Chatham County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition
- Lawn clippings, leaves, brush, stumps, garden refuse
- Container ban
- § 50.04(B)(1)(i), no yard waste in solid waste bins
- Hauler ban
- § 50.06(E)(5), no yard waste at transfer station
- Proper disposal
- LCID landfill accepts yard waste
- Contaminated-load penalty
- 2x tipping fee, 3x for repeat
- Criminal penalty
- Up to 30 days, $500 fine
Summary
In unincorporated Chatham County, yard waste such as lawn clippings, leaves, brush and garden refuse cannot go into the solid waste containers at county greenbox sites and collection centers under Chatham County Code § 50.04(B)(1). Haulers are likewise barred from commingling yard waste with other solid waste at the transfer station under § 50.06(E)(5); residents take yard waste to the county's LCID landfill instead.
(B) Materials not acceptable. (1) ... certain materials in addition to nonresidential waste cannot be placed in county solid waste containers. The material includes: ... (i) Yard waste; ... (E) It shall be illegal for haulers to bring solid waste or recyclables that have been banned into the transfer station commingled with other solid waste. Banned materials include: ... (5) Yard waste;
Full Breakdown
03 defines YARD WASTE as all biodegradable clearing debris and vegetative matter, including lawn clippings, leaves, brush, stumps and garden refuse. 04(B)(1)(i) forbids putting yard waste into the solid waste containers at any greenbox site, recycling drop-off site or collection center, the same list that bars stumps, logs and brush. 06(E) makes it illegal to bring banned materials, including yard waste, waste oil, tires, white goods and lead-acid batteries, into the transfer station commingled with regular solid waste. 03 sends yard waste instead to the county's Land Clearing and Inert Debris (LCID) landfill, the facility the ordinance defines as accepting yard waste, land clearing and inert debris, appliances, tires and vehicle batteries.
07(B) confirms that acceptable wastes, including yard waste, must be taken to the transfer station, LCID landfill or another permitted sanitary landfill rather than mixed into the household containers at collection centers. 07(E).
Violations & Fines
Dumping yard waste into a county solid waste container, or a hauler commingling it into the transfer station load, is a Chapter 50 misdemeanor under § 50.99(A): up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, each day a separate offense. A hauler caught commingling banned material at the transfer station also pays a tipping fee of twice the standard rate for the whole contaminated load under § 50.99(D), tripling for a repeat offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put grass clippings or leaves in the county recycling bin?
Can a private trash hauler mix yard waste in with regular garbage at the transfer station?
Where does yard waste go in unincorporated Chatham County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
Compare Chatham County to another location·View the North Carolina trash & recycling overview
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