Household Garbage Preparation

Observing the following steps will help us reach our goals.

1. Place the garbage cart a few inches from the curb or edge of the street, not in the street.
2. Place carts so that the cart handle faces your house and the front of the cart where the lid opens faces the street (see arrows on the lid). This will ensure the lid opens properly and is not damaged when emptied.
3. The cart must be at least five feet from mailboxes, utility poles, parked cars or other items that collection equipment can damage.
4. Place the cart at the curbside no earlier than noon the day before or no later than 7 a.m. on your collection day and retrieve the cart from the curb by 7 p.m. on the day after your collection.
5. Bag your garbage before placing it in the garbage cart to keep the cart clean, lessen odors and reduce litter problems.
6. Use only City-issued carts; no other carts can be emptied by the automated trucks.
7. Do not park on the street on your collection day if possible. Parking on the street risks damage to your vehicle and may cause delays in collection.

Do not put these items in your garbage:

• Yard waste
• Loose or hot ashes
• Loose cat litter or animal waste (Disposable diapers and animal litter should be free of fecal matter and enclosed in a plastic bag before placing in the garbage cart. All fecal matter should be flushed down the toilet where it can be properly treated at the waste treatment plant.)
• Computer equipment or televisions
• Unbagged packing pellets or sawdust
• Hazardous or medical waste
• Loose needles or syringes (syringes and needles used for home immunization should be disposed of in a heavy-duty, individual container with a lid, such as a coffee can, to ensure that no one will come into contact with these potentially life-threatening items.)
• Concrete, rocks, or dirt

Did you know? Aluminum cans, plastic bottles, yard waste, computers, televisions, used oil and antifreeze, tires, lead acid (car) batteries and white goods (appliances) are banned from disposal in North Carolina landfills. Please do not put these items in the garbage cart!

Do you find you consistently have too much garbage to fit in the garbage cart? Here are some options.

Recycling More Items!

Raleigh provides convenient weekly collection of newspaper, white paper, magazines and catalogs, metal food and beverage cans, clean aluminum foil and trays, glass food containers, plastic bottles, soft plastic beverage rings, drink boxes, milk, juice and softener gable top cartons, corrugated cardboard and paperboard boxes. By diverting these valuable recyclable materials to the recycling bin residents can save as much as 20% of the space in their garbage cart for materials that must go to the landfill. Don’t have a recycling bin or cart? Submit an online request form or call Raleigh Recycling at 919-996-6890 to have one delivered. Raleigh also offers recycling drop off centers around the city that accept all the materials collected curbside. Have good useable items? Take them to our Swap Shop! Are you composting? Backyard composting converts not only your yard waste debris, but also food waste and paper products, into a valuable compost soil amendment.

Free Bulky Load Pick Up

Free collection for bulky items that do not fit into the garbage carts is available. Bulky items are items such as household furnishings, small household appliances, mattresses, box springs, lawn equipment, and similar household items too large to be placed in the rollout garbage cart. A bulky item collection load at a single address is limited to four (4) cubic yards (about a pickup load size). Collections at the same address can be scheduled no more often than every 90 days. To maintain the efficiency of our crews, please accumulate several items prior to scheduling this special collection. Note: If you schedule a free bulky load collection and it is deemed to be in excess of 4 cubic yards you may be assessed the fee of $50 for a Special Load Collection. Excess bags of garbage that would normally be put in the garbage cart will not be collected. No odor-causing waste will be collected. Large appliances, computer equipment and televisions can not be collected (see Special Load Collection link in Related Information). You must call ahead to schedule a bulky item collection. You can schedule collection by calling Solid Waste Services customer service at 919-996-6890.

Special Load Pickup

Call 919-996-3798 for a recorded message with additional information about this service that is available to residents only. Each special load collection costs $50, which must be paid in advance. Special load pickup is not available for rocks, dirt, building materials, loose leaves, tree limbs larger than six feet long and six inches in diameter, car parts or stumps.

Purchase an Additional Garbage Cart

Each household may purchase one additional garbage cart from the City for a one time fee of $40. Residents can mail their request, along with payment to City of Raleigh, Attn: Revenue Collector, PO Box 590, Raleigh, NC 27602-0590. Once payment is received the Solid Waste Services Department will deliver the cart.

Wake County South Wake Landfill and Convenience Centers

Residents may take items to Wake County’s South Wake Landfill, or any of its eleven Convenience Centers at no charge. The North Wake Convenience Center is located at 10208 Deponie Drive off Durant Road in north Raleigh. The South Wake Landfill is located at 6300 Old Smithfield Road off Highway 55 Bypass. For a complete listing of the eleven Convenience Centers and the operational hours, call Wake County Solid Waste Management at 919-856-6186, or visit their web page at www.wakegov.com/recycling/residents/conveniencectrs.htm.

Wake County Multi-Materials Facility

The materials below are accepted for recycling or appropriate disposal at Wake County’s Multi-Materials Facilities.

• Appliances
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Computer Equipment
• Drywall
• Paperboard
• Motor Oil
• Scapr Metal
• Telephone Books
• Tires
• Electroninc Equipment
• Pallets
• Lead-Acid Batteries

Call 919-387-2126 for a recorded message with information on recycling and waste disposal at these facilities

Household Hazardous Waste

Wake County operates permanent facilities for proper household hazardous waste disposal at the North Wake Convenience Center and the South Wake Landfill. Examples of accepted materials include automotive products, batteries, cleaners, cooking oil, fluorescent light bulbs (including compact fluorescent bulbs), herbicides (and their containers), pesticides, paints, stains, solvents, thinners, and poisons.

Call 919-856-6186 for more information about operational days and hours.

Maybe the 96-gallon sized garbage cart is too large and you never fill it up. Smaller 65-gallon garbage carts are available for residents that do not generate enough garbage to fill the 96-gallon carts. Residents may make the switch to the smaller cart one time at no charge. To arrange the exchange, call Solid Waste Services at 919-996-6890.

Did you know? According to the Enviromental Protection Agency the average household has 100 pounds of household hazardous waste in their basement, garage and storage closets!