▼

Public Works

Show All Answers

1. Solid Waste - I am a new Morrisville resident. How do I sign up for solid waste services and obtain a trash container and a recycle bin?

Simply call the Public Works Department's Solid Waste Line at 919.463.7120 and request new service. You will need to supply the following required information: your name, your phone number, your new residence address, whether your residence is a new construction, and your move-in date. That’s it! The Public Works staff will then take care of setting up a service account in your name through Waste Industries - the Town’s current contractor - and will inform you of your assigned solid waste pick-up day.

The Town of Morrisville’s solid waste services operate on a color-coded system: Monday- Red Route; Tuesday-Blue Route; Thursday-Green Route; and Friday-Yellow Route. Household garbage and recycling are collected each week on the day assigned to your specific address. Yard waste is collected twice each month on Wednesdays according to the color code, as follows: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays-Green & Yellow Routes; 2nd and 4th Wednesdays-Red & Blue Routes. When there is a 5th Wednesday in any given month, yard waste will not be collected.

All garbage must be bagged and must be placed inside your trash container. Please do not place additional trash bags at the curb for collection. Likewise, acceptable recycling items (see link below) must be placed inside your recycle bin, with the exception of corrugated cardboard boxes. All boxes must be emptied, flattened, and broken down into 3’x3’ pieces or smaller and stacked neatly beside your recycling bin, as Waste Industries' recycling trucks cannot accommodate whole boxes. If you have a large amount of boxes to discard, please call Waste Industries directly at 919.596.1363 in advance of your pick-up day to alert them that you will have a larger than normal amount of boxes to be picked up. They will advise you regarding space availability on the truck for your route. Another available option would be to drop off overflow cardboard boxes at the Wake County Convenience Center located at 266 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville. Please be advised, however, that this Wake County facility also requires that boxes be emptied and flattened.

Please Take Note: Both your trash container and your recycle bin must be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 AM on your collection day. Different specialized trucks will arrive to pick up your trash and recycling on your pick-up day, but the routes for both trash and recycling begin at 7:00 AM, so please observe this time deadline to ensure service. Yard waste items must also be placed at the curb no later than 7:00 AM on the Wednesday yard waste days designated for your color-coded route.

If you have any questions or any service problems arise, please call the Public Works Solid Waste Line at 919.463.7120.
Acceptable/Unacceptable Recycling Items

2. Solid Waste - Will Waste Industries pick up trash bags outside of my rolling trash container or recyclables outside of my recycling bin?

As a courtesy, Waste Industries may occasionally pick up extra bags of trash or recycling placed at the curb, but consistent or excessive quantities will make it necessary for you to personally contract directly with Waste Industries for additional containers or for a special service. If you have an overflow of household trash or recycling, you may wish to take it to the Wake County Convenience Center located in Morrisville at 266 Aviation Parkway.
Wake County Convenience Centers

3. Solid Waste - What do I do with my trash container and my recycle bin if I move?

Both the trash container and the recycle bin are property of Waste Industries and should be left at the residence for the next occupant when you move.

4. Solid Waste - How can I remember when my trash, recycling, and yard waste will be picked up?

Solid Waste pick-up schedules are periodically distributed in the Morrisville Connection newsletter, and schedules should be retained when received for future reference. You may view the solid waste pick-up schedules for household trash, recycling, and yard waste at any time via the Town's website. At the Home Page, simply click on the words "Calendar of Events" and choose the option "Solid Waste Pick-Up Schedule" beside the current calendar displayed - or you may simply call the Town's Public Works Solid Waste line at 919.463.7120. Solid Waste Pick-Up Schedule

5. Solid Waste - Where should I place my rolling trash container and my recycle bin for pick-up?

Curbside – curbside refers to that portion of the right-of-way adjacent to paved or traveled Town roadways that are wide enough and constructed to a high enough standard to support standard collection vehicles. Please make sure access to your trash container and your recycle bin is not blocked by your mailbox, your vehicle, or any other obstruction. It is most important to remember that all trash and recycling containers must be kept off the street during inclement weather events when streets will need to be plowed.

Please call Public Works at 919.463.7120 if your trash container or recycling bin is damaged or missing.

6. Solid Waste - If I have an emergency and do not get my trash or recycling to the curb for pickup, do I have any options other than waiting for next week or sharing with a friendly neighbor?

You may utilize the Wake County Convenience Center solid waste / recycling site at 266 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville, or you may call Waste Industries at 596-1363 to arrange an additional pickup and pay the extra charges applicable.
Wake County Convenience Centers

7. Solid Waste - What do I do if either my trash, recycling, or yard waste was placed curbside by 7:00 a.m. but was not picked up on my scheduled day?

As soon as you are certain that pick-up of your trash, recycling, or yard waste has been missed, please immediately call Public Works at 919.463.7120 and report it. Waste Industries will be notified and, if at all possible, will make every effort to resolve the missed pick-up that same day or the following day.

8. Solid Waste - What do I do if my trash container or my recycle bin is damaged or missing?

Please call Public Works at 919.463.7120 and report it.

9. Solid Waste - How can I dispose of unwanted furniture or other bulky items?

The Town of Morrisville collects bulky items twice each year, usually once in the spring and once in the fall. If you need to dispose of bulk items immediately, you may take acceptable items to the Wake County Convenience Center solid waste containment site located in Morrisville at 266 Aviation Parkway, which is open daily from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Examples of acceptable drop off items include: furniture, scrap metal, cardboard, and other recyclable materials. Examples of unacceptable items include: yard waste; batteries; tires; air conditioners; paint; computers; “white items,” such as dishwashers, refrigerators, etc.; and other non-recyclable items. Used motor oil can be disposed of at any place that sells motor oil. If you have questions about what may or may not be taken to the Wake County Convenience Center site, you can look up your item on Wake County's Trash Takers website.
Wake County Trash Takers

10. Household Trash - What can and cannot be thrown into my trash container?

Only bagged household trash can be put in your rolling trash container. Bagging also helps keep your trash container clean and reduces wind-blown litter.

Do not place yard waste, brush, or any construction debris in your trash container. Automotive parts, tires, hazardous waste, hot ashes, and corrugated cardboard are also prohibited.

11. Household Trash - How do I get an additional trash container?

If you regularly need more than one trash container, you can enter into a private contract with Waste Industries for an additional container. Please contact them at 919.596.1363. You will need to pay them directly for the use of the extra trash container.

12. Recycling - What can and cannot be recycled?

The following items can be recycled: newspapers (please keep dry); white paper (please keep dry and, if shredded, please bag in clear bags); green, brown and clear glass; corrugated cardboard (cut down to 3' x 3' sections or smaller); paperboard, such as cereal boxes, soda boxes, shoeboxes, etc.; plastic bottles / containers (#1 - #7, with neck smaller than body); juice bottles; sports drink bottles; salad dressing bottles; condiment bottles; laundry detergent bottles; dishwashing detergent bottles; cough syrup bottles; mouthwash bottles; shampoo / conditioner bottles; liquid soap bottles; aseptic juice boxes; gable-top paper cartons, such as milk cartons; milk jugs; metal food cans; aluminum beverage cans; aluminum foil (with no food residue); six pack rings; magazines; junk mail and catalogs; and phonebooks. Please remember to rinse and to flatten recyclables as appropriate to maximize the use of bin space. As noted above, please keep paper dry, as wet paper will be sent to the landfill. Also, please bag shredded paper in clear bags for pick-up. Again, cardboard must be emptied, flattened, broken down into 3' x 3' sections or smaller, and placed near your recycle bin on recycling days only. You may wish to take overflow cardboard to the Wake County Convenience Center located in Morrisville at 266 Aviation Parkway, but please be advised that this Wake County facility also requires that boxes be emptied and flattened. Please also take note that the Wake County Convenience Center at 266 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville now also accepts books, clothing and shoes for recycling.

Waste Industries will not accept the following items for recycling: yogurt cups; margarine containers; pizza boxes; frozen food trays; plastic wrap; plastic bags; styrofoam; stamps and stickers in junk mail; motor oil bottles; and pesticide bottles.

For your convenience, recycling is picked up every week on the same day that your trash is collected. Please do not carry your recycle bin by the bungee straps. Please use the handles, as the straps may break. Wake County Convenience Centers

13. Recycling - I currently have one recycle bin. How do I get more than one?

If you need an additional recycle bin, please contact Waste Industries directly at 919.596.1363. There will be a one-time charge by Waste Industries for an additional bin.

14. Yard Waste - What can and cannot be picked up as yard waste?

Leaves, grass clippings, brush and shrub trimmings, dead plants, tree limbs, and cut trees are accepted, but they must be handled correctly to ensure pick-up. Leaves, grass clippings, dead plants (remove all dirt), and small trimmings must be placed in biodegradable or yard-waste specific brown paper bags. No clear or solid color plastic bags will be accepted. Larger individual limbs and brush, etc., must be cut down to less than 4' in length, 10" in diameter, and tied with string or twine into bundles that are less than 4' in length, 2' in width, and do not exceed 50 pounds each.

Do not place yard waste in your garbage can. Bundle or bag yard waste as required and neatly place it at the curb.

Dirt must be fully removed from all plant remains. Waste Industries does not collect dirt, lumber or wood, bricks or blocks, containers, planters, or any inorganic materials.

If you have a large amount of yard waste that you have bagged yourself, it is always a good idea to call and alert Waste Industries (Phone: 919.596.1363) as soon as possible so that they can be prepared to pick up a larger than normal amount or advise you as to space availability on their truck. Bundles and bags shall not exceed 20 in total per pick-up.

Remember that this is a residential service. If landscapers do yard work at your home, they are responsible for hauling away excessive amounts of yard waste generated.

15. Yard Waste - Why isn't yard waste picked up every week?

The Town has monitored the amount of yard waste put out for collection, and a determination was made that, at this point, weekly yard waste collection is not necessary. Therefore, the pick-up schedule for yard waste was changed to a flat twice a month pick-up for all routes. Thursday's Green and Friday's Yellow routes are collected on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, and Monday's Red and Tuesday's Blue routes are collected on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. During any months containing a 5th Wednesday, no yard waste will be collected during that week.