Durham County, NC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Required recyclables
- Glass, cans, plastics, cardboard, phonebooks, newspaper
- Applies to
- Residences, businesses, schools, churches
- Ownership
- Recyclables become county property once placed
- Wrong-bin penalty
- $100 to $300 (Sec. 20-16)
- Scavenging penalty
- $50 to $200 (Sec. 20-16)
- Convenience centers
- Accept 12+ material types
- Curbside timing
- Dusk before to 7 a.m. after pickup
Summary
Durham County requires every residence, business, church, school, and institution to make a good-faith effort to pull recyclables out of the trash stream. Sec. 20-6 lists six required categories, from glass and cans to cardboard and newspaper, and once material is placed for collection it legally becomes county property.
(a)Each person who owns, leases, or manages a residence, residential unit, or place of business, industry, commerce, or other place providing goods or services, or institution, church, or school shall make a good-faith effort to remove recyclable materials from the solid waste generated as required in subsection (b) and make them available for recycling. Notwithstanding the following, nothing in this chapter is intended to prevent any person from donating or selling recyclable materials to any person.(b)All recyclable materials and any other materials banned from disposal shall be separated from other solid waste and made available for recycling. Recyclable material shall consist of the following items:(1)Glass jars and bottles.(2)Steel and aluminum cans.(3)Plastic milk jugs and soda bottles.(4)Corrugated cardboard (OCC).(5)Telephone books.(6)Newspaper.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 20-6 requires every residence, business, institution, church, and school in the unincorporated county to make a good-faith effort to pull six categories of recyclable material out of the regular trash stream: glass jars and bottles, steel and aluminum cans, plastic milk jugs and soda bottles, corrugated cardboard, telephone books, and newspaper. Nothing in the chapter stops a resident from instead donating or selling recyclables to someone else, so the good-faith duty is about diversion, not a mandated county contract. Once recyclable material is placed in a county-designated container, whether at curbside or at a collection center, Sec.
20-6(c) makes it the property of the county or its authorized agent, and only a county employee or that agent may remove it from a designated recycling container. Residents in the unincorporated area can also drop off recyclables at one of the county's four residential convenience centers under Sec. 20-11, which accepts a broader list than curbside pickup, including antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, pesticide containers, used oil, white goods, and yard waste in addition to the Sec. 20-6 categories. Recyclables must go in the correct bin: Sec.
20-5(b) bars them from ordinary solid waste receptacles, and Sec. 20-16(f)(2) fines anyone who mixes recyclables into garbage containers or garbage into recycling containers. Curbside recycling carts follow the same roadside timing as trash carts under Sec. after.
Violations & Fines
Placing recyclables in the wrong container, or garbage in a recycling container, carries its own civil penalty tier under Sec. 20-16(f)(2): $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $300 for later offenses. Scavenging materials out of a designated recycling container at a convenience center is separately penalized at $50 for a first offense, rising to $200 for repeat violations, since only the county or its authorized agent may remove recyclables once placed for collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What am I required to recycle in unincorporated Durham County?
Can I sell my recyclables instead of putting them in the county bin?
Who owns recyclables once I put them in the bin?
What happens if I put trash in my recycling cart by mistake?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Durham County
Compare Durham County to another location·View the North Carolina trash & recycling overview
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