Brunswick County, NC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Under Sec. 1-11-9 of the Brunswick County Code, it is unlawful to dispose of used oil, yard waste, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, whole scrap tires, lead acid batteries, paper, steel, #1 and #2 plastics, glass, or cardboard in a county landfill or convenience site, except in the separate recycling areas the county maintains for those materials (subsection (g)). Subsection (i) lists what the county actually accepts for recycling at the landfill and convenience sites: plastics, glass, aluminum cans, steel cans, newspapers, magazines, and cardboard, plus any others the solid waste department later designates, and requires all of it to be clean and source-separated from solid waste before drop-off.

Subsection (j) makes clear that ownership of everything deposited, including recyclables, passes to the county on receipt. Sec. 1-11-23(8) separately bars putting banned solid waste items such as garbage, food, or furniture into a container clearly marked for recycling only. These are county rules for the unincorporated area; Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash, and Boiling Spring Lakes run their own residential recycling programs and rules inside town limits.