Trash and recycling pickup in Wake Forest: schedule, holidays and bulk pickup

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Facts on this page come from the Town of Wake Forest’s Solid Waste pages and Wake County Solid Waste.

The Town of Wake Forest picks up household trash and recycling at the curb once a week, on the same day, from single-family homes and buildings of up to four units with private driveways, according to the town’s trash page. Yard waste goes out one business day before your trash day. The town contracts with Republic Services for trash and recycling. To find your days, enter your address under My Schedule in the town’s Waste Wizard, which can also send reminders by email, phone or text.

Who to call

• Wake Forest Public Works: 919-435-9570, publicworksdept@wakeforestnc.gov
• Leaf Collection Hotline: 919-435-9582 (updated by 8 a.m. each weekday in season)
• Missed pickups: the town’s missed collection form
• Wake County Solid Waste (convenience centers): 919-856-7400

How weekly pickup works

• Put carts at the curb before 7 a.m. on pickup day, arrows facing the street, the town’s solid waste page says.
• Leave 4 feet between carts and keep them 4 feet from poles, mailboxes, hydrants, trees and cars.
• Town ordinance requires trash to be bagged. Bags or boxes left beside the cart are not taken.
• Trucks do not go onto private property without permission from Public Works.
• If you move, leave the carts. They are registered to the address.
• Republic Services offers free collection assistance for older and disabled residents. Ask Public Works.

What goes in recycling, according to the town’s recycling page: paper, mail, cardboard (flattened to fit), cereal boxes, milk cartons and juice boxes, glass bottles and jars, steel and aluminum cans, clean foil, and plastic bottles, jugs, tubs and cups. Keep out: plastic bags and film, foam, pizza boxes and bottles that held oil or hazardous products.

What it costs

Solid waste moved off the tax bill on Jan. 1, 2021, and onto the monthly Raleigh Water bill. The town’s billing page lists a $24 monthly fee, approved in June 2025: $15.50 for trash, $6.50 for recycling and $2 for yard waste, with one 96-gallon trash cart and one 96-gallon recycling cart. The town’s 2026-27 budget highlights list a $1 increase, to $25 a month. A household can add one extra trash cart ($15.50 a month) and one extra recycling cart ($6.50 a month) through the cart request form.

Service starts automatically when you open a Raleigh Water account. Owners of new construction must also ask Public Works to add the address.

Leaves, yard waste and brush

Loose leaf season is on now. It runs from Monday, Oct. 5, through Friday, March 12, 2027, with crews on each street twice a month, the town announced. Rake leaves behind the curb, not into the street or gutter, at least 8 feet from cars, mailboxes and carts, and keep sticks, rocks and pine cones out of the pile. Put limbs in a separate pile. Call the hotline at 919-435-9582 to see where crews are working that day.

From mid-March through September, leaves and grass go in paper yard waste bags or containers marked “YW,” up to 45 gallons and 50 pounds each, with a limit of 20 bags or 10 containers a week, according to the leaf collection page. Plastic bags, including compostable ones, have not been collected since March 2022.

Brush goes at the curb loose and unbundled on your yard waste day, no appointment needed. Limbs must be under 10 inches across and no longer than 6 feet; logs over 6 inches across no longer than 2 feet. The limit is 8 cubic yards a week, the town’s yard waste page says. Stumps and land-clearing debris are not collected. Free wood chip and leaf mulch deliveries can be requested online.

Bulk pickup

Bulk pickup runs on Tuesdays by appointment through the town’s online request form. Requests made before 2 p.m. Monday are picked up the next day. Each household gets two free pickups a calendar year; more cost $50 each, according to the bulk pickup page.

• Taken: furniture, mattresses and box springs, grills without the propane tank, washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, water heaters, and broken-down swing sets and trampolines.
• Not taken: refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners, electronics, tires, paint, batteries, construction debris, and move-outs or cleanouts.
• Set items within 6 feet of the curb by 7 a.m., off the sidewalk and out from under wires.

Holidays

Republic Services does not collect on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas, according to the town’s holiday schedule. When one falls on a weekday, that day’s route runs the next day and the rest of the week shifts a day later, into Saturday. Under that rule, Thanksgiving week (Nov. 26) and Christmas week (Dec. 25) run a day late from the holiday on. The town posts details about a week ahead; sign up for “Holiday Operations” in E-Notifier to get them by email.

Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11: trash, recycling and bulk pickup run as normal, but there is no yard waste or loose leaf collection that day, the town says. Yard waste crews will try to cover all five routes in four days that week, starting with Monday’s route. Put your yard waste and loose leaves at the curb, in separate piles, by 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Town Hall and other town offices are closed Nov. 11.

County drop-off sites

Wake County runs two of its 11 convenience centers in Wake Forest, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except major holidays:

• Site 6: 3913 Lillie Liles Road
• Site 8: 2001 Durham Road (N.C. 98)

They take household trash, recycling, cardboard and scrap metal. Paint, chemicals, batteries and propane tanks go to the county’s household hazardous waste sites. Search any item in the county’s drop-off locator.

What this means for you

• Look up your trash and yard waste days once in Waste Wizard and turn on reminders.
• Leaf season runs through March 12. Rake behind the curb, not into the street.
• Plan big cleanouts around your two free bulk pickups.

More guides: Wake County property taxes and who to call at Wake Forest Town Hall.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Wake Forest?

It depends on your address. Enter it in the town’s Waste Wizard under My Schedule, or call Public Works at 919-435-9570. Trash and recycling go out the same day every week.

Is recycling every week in Wake Forest?

Yes. The town collects recycling weekly from single-family homes, on the same day as trash. Recyclables go in the cart loose, never bagged.

How do I schedule a bulk pickup in Wake Forest?

Book it with the town’s online bulk request form. Bulk pickups run Tuesdays by appointment, and each household gets two free pickups a calendar year; more cost $50 each.

When does Wake Forest pick up loose leaves?

The 2026-27 loose leaf season runs from Monday, Oct. 5, through Friday, March 12, 2027, with crews on each street twice a month. Call the leaf hotline at 919-435-9582 for where crews are working.

How much is the Wake Forest solid waste fee?

The town’s billing page lists $24 a month on the Raleigh Water bill, and the town’s 2026-27 budget highlights list a $1 increase, to $25. The fee covers trash, recycling, yard waste, leaves and bulk pickup.