as not to interfere with sight distance or the free movement of vehicles on streets or access drives and so as to allow collector trucks adequate maneuvering space to empty the containers without interference from utility l...

Collection Schedule

Guilford County's Solid Waste Collection Customer Bill of Rights sets the ground rules for scheduled pickup: a missed collection must be redone by the customer's next regular day, a hauler owes a pro-rata credit if it takes more than 24 hours, and switching haulers requires 30 days' notice.

Guilford County Trash Collection Schedule Rights

Some Restrictions

Guilford County Solid Waste Collection Customer Bill of Rights, PP2, 11-12 (Guilford County Code Sec. 15.5-6(e))

2. Guilford County citizens have the right to select their solid waste hauler on a competitive basis. Should the hauler discontinue service at any time, the customer shall be provided at least a thirty (30) day notice; ... 11. ...in the event a solid waste hauler fails to pick up solid waste on a regularly scheduled day and such failure is not caused by an act or omission of the customer, the h...

Recycling Rules

Unincorporated Guilford County gives recyclables a longer clock than trash: while ordinary solid waste must leave a property every seven days, recyclable materials can sit for up to fourteen days before the owner or occupier must have them removed under the county's solid waste code.

Guilford County Recycling Removal Deadline

Some Restrictions

Guilford County Code Sec. 15.5-3(f)

(f) Frequency of removal. The owner or occupier of all premises upon which solid waste is accumulated or stored shall remove or cause to be removed or disposed of all such materials from such premises at least once each week, meaning once each seven (7) days. This provision does not apply to materials that are to be recycled. Recyclable materials shall be removed or cause to be removed by the o...

Trash & Recycling by City in Guilford County

2 cities in Guilford County have their own trash & recycling rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

All Guilford County ordinances

See every category we cover for Guilford County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

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