Walton County, GA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Recycling pickup frequency
- weekly for participating households (§46-39(3))
- Extra fee for recycling
- none allowed (§46-39(3)d)
- Accepted materials
- glass, newspaper, PET/HDPE plastic, aluminum, steel cans
- Ownership once curbside
- recyclables can become county property (§46-39(4))
- Scavenging window
- 24 hrs before pickup, licensee-only (§46-39(4))
Summary
Unincorporated Walton County haulers must collect residents' voluntary recycling, glass, newspaper, plastic PET and HDPE, and aluminum and steel cans, at least weekly at no extra charge, under County Code § 46-39(3). Once set out in a designated recycling container, the material can become county property, and taking it before pickup during the 24 hours beforehand is itself a violation under § 46-39(4).
(3)For all residential customers desiring to voluntarily participate in recycling, licensee shall collect at least once per week, pursuant to a county-provided list of guidelines, glass bottles and jars, newspaper, plastic (PET and HDPE), aluminum cans and bi-metal/steel cans. ... d.No additional fee, over the amount charged for curbside collection of residential waste, shall be charged by the licensee for regular collections of recovered materials every week.e.All licensees must agree to participate fully in recycling. (4)Upon recovered materials being placed in designated recycling containers for regular curbside collection, it may become the property of the county. During the 24-hour period commencing at 6:00 p.m. on any day preceding any day designated by the licensee for collection of recovered materials, no person other than an employee or agent of licensee shall remove recovered material from the designated recycling container which has been properly placed for collection.
Full Breakdown
Walton County Code § 46-39, part of the residential-services requirements every county-licensed hauler must meet under Chapter 46, Article II, builds the county's curbside recycling program on top of the base trash contract. Paragraph (3) requires licensees to collect, at least once a week for any residential customer who wants to participate, glass bottles and jars, newspaper, plastic PET and HDPE containers, and aluminum and bi-metal/steel cans, following a county-provided list of guidelines; the county can change which materials qualify as recovered items as markets shift.
Licensees must supply the recycling containers themselves, cannot land-fill anything collected as recovered material, and cannot add any fee on top of the regular curbside trash charge for the weekly recycling pickup, and every licensee operating in the county must agree to participate in the program. Section 46-41(f) restates the same weekly floor for recovered materials placed curbside in designated containers. the evening before the licensee's collection day, only the licensee's own employees or agents may remove that material, with any other removal during that window itself a violation of the article.
Article III's prepaid bag system, §§ 46-55 through 46-58, separately requires garbage dropped at a county convenience center to be in a county-designated bag purchased from listed retailers, and is enforced by the sheriff's office, planning and development department, and public works sanitation supervisor, with cases heard in Magistrate Court.
Violations & Fines
Removing recyclables from a curbside container during the 24 hours before the licensee's scheduled pickup, other than by the licensee's own crew, violates § 46-39(4) and is punishable under Article II. A hauler that charges extra for recycling, skips the weekly pickup, or dumps recovered material in a landfill breaches § 46-39(3); complaints go to the Walton County Sanitation Department under § 46-46(a), backed by the general penalty in § 1-12 via § 46-45(a).
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I put in my recycling bin in unincorporated Walton County?
Does my Walton County hauler charge extra for recycling pickup?
Can someone else take recyclables out of my bin before the truck comes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walton County
Compare Walton County to another location·View the Georgia trash & recycling overview
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