Recycling
Days of Service
Use the "My Schedule" function below to determine your collection day and/or receive a customized calendar or notification for your trash/recycling schedule!
Curbside recycling collection is provided weekly to all single-family households. Recyclables must be separated from household trash and placed loosely in your roll-out cart. Do not bag your recyclables.
Wake Forest was the first municipality in Wake County to offer roll-out comingled curbside community recycling utilizing a 48-gallon cart. Our recycling program has been cited nationwide for its high customer participation rate and rate of recycling.
Report a Missed Collection
How to Position Your Carts Correctly at the Curb
Only rollout carts properly positioned along the right-of-way are eligible for curbside collection service. When setting your carts out for collection, please remember the following:
Place cart at the curb before 7 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day.
Rollout carts must be rolled out to the right-of-way with the arrows facing out to the street;
Leave four feet of space between your trash and recycling carts so the truck's mechanical "arm" can grip each cart;
Carts should also be at least four feet away from power poles, mailboxes, fire hydrants, trees and cars.
What Can Go in the Recycling Container
Paper: catalogs, mail, magazines, newspaper, office paper, etc.
Glass: bottles, jars (clear, brown, green)
Phone books
Corrugated cardboard
Paperboard: cereal boxes, shoeboxes
Aseptic juice boxes
Gable-top paper cartons: milk cartons
Steel food cans
Aluminum: cans, pie pans, and foil with no food residue
Plastic: bottles and jugs, plastic milk and water jugs, margarine tubs, yogurt cups and large plastic containers such as laundry detergent.
What Can't Go in the Recycling Container
Plastic bags - Do not place plastic bags OR plastic wrap/film in your recycling cart. In order to recycle plastic bags/wrap/film, those materials must stay clean and dry and go through their own recycling process. Many grocery stores have on-site plastic bag recycling collection boxes for this purpose. You may also consider taking plastic bags back to the store you received them from and ask what options they have for recycling. Or, consider purchasing items with little to no plastic packaging or use a reusable shopping bag.
Styrofoam
Stamps and stickers in junk mail
Pizza boxes
Plastic bottles that contain oil or hazardous substances
Waste Wizard
Use the Waste Wizard to sort your waste properly.
Corrugated Cardboard Preparation
Fold, flatten, or cut corrugated cardboard so that it fits into your cart. As collection is automated, we are unable to collect materials placed outside the cart. If you have a large amount of cardboard that you are unable to fit inside your cart, please schedule a bulk pickup.
Collection Assistance Program (CAP)
Republic Services offers free collection assistance for the elderly and disabled.
For more information, contact Public Works at 919-435-9570.
Holiday Schedule
During holiday weeks, your normal trash and recycling collection day may change. Collection may occur even though Town Hall is closed. Trash and recycling customers are encouraged to refer to the Holiday Schedule web page 5-7 days prior to a holiday for updated collection schedules and additional information concerning affected Town services.
Phone Book Recycling
Area residents may dispose of their old phone books throughout the year in their rollout recycling carts.
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
Wake County Household Hazardous
Electronic Recycling
Anything with a Plug Recycling
Important Message About Your Rollout Carts
In the event that you move, do not take your roll-out trash or recycling cart with you. These carts are the property of the Town of Wake Forest and are numerically registered to the address to which they were originally delivered. Additionally, there's no need to cancel your service. Simply leave your carts in the garage or behind the home.
If you encounter any problems or have any questions concerning your service, please contact Public Works at 919-435-9570.
