Carteret County, NC Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Because the unincorporated county runs no curbside collection program, Sec. 14-28 of the Carteret County Code channels bulky disposal through convenience and recycling container sites available to all owners of improved property who pay the solid waste availability fee. Those sites accept routine residential refuse, garbage, furniture, mattresses and bedding, but the section is explicit that, apart from the Otway, Hibbs Road and Highway 58 locations, sites are not intended for collection of large quantities of accumulated or stored materials, bulky items, or materials requiring specialized handling.

Certain bulky categories get their own accepted-materials list at the sites: white goods (item 1), tires off the rims (item 2), and woody construction and demolition debris (item 3), alongside waste oil, leaf and yard waste and lead acid batteries. Large automobile or machinery parts and other items requiring specialized handling or processing are separately barred from the landfill and transfer station under Sec. 14-27(8), meaning a resident with an oversized bulky item must arrange special handling with the solid waste director rather than dropping it at a standard site, consistent with Sec.

14-91's requirement that drivers make prior arrangements for items needing special handling or immediate covering. All items placed in containers must be reduced to their smallest volume by bending, breaking or compressing under Sec. 14-29. Violations, including dumping bulky items outside these channels, are enforced under Sec. 14-4 and 14-5.