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

Section 26-9(a) of the Pender County Solid Waste Management Ordinance, adopted by resolution August 21, 2023, states the county's general disposal rule: it is unlawful to deposit or dispose of solid waste anywhere other than a convenience center or the transfer station, or in any manner other than the chapter provides. In place of a residential collection schedule, the county runs a decal-and-drop-off system: Section 26-9(b)(3) makes it unlawful to enter a convenience center by motor vehicle during operating hours without first permanently affixing a decal issued by the county solid waste department to the lower portion of the driver's-side windshield, visible from outside the vehicle.

Section 26-10 explains eligibility: the department issues two decals to an individual who owns real property with a dwelling in the county and has no delinquent county ad valorem taxes, or who resides at a county address, documented by a driver's license, current utility bill or tax record, with up to five decals available to a bona fide farming operation. The transfer station, located at 250 Transfer Station Rd. in Hampstead per Section 26-6, instead charges by weight through the applicable per-ton tipping fee set under Section 26-12, with exemptions for publicly owned property, churches, unlivable dwellings with no electric meter, and residential storage units.