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

Section 20-37(1) forbids any owner, occupant, tenant or lessee from letting solid waste accumulate on their property except in a manner the article allows. Subsection (2) requires removal at a frequency that controls odor, rodents and other nuisance conditions, recommending once per week as the target rate. Subsection (3) requires garbage to be stored only in durable, nonabsorbent, nonleaking containers that are easily cleaned, with a close-fitting, flytight cover and adequate handles; garbage in a container without a flytight cover must be wrapped, bagged or enclosed in paper or plastic, and every container must be kept clean enough to avoid creating its own nuisance.

Subsection (4) requires that waste be stored so it does not harbor rodents or vermin and does not create a fire hazard. Subsection (6) adds that an abandoned or unattended icebox, refrigerator, freezer or other airtight receptacle left outside where children can reach it must have its door removed, or be securely locked. The county sheriff, the zoning enforcement officer, and designated division personnel enforce these storage and pickup standards, and a resident who receives no service from a town, private hauler, or county site must explain their disposal method to the division on request under § 20-37(12).