Trash & Recycling in Moore County, NC (2026)
6 rules for unincorporated Moore County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Moore County Code § 8-181 sets the rules for using the county's public solid waste container sites in unincorporated Moore County: sites are for residents only, open only during posted operating hours, and closed to contract or privately hired haulers, who must instead take waste to the county landfill or transfer station.
Moore County Waste Container Site Use Rules
Significant RestrictionsMoore County Code § 8-181
These sites are to be used only during operating hours. Contract solid waste carriers and privately hired carriers shall not use the county container system. The contractors will use the landfill for construction and demolition waste and shall use the transfer station for other solid waste unless such waste is transported outside the county.
Bin Placement Rules
Moore County Code § 8-155 controls how garbage is stored on residential property in unincorporated Moore County. Every premises must use a health-director-approved container that is strong, watertight and covered, with a fly-tight lid kept closed except when adding or emptying waste. Owners must keep enough containers on hand for a full week's garbage and keep each one clean.
Moore County Garbage Container Storage Rules
Some RestrictionsMoore County Code § 8-155
(a)No owner, occupant, tenant or lessee of any premises shall permit any garbage or other refuse to accumulate upon such premises that is not stored in a manner approved by the health director or the director of solid waste.(b)Garbage shall be stored in a container of a type approved by the health director or director of solid waste. ... shall have handles designed for lifting and shall have fl...
Recycling Requirements
Moore County Code § 8-181 makes the county's public container sites in unincorporated Moore County the place for both residential waste and designated recyclable materials. The section limits the sites to county citizens' residential waste and recyclables, not commercial or contractor loads, and restricts use to posted operating hours.
Recyclable Material Drop-Off at Moore County Sites
Light RestrictionsMoore County Code § 8-181
The container sites located throughout Moore County that are owned and operated by the county are for the use of the citizens of the county for the purpose of disposal of residential waste only and for the collection of designated recyclable materials.
Illegal Dumping
Unincorporated Moore County limits solid waste disposal to a state-approved sanitary landfill, an approved county container site, an approved incinerator, or another method cleared by the department of health services and the solid waste director. Dumping outside those methods is a misdemeanor punishable under Section 8-163.
Illegal Dumping Penalties in Moore County
Some RestrictionsMoore County Code §§ 8-158, 8-163
No solid waste collector, or other person, shall dispose of solid waste, except by one of the following methods; provided that, this section shall not be construed to prevent any person from properly disposing of solid waste from his own residence on his own property in a safe and sanitary manner approved by the health director or director of solid waste: (1)Sanitary landfill which has been app...
Yard Waste Collection
Moore County Code § 8-182 bars yard waste and brush from the county's public solid waste container sites in unincorporated Moore County. The section lists yard waste and brush among 16 categories, alongside oil, chemicals, tires and lead-acid batteries, that no one may place in a container site, so residents must find another way to dispose of grass clippings, leaves and limbs.
Yard Waste Barred From Moore County Sites
Significant RestrictionsMoore County Code § 8-182
No person shall place in a solid waste container site: Fire or embers; Oil and other liquids; Poisons; Chemicals; Herbicides and pesticides; Stumps and/or logs; Tires; Infectious waste; Lead acid batteries; Brush; Yard waste; Animals; Concrete; Construction material; Radioactive waste; Other materials as identified by the State of North Carolina or Moore County's contractor for ultimate disposal.
Collection Schedule
In unincorporated Moore County, Moore County Code § 8-156 requires every owner, occupant, tenant or lessee to remove all garbage from a premises at least once a week, and requires any paid solid waste collector to do the same. Collection must be clean and orderly, and spilled waste has to be cleaned up immediately, leaving the property sanitary.
Weekly Garbage Removal Required in Moore County
Some RestrictionsMoore County Code § 8-156
The owner, occupant, tenant or lessee of any premises upon which garbage is stored shall remove, or cause to be removed, all garbage from such premises at least once a week. Solid waste collectors shall remove all solid waste from the premises, when they receive compensation for this service, at least once a week. The work shall be done in a clean and orderly manner, without causing damage to t...
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