Chatham County, NC Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned items
- Bulky waste, stumps, brush, appliances, furniture, tires, concrete
- Governing section
- § 50.04(B)(1)
- Lawful disposal
- County transfer station or LCID landfill (§ 50.07(B))
- Residential civil penalty
- $30 per offense
- Criminal penalty
- Up to 30 days, $500 fine (misdemeanor)
- Enforcing agency
- Solid Waste Warden, Public Works Department
Summary
In unincorporated Chatham County, bulky waste, brush, stumps, appliances, furniture and other oversized items cannot go in the solid waste containers at county greenbox sites and collection centers. Chatham County Code § 50.04(B)(1) bars them outright; residents must haul such items to the county transfer station or the LCID landfill instead, under § 50.07(B). Ignoring the ban risks a $30 residential-violation civil penalty under § 50.99.
(B) Materials not acceptable. (1) Due to the difficulty or public health hazard of managing commingled solid waste and in order to comply with state and federal laws, certain materials in addition to nonresidential waste cannot be placed in county solid waste containers. The material includes: ... (e) Stumps and/or logs; ... (g) Brush; (h) Land clearing waste; ... (j) Appliances or furniture; ... (q) Bulky waste; and (r) Radioactive waste.
Full Breakdown
03 defines BULKY WASTES as large items of solid waste such as household appliances, furniture, automobiles, large auto parts, trees, branches, stumps and other oversized waste whose size precludes or complicates handling by normal collection methods. 04(B)(1) forbids depositing them, along with stumps and logs, brush, land clearing waste, appliances or furniture, concrete, tires, construction material and radioactive waste, into the solid waste containers at any greenbox site, recycling drop-off site or collection center. The Solid Waste Department operates these sites under the Public Works Director, financed by the ad valorem property tax, LCID landfill tipping fees and the household fee, and the ban exists so that money keeps paying for ordinary household garbage and recycling rather than oversized debris.
07 sets out the only lawful disposal routes: approved household solid waste goes into county containers, but everything else, including bulky waste, must go to the county transfer station, the Land Clearing and Inert Debris (LCID) landfill, or another permitted sanitary landfill that meets local, state and federal rules. A resident may also dispose of certain residential solid waste on his or her own premises if the Solid Waste Warden approves the method as safe and sanitary. 04(F) and enforced by the Solid Waste Warden.
Violations & Fines
Depositing bulky waste, appliances, furniture, stumps or brush in a county solid waste container is a misdemeanor under § 50.99(A), punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, with each day a separate offense. The Solid Waste Warden more commonly issues a civil citation instead: $30 for a residential violation, $75 for an out-of-county offender, or $100 for a commercial or industrial violation and for repeat offenders, payable within 24 hours under § 50.99(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put an old couch or refrigerator in the county greenbox container?
Where do I take tree stumps or storm debris in unincorporated Chatham County?
What happens if I dump bulky waste illegally instead of hauling it to the landfill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
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