Durham County, NC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

'Yard trimmings,' defined in Sec. 20-3 as solid waste consisting solely of vegetative matter from landscaping and yard maintenance, such as brush, grass, and tree limbs, is handled two ways in the unincorporated county. The primary drop-off route is one of the county's residential convenience centers under Sec. 20-11, where yard waste is one of twelve categories, alongside items like used oil, antifreeze, and white goods, that residents may place in designated recycling containers; centers are limited to three mph on-site and residents may not loiter or leave vehicles unattended.

The alternative is on-site open burning: because the county provides no public curbside pickup for yard trimmings, Sec. 16-13(f) permits residents to burn leaves, tree branches, and trimmings that originated on their own premises, but the burn must still follow the general outdoor-fire rules in the rest of Sec. 16-13, including a 100-foot setback from any structure, constant attendance by a competent person with a garden hose or extinguisher ready, and a ban on burning if the fire marshal's office or sheriff's department finds atmospheric conditions hazardous.

A burn permit from the state Division of Forest Resources is required if the fire sits in or within 500 feet of woodland or more than 100 feet from a structure. Separately, Sec. 20-4(o) prohibits open burning of solid waste generally except for on-site land-clearing debris managed under the department's air quality rules.