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

Chapter 14 of the Onslow County Code of Ordinances defines 'bulky waste' at Section 14-5 as large items of solid waste, including household appliances, furniture, mattresses, bedding, automobiles, large vehicle or machinery parts, trees, branches, and stumps whose size precludes normal solid waste collection, processing, or disposal. Section 14-33 sets the operative storage and disposal rules: under subsection (5), household trash items that are too large for a standard receptacle and cannot be reduced to a size that fits one may be placed in securely bagged or bound packages next to the receptacle, and under subsection (8), tree and shrubbery trimmings placed near or transported on public roads must be securely covered or tied so nothing falls onto the road or another person's property.

Section 14-34 governs disposal at the county's landfill and convenience sites: subsection (g) requires yard trash, white goods, whole scrap tires, used oil, and lead-acid batteries to be separated from other solid waste before disposal, and subsection (e) makes it unlawful to deposit trees, stumps, tree limbs, or other publicly posted prohibited materials at a convenience site outside a proper container. Chapter 14 applies only to the unincorporated area of the county under Section 14-4, since incorporated municipalities inside Onslow County run their own solid waste programs. Enforcement runs through the county planning and development department's environmental enforcement officers and the sheriff's department under Section 14-51.