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

Nash County's recycling program lives entirely inside the solid waste convenience center rules of Code § 20-31. The convenience centers double as the county's collection points for recyclable materials, approved by the board of commissioners upon recommendation by the board of health, per the definition of solid waste convenience center in § 20-26. Section 20-31(c)(5) tells residents they are encouraged to separate recyclables from household trash and deposit them into the special collection containers at the center, meaning sorting is voluntary rather than mandatory; nothing in the article fines a resident for mixing recyclables into regular household garbage.

What the article does prohibit is taking material back out: § 20-31(c)(6) makes it unlawful to scavenge, loiter, solicit or trespass at a convenience center or the county landfill, a rule that also covers pulling items from the recycling containers. Household garbage at a center still has to be bagged, and burning or smoldering material may not be left at a site, § 20-31(c)(1)-(2), while only materials specified on a container's posted signs may be deposited in it, § 20-31(c)(4). Access to any container, recycling included, requires paying the solid waste convenience center user fee under § 20-31(d), and centers are staffed by an attendant during posted hours, § 20-32(b).