Lee County, NC Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Lee County Code § 22-15 sets the baseline schedule: the owner, occupant, tenant or lessee of any property must remove or have removed all solid waste from the property at least once each week, on a seven-day cycle. There is no county-run curbside truck route in the unincorporated area; instead § 22-30 authorizes only specified collection services and facilities, and using an unauthorized service is itself a chapter violation. Section 22-31 lets an owner or occupant collect solid waste and recyclables generated on their own premises and transport it themselves to an authorized county or private disposal facility, without needing the permit or license that commercial haulers must carry, provided the load is secured so nothing leaves the vehicle in transit; losing waste from the vehicle is a separate violation.

Residents who prefer not to self-haul can instead contract with a private collector licensed by the county's department of general services under Article VII. Because collection turns on this weekly removal deadline rather than a fixed truck day, residents effectively set their own pickup schedule by choosing when to haul to a convenience center, so long as waste never sits on the property longer than seven days.