Concord, NC Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Section 46-33(a), the pre-collection practices provision of Chapter 46, lists what a property owner or resident must do before the city or its designee picks up waste. Under subsection (a)(1), all garbage must be drained of liquid and enclosed in securely tied plastic bags before it goes into the cart, and the full cart, including the cart's own weight, cannot exceed 220 pounds. Subsection (a)(2) requires any spilled materials be secured by tying them in bags rather than left loose. Subsection (a)(3) covers hazardous or injurious items, anything that could cut a pedestrian or collection worker, such as broken glass, mirrors or sharp metal pieces, and requires those items be securely wrapped or containerized; the code states plainly that placing them in a paper or plastic bag alone is not adequate protection.

The same pre-collection article goes on to set separate handling rules for bulky items, carpet, scrap tires, scrap metal, construction debris and yard waste, each with its own volume or weight limit, but the core prep obligation for ordinary household garbage sits in subsection (a)(1) through (3). Recyclables get their own rule in subsection (a)(8): they must be drained of liquid, rinsed of food residue, and placed loose in the cart, since sorting or bagging recyclables is not required and cardboard must be cut or folded to fit.