Durham, NC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 58-103 is short but does real work inside Chapter 58's recycling framework: it requires that separate receptacles be used for the set out of recyclable materials collected by the city or by the city's contractor. Read together with Section 58-97's requirement that recyclables be properly prepared, separated from garbage and placed into a separate bin, Durham's system treats recycling as a distinct receptacle-based stream from curb to truck, not something sorted after collection. The requirement applies regardless of who actually runs the route, city crews or a private contractor working under city authority, so the separate-bin obligation follows the material rather than the hauler.

The same article backs this with related receptacle rules: Section 58-104 restricts the city's recycling "drop-off" containers to clean recyclable materials only, and Section 58-105 requires stationary containers reserved for recyclables at multifamily and commercial properties to hold recyclables exclusively, adding a fee, set by city council action, for businesses that mix regular refuse in with recyclables. Section 58-134 completes the loop by directing that target recyclables be placed in a recycling bin and set out on the curb for collection, again with a mixing fee for property owners. Chapter 58's civil enforcement mechanism in Section 58-8 applies here as everywhere else: violations draw a remedial fee set by city council resolution rather than criminal charges, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense under Section 58-8(e).