🗑️ Chapel Hill Trash Pickup
Who collects in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, how to find your pickup day, bulk item pickup, holiday delays and what it costs. Checked October 31, 2026.
⚡ Quick Answer
In Chapel Hill, residential trash is collected by Town of Chapel Hill Public Works, Solid Waste Services Division, Orange County Solid Waste Management (recycling). Pickup days depend on your address, so use the official lookup (Solid Waste Services map) to find yours. Questions: (919) 969-5100. Bulk item pickup: The base fee is $15.
📅 Find my pickup dayOfficial trash page
Checked October 31, 2026 against the city's and its hauler's own pages. We never print a pickup day for a whole city, because it changes by street.
🗓️ How Pickup Works
Weekly trash and weekly yard trimmings, on separate days set by your address. Put your cart behind the curb by 6am on collection day, and take it from the curb by 7pm on the collection day to avoid a fine. Recycling is on Orange County's collection calendar.
The Town's Solid Waste Services Division provides weekly household trash and yard trimmings collection. Orange County handles recycling, not the Town (919-968-2788, [email protected]). The University handles trash and recycling on its campus.
| Cart | Sizes | How often |
|---|---|---|
| 🗑️ Trash (green) | 65 gallon (one per household at no charge) | weekly |
| 🍂 Yard waste (brown) | Town yard cart, same size as the 95-gallon recycling cart | weekly |
| ♻️ Recycling | 95 gallon (provided through Orange County) | Not printed |
🛋️ Bulk Item Pickup
- 💵Cost: The base fee is $15. We'll pick up three items for $15. More items are $5 each. White goods fall under this fee. For special collections such as cleanouts, bags are counted as separate items, $15 minimum.
- 📞How to book: Call 919-969-5100 or pay online, then set items behind the curb where crews can reach them. Residents shall contact the Public Works Department to request pickup and make payment prior to collection. Pickup normally happens within five business days of payment, but can take longer during busy periods.
- 📏Limits: No item cap is printed beyond per-item pricing. The Town publishes a list of bulky items it does and does not collect (PDF). Items can also be taken free to an Orange County Waste and Recycling Center.
Too long a wait, or over the limit? Haul it yourself: 6 public drop-off sites in Orange County, or get a junk removal quote below.
🎄 Holiday Delays
Town holidays can shift collection. For some Monday holidays, residential trash is skipped and made up later in the week (example printed: trash not collected Monday, Jan. 19; make-up day Wednesday, Jan. 21). Yard trimmings are often skipped on Thursday and Friday holidays with no make-up day.
💵 What Residents Pay
| Extra household waste cart | $60 Public Works Fee Schedule (no effective date printed) |
| Yard waste cart | $75 Free delivery |
| Bulky item collection | $15 for up to three items, $5 each additional item Includes white goods such as refrigerators and stoves |
| Large yard waste pile | $125 per truckload Public Works Fee Schedule |
Copied from the city or hauler rate page. Rates usually change once a year.
🏡 New Resident? Starting Service
Every household already gets one trash cart free, paid through property taxes, with no special account needed. For extra trash carts or yard carts, call 919-969-5100 or pay online; carts are delivered and processing can take up to two business days. Recycling carts are ordered from Orange County.
Cost: First trash cart free; extra trash cart $60; yard cart $75
♻️ Recycling
Recycling is run by Orange County Solid Waste Management (919-968-2788). Order a recycling cart through Orange County: https://www.orangecountync.gov/FormCenter/Solid-Waste-24/Request-For-New-Recycling-Service-228
🚛 Drop It Off Yourself
- 📍Orange County Landfill, Chapel Hill · $7
- 📍Eubanks Road Waste and Recycling Center, Chapel Hill
- 📍Walnut Grove Church Road Waste and Recycling Center, Hillsborough
- 📍Bradshaw Quarry Road Waste and Recycling Center, Mebane
- 📍Ferguson Road Waste and Recycling Center, Chapel Hill
- 📍High Rock Road Waste and Recycling Center, Efland
📚 Where This Comes From
- 🔗Trash and Yard Waste (Town of Chapel Hill)
- 🔗Solid Waste (Town of Chapel Hill)
- 🔗Public Works Fee Schedule (Town of Chapel Hill)
Checked October 31, 2026. Trash rules and rates change; the official pages above are the final word. See something out of date? Tell us.
🚚 Skip the trip. Get junk removal quotes near Chapel Hill
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