Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste
Pickup schedule, what is accepted, yard waste rules, bulk pickup, where to take glass, and the monthly fee. The Town of Wake Forest Public Works Department runs residential collection.
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Residential Garbage
Weekly collection for every single-family household in the Town service area. Each home gets one 96-gallon trash cart and one 96-gallon recycling cart.
Find your pickup day
Collection day varies by address. The Town’s Waste Wizard tool gives you your day, lets you sign up for reminder texts/emails, and tells you whether a specific item is recyclable.
Phone: Public Works, 919-435-9570
Recycling
Collected weekly on the same day as your trash. Items must go loose in the cart — no plastic bags.
What is accepted curbside
- Paper and cardboard (flatten boxes)
- Plastic bottles and jugs (check labels)
- Aluminum and metal cans
What is NOT accepted curbside
- Glass — see drop-off section below
- Plastic bags or film
- Styrofoam
- Food waste, hazardous waste, electronics
Glass Recycling (Wake County Drop-Offs)
Wake Forest’s curbside program does not take glass. Wake County operates free glass drop-off at all 11 Convenience Centers (open daily 7 a.m.–7 p.m.) and three Multi-Material Recycling Facilities.
Closest glass drop-offs to Wake Forest
- East Wake MRF — 5051 Wendell Blvd, Wendell (closest to Wake Forest)
- North Wake MRF — 9029 Deponie Drive, Raleigh
- South Wake MRF — 6130 Old Smithfield Road, Apex
MRFs are open Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Yard Waste
Collected weekly, one business day before your trash and recycling day.
What is accepted
Grass clippings, leaves, pine straw, small limbs and twigs, pine cones, dead plants, flowers, shrubs, vines, weeds, bamboo, acorns, hay.
Bagged season (late March – end of September)
Use biodegradable paper yard waste bags or reusable containers clearly marked “YW” or “Yard Waste”. Limit: 20 paper bags or 10 containers (max 45 gal / 50 lbs each) per week.
Loose leaf season (first Monday in October – second Friday in March)
Leaves can be placed loose at the curb during loose leaf season. Loose leaf collection runs bi-monthly.
Brush
Collected weekly. Must be under 10 inches in diameter, no longer than 6 feet. Up to 8 cubic yards per household per week.
Bulk Pickup
By appointment only, Tuesdays, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. (occasionally rolls into Wednesday).
What is free
Each household gets 2 free bulk pickups per calendar year as part of the monthly solid waste fee.
Additional pickups
$50 each beyond the free allotment.
How to request
Submit a request online — the form opens slots a few weeks out.
Request bulk pickup →Holiday Schedule
Pickup days shift around major Town-observed holidays (typically Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year). Town Hall may close while collection continues — and vice versa. The Town posts each holiday adjustment 5–7 days in advance rather than publishing the full year up front.
To get advance notice automatically, sign up for the Town E-Notifier “Holiday Operations” list.
Missed Pickup
If your trash, recycling, yard waste, or bulk was not collected by the end of your scheduled day, submit a Non-Collection Notice or call Public Works directly. Reports made the same day generally get a make-up pickup within 1–2 business days.
Phone: Public Works, 919-435-9570
Related Pages
- Cost of Living — where the $24/month solid waste fee fits in your utility budget
- Newcomers Checklist — first-week setup for new residents
- Government & Civic — BOC budget process that sets the fee
Spot something out of date?
Holiday schedules shift. Bulk pickup fees change. Recycling rules evolve. If anything on this page is wrong or stale, drop us a tip and we will fix it fast.