Asheville, NC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Asheville City Code § 15-51
- Accepted materials
- Aluminum, cardboard, glass, newsprint, plastic, steel/tin, paper
- Contamination
- Non-designated waste barred from recycling bins
- Ownership
- Curbside recyclables belong to city/contractor once set out
- Bin retrieval
- Empty bins removed by 11:00 p.m. same day
- Penalty
- Chapter-wide $100/day fine, capped at $5,000
Summary
Sec. 15-51 requires households to separate designated recyclables, aluminum cans, cardboard, glass bottles, newsprint, plastic bottles, steel and tin cans, and mixed paper, from trash and set them out in city receptacles; scavenging those materials from the curb is a separate violation.
(a) Recyclable materials. All recyclable materials generated by a household customer shall be separated from municipal solid waste and placed in recycling receptacles for curbside collection or taken to collection facilities. Recyclable materials shall consist of the following: Aluminum cans, Corrugated cardboard, Glass bottles and jars (clear, green, and brown), Newsprint and inserts that are distributed as part of the publication, Plastic bottles and containers, Steel cans, Tin cans, Mixed paper, Additional materials as directed by the recycling coordinator. ... (c) Scavenging and unauthorized collection of recyclable materials. (1) Recyclable materials placed at curbside for collection by the city or its contractor or in any recycling receptacle sponsored by the city are the property of the city or its authorized contractor. It is a violation of this article for any person not authorized by the city to collect or pick up, or cause to be collected or picked up, any such recyclable materials or receptacles.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-5: Contains Supplement, current through Ordinance 5245, passed 7-28-2026 | State legislation current through 2025 A.L.S. #3).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 15-51(a) requires household customers to separate recyclable materials from municipal solid waste and place them in recycling receptacles for curbside collection or take them to collection facilities, and it lists the accepted stream: aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, clear, green and brown glass bottles and jars, newsprint and its inserts, plastic bottles and containers, steel and tin cans, and mixed paper, plus anything else the recycling coordinator later designates. Subsection (b) governs collection mechanics: only listed materials may go in the city-furnished bin, overflow must go in clearly marked reusable containers placed next to the bin on the scheduled day, and it is unlawful to put non-designated solid waste in a recycling receptacle.
the same day as collection, and the city delivers an information packet about the program when it drops off the receptacle. Subsection (c) declares that recyclables placed at curbside or in a city-sponsored receptacle become the property of the city or its authorized contractor, making it a violation of the article for anyone unauthorized to collect or scavenge them, though nothing stops a resident from donating or selling recyclables generated on their own property directly.
Violations & Fines
Contaminating a recycling bin with non-designated solid waste, per Sec. 15-51(b)(4), or scavenging curbside recyclables that belong to the city or its contractor under Sec. 15-51(c)(1), is a violation of Article III enforced through Sec. 15-52's civil penalty process: a notice of violation, a cure period of up to 30 days with one possible extension, then a $100 per day citation capped at $5,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Asheville
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