Winston-Salem NC Trash Pickup Schedule 2026

Last checked: September 9, 2026. This guide reflects the City of Winston-Salem's published solid waste collections pages on cityofws.org and the city's 2026 recycling and holiday collection calendar.

Verify by address before you act on anything in this guide. Winston-Salem assigns both your garbage day and your red-week or blue-week recycling zone by street address, and the city publishes no citywide day list and no zone map. Any page that names a pickup day for a neighborhood, ZIP code, or quadrant is guessing. Your own address — entered in the Winston-Salem Collects app or the city's address service finder, or read to you by CityLink — is the only official answer.

Winston-Salem Trash Pickup: The Short Answer

Garbage is collected once a week from a city-issued 96-gallon brown cart. Curbside recycling is collected every other week from a city-issued blue cart on a red-week or blue-week zone that is set by your address. Winston-Salem does not publish a day list or a zone map, so your actual days come from the Winston-Salem Collects app, the city's address service finder, or CityLink at 311 (336-727-8000).

Put carts at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before, and pull them back in by 8 a.m. the next day. Keep them at least three feet from cars, mailboxes, and other carts, and set them out with the lid hinge facing away from the street. Only city-issued carts are collected.

Two things surprise people who move here from elsewhere in North Carolina:

• In-cart yard waste is a paid, optional service, not a free weekly one. You buy a green 96-gallon city yard cart and a sticker for $130, or renew an annual sticker on a cart you already own for $65, and then that cart is collected weekly. Free leaf collection in the fall is a separate program.
• Bulky items are collected once a year, not on demand. There is one free annual neighborhood pickup for single-family homes, and the 2026 program begins March 2, 2026. You cannot call for a bulk pickup any week you like.

And holiday weeks do not follow one blanket rule. On several 2026 holidays garbage stays on its normal schedule while recycling and yard-waste carts shift. Confirm your own week and any holiday change with the city before you set anything out.

Quick Facts

Fact	Detail
Garbage	Weekly, city-issued 96-gallon brown cart (holds about 10 bags)
Recycling	Every other week, city-issued 96-gallon blue cart, no sorting
Recycling week	Red week or blue week, assigned by address — not published as a list
Yard-waste cart	Optional paid service, weekly once you have the cart and sticker
Yard cart cost	$130 for a cart plus sticker; $65 annual renewal sticker
Brush	Separate free curbside program, roughly a 3-to-4-week rotation
Leaves	Free fall curbside collection, three passes per quadrant
Bulky items	One free annual neighborhood pickup, single-family homes only; 2026 runs March 2 through September 4
Set-out	Out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before; at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day; removed by 8 a.m. the next day
Cart placement	At the curb, three feet of clearance, lift handle toward the street, lid hinge away from the street
Second garbage cart	$65 per year (first cart and delivery are free)
Landfill passes	Two free passes per 12 months for homeowners
Household hazardous waste and electronics	3RC EnviroStation, free to city and Forsyth County residents
CityLink	311 inside the city limits, 336-727-8000, text 855-481-LINK, citylink@cityofws.org
Sanitation	336-727-2638
Recycling questions	723-2784 (72-EARTH)

Who Collects Trash in Winston-Salem

Curbside service is run by the City of Winston-Salem Solid Waste Collections division — commonly called the Sanitation Department. It serves single-family households inside the city limits, and the city's own cart program is the basis of collection: carts are issued by the city, and the automated trucks are built to empty city carts.

That matters because a lot of properties look residential but are not on this program:

• Multi-family developments and apartments are outside residential curbside service.
• Businesses generating more than three 32-gallon receptacles a week are outside residential curbside service.
• Those properties use container collection or a private hauler instead.
• Small businesses already on weekly hand collection with a small cart — not a dumpster — are the exception: they may be eligible to use the blue recycling cart program. Businesses that are not already on hand collection need a private hauler or a recycling drop-off center.

Reach the department and the city's service line here:

• Sanitation Department: 336-727-2638
• CityLink: 311 inside the city limits, or 336-727-8000; text 855-481-LINK; email citylink@cityofws.org
• Recycling questions: 723-2784 (72-EARTH)

One structural note that helps when you are trying to work out who handles what: the city's solid waste facilities, including landfills, are operated by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities, while curbside collection is run by the city's Solid Waste Collections division. So a question about your cart goes to one place, and a question about a landfill trip may go to another.

Find Your Collection Day and Recycling Week (Address Lookup)

This is the core of the guide, and the honest answer to "what day is mine." Work the official paths in order.

1. The Winston-Salem Collects app (iOS and Android). The city says the app returns your garbage, recycling, and yard-waste days and your service zone by address, and that it can send pickup reminders. This is the fastest path for most residents, and the reminders are the practical way to avoid missing an every-other-week recycling day.

2. The city's address service finder on the Solid Waste Collections page. Same idea — enter your street address and read back the days and zone it returns for your property.

3. CityLink at 311 inside the city limits or 336-727-8000, by text at 855-481-LINK, or by email at citylink@cityofws.org. Use this if you do not have a smartphone or computer, are moving into a new address, or need an explanation the tool does not give. CityLink is staffed on weekdays, and the line will tell you its current hours.

What the city does not publish: a citywide garbage-day list, and a red/blue zone map assigning weeks by neighborhood or ZIP code. Both are deliberately address-based. That is why this article never names a weekday for any neighborhood — doing so would be a guess, and a wrong day means a cart that sits at the curb.

One more trap: recycling goes out only every other week. Knowing your recycling day is not enough. If you roll the blue cart out on the correct weekday of the wrong week, it will not be emptied. Always confirm the week color for your address alongside the day.

Verify your own address first. Open the app or the address service finder, type in your exact street address, and read the days and the zone it returns. Save or print the result and turn on reminders. Nothing in this guide replaces that step.

What Gets Collected and How Often

Material	Frequency	Container
Garbage	Weekly	One city-issued 96-gallon brown cart
Recycling	Every other week	One city-issued 96-gallon blue cart
Yard-waste cart	Weekly (paid subscription)	Green 96-gallon city yard cart with sticker
Brush	Roughly every 3–4 weeks	Curbside, tied/bundled and cut to size
Leaves	Fall only, three passes per quadrant	Raked loose behind the curb
Bulky items	Once a year	Curbside during your neighborhood cleanup

Garbage is weekly in one 96-gallon city-issued cart that holds about 10 bags. The first cart is free, delivery is free, and only city-issued carts are collected — personal cans and store-bought carts are not picked up. All household trash has to be bagged and fit completely inside the closed cart, with nothing left outside it; save the overflow for the next week's pickup.

Recycling is every other week in one 96-gallon blue cart per single-family household, with no sorting required. Households on bin routes may have up to two 18-gallon recycling bins. Recyclables are handled by automated trucks, so anything set beside the cart stays where you put it — hold extras for the next collection or use a drop-off center.

Yard-waste carts are collected weekly — but only for residents who bought the green 96-gallon cart and sticker. The limit is three carts per residence, with a 150-pound limit per cart, and the lid must be fully closed.

Brush is a separate free curbside program on roughly a three-to-four-week rotation, with pieces no larger than 6 inches wide and 6 feet long, cut ends facing the same direction.

Bulky items are one free annual neighborhood pickup for single-family homes, beginning March 2, 2026.

Leaves are collected free each fall in three passes through each quadrant.

What Goes in the Blue Cart

Because nothing gets sorted at the curb, the accepted list is what the trucks are built around. Empty and rinse containers before they go in, and flatten cardboard.

Accepted: plastic bottles (caps on), aluminum beverage cans, steel food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars (remove lids), newspapers, magazines, junk mail and office paper, and flattened cardboard and chipboard.

Keep out: batteries, ceramic items, clothes hangers, clothing and textiles, diapers, disposable cups, electronics, food-tainted items, frozen food boxes, household glass, hazardous waste, medical waste, pizza boxes, plastic bags and wraps, scrap metal and wood, shredded paper, Styrofoam and packing peanuts, cords, hoses and wires, tires, toys, and to-go containers.

Never bag recyclables — plastic bags are the fastest way to send a load to the landfill. If you bag them at all, use paper bags. Recycling is voluntary in Winston-Salem, but North Carolina law bans plastic bottles and aluminum cans from landfill disposal, so those two have to be recycled either way.

Step-by-Step: Set Out Your Carts the Right Way

Follow this the night before pickup. Most missed collections and refusals come down to one of these details.

1. Confirm your day and your red or blue week in Winston-Salem Collects for your exact address. Do this first, especially before an every-other-week recycling day.
2. Roll the cart out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection day. Do not leave it out overnight the night before that.
3. Have it at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day. Trucks start early, and a cart that is not out when the truck reaches your street is missed.
4. Place the cart at the curb, not in the street. The silver lift handle faces the street, and the lid hinge faces away from the street.
5. Keep three feet of clearance from parked cars, mailboxes, trees, bushes, and other carts. The truck's arm needs that space.
6. Keep carts clear of low-hanging wires and branches.
7. Pull the cart back in by 8 a.m. the day after collection. Carts left out past the removal window can be skipped.
8. Use only city-issued carts. Personal cans and store-bought carts will not be collected.
9. Keep garbage bagged inside the brown cart, and keep yard waste out of it. Empty the cart fully and do not overload it.
10. Close the lid. A yard-waste cart with the lid open is not serviced.
11. If a cart was left unemptied, look for the red non-collection courtesy notice on or near the cart before calling. The notice explains why it was not collected.

Carts that are left out past the removal window, blocked by vehicles, or placed with the hinge facing the street can simply be skipped. Treat the set-out rules as what decides whether your cart is emptied — not as advice.

Yard Waste, Brush, and Leaves: Three Different Programs

This is the distinction most outside guides get wrong, and it costs new residents real money and real frustration. Winston-Salem runs three separate vegetative-waste programs, and none of them substitutes for another.

Yard-waste carts — optional and paid. In-cart yard waste is a subscription service. Buy a green 96-gallon city yard cart with a sticker for $130, or renew an annual sticker on a cart you already own for $65, and that cart is then collected weekly. Up to three carts per residence, 150 pounds each, lid closed, and only 96-gallon carts compatible with the city's automated trucks. Order the cart and sticker online through the city's yard-cart page or buy in person — confirm the current in-person location, price, and sticker renewal with CityLink before you pay.

What belongs in a yard cart: garden residue, grass, leaves, shrubbery clippings, and small branches and sticks. What does not: animal waste, bags, boxes, construction material, dirt, garbage, large branches, rocks, and stumps. The city shreds the material in a tub grinder, which is why rocks and stumps are refused.

Yard waste can also be hauled yourself. The city's yard-waste drop-off facilities take yard waste and landscaping debris from the public: Overdale, 4010 Old Milwaukee Lane, and Forum 52, 180 Northstar Drive, Rural Hall. Confirm current hours and any charges with CityLink before you load the truck.

Brush — free, but on a rotation. Brush is collected curbside one quadrant at a time, working clockwise from quadrant one, on a rotation of roughly every three to four weeks for single-family houses. Pieces must be no larger than 6 inches wide and 6 feet long, with cut ends facing the same direction, and crews spend roughly 21 business days in each quadrant. Brush from contractors, vacant lots, businesses, or apartments is not collected, and neither is anything mixed with trash, junk, or leaves. Note the seasonal squeeze: between November 1 and January 15, brush collection is limited because of leaf season — during that window, only small branches, sticks, and shrubbery clippings in a stickered yard cart are collected, on your regular yard-cart day. Check the quadrant route for your address before you set brush out.

Leaves — free, each fall. Fall leaf collection is free curbside collection that typically starts in early November and runs into January, with three passes through each quadrant. The 2026 collections calendar lists Fall Leaf Collection as beginning November 2, 2026, and the city's leaf route tool is the place to confirm your quadrant's passes. Rake leaves behind the curb, never into the street. Tarps are not allowed, cars must be kept away from piles, leaf burning is not permitted inside the city limits, and leaves only — sticks and rocks damage the equipment. Keep storm drains clear, and report a blocked drain to CityLink at 311. Weather can delay leaf service. If you want leaves gone year-round rather than in the fall window, put them in a stickered city yard-waste cart.

If you remember one thing: a yard-waste cart is not the same as leaf collection, which is not the same as brush collection. Asking for one and getting another is the single most common yard-waste mix-up in this city.

Bulky Items: One Free Pickup a Year

Bulky pickup in Winston-Salem is not an on-demand service and it is not monthly. City crews collect bulky items only during your annual neighborhood area cleanup, and only for single-family homes. Apartments, townhomes, and businesses are excluded, and townhome or condo residents may need to place items at a central location.

In 2026 the program begins March 2, and the published collection weeks run through September 4. The practical sequence:

• Households get a postcard about three to four weeks before their collection week.
• Put items out the weekend before the scheduled week.
• Trucks make one pass only, so late items are left behind.

What counts as bulky: carpet, appliances, furniture, mattresses, and toys.

What is not collected as bulky, and should not be mixed into the pile: construction materials, car parts, cement, electronic waste, glass, hazardous or infectious waste, lumber or wood, oil drums, paint, rocks, tires, and yard waste. If bulky items are mixed with unacceptable material, nothing in the pile is taken. That is the harshest rule in this section: one paint can in the pile can cost you the whole pickup for the year.

For the rest of the year, bulky-type material that cannot go out in the annual cleanup has to go elsewhere — the Hanes Mill Road Landfill is the city's disposal route, and some items such as electronics and household hazardous waste belong at the 3RC EnviroStation instead (see below). Check the published 2026 bulky item collection dates for your area's week before you set anything out.

2026 Holiday Collection Changes

Start with the rule that is not a rule: Winston-Salem has no single holiday schedule. The common assumption — "everything slides back a day" — is wrong here. On many holidays, garbage runs on its normal schedule while recycling and yard-waste carts move. That is the opposite of what most residents expect.

Here is the 2026 calendar the city published, material by material:

2026 holiday	Garbage	Curbside recycling	Yard-waste carts
MLK Jr. Day — Mon, Jan 19	Normal	Red week, normal	All postponed one day
Good Friday — Fri, Apr 3	Tue–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Apr 4	Red week — Mon–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Apr 4	Normal
Memorial Day — Mon, May 25	Normal	Red week — all postponed one day; Friday collected Sat, May 30	All postponed one day
Juneteenth — Fri, Jun 19	Tue–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Jun 20	Blue week — Mon–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Jun 20	Normal
Independence Day — Fri, Jul 3	Tue–Thu normal; Friday collected Mon, Jul 6	Blue week — normal	Normal
Labor Day — Mon, Sep 7	Normal	Blue week — all postponed one day; Friday collected Saturday	All postponed one day
Veterans Day — Wed, Nov 11	Normal	Red week — normal	Mon and Tue normal; Wed collected Thu; Thu collected Fri
Thanksgiving — Thu–Fri, Nov 26–27	Thu collected Fri; Fri collected Sat, Nov 28	Red week — Mon–Wed normal; Thu collected Fri; Fri collected Sat, Nov 28	Mon–Wed normal; Thu collected Sat, Nov 28
Christmas — Thu–Mon, Dec 24–28	Tue–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Dec 26	Red week — Mon–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Dec 26	Normal Christmas week; normal the week after from Mon, Dec 28
New Year's Day 2027 — Fri, Jan 1	Tue–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Jan 2	Blue week — Mon–Thu normal; Friday collected Sat, Jan 2	Normal Mon, Dec 28 through Thu, Dec 31

Two reminders about this table. First, the calendar that published these dates also marks the year's recycling red and blue weeks, and it lists Bulky Item Collection as beginning March 2, 2026 and Fall Leaf Collection as beginning November 2, 2026. Second, these dates are year-specific. Do not reuse the 2026 dates in 2027, and do not treat them as a permanent pattern. For the complete year and for any date not listed here, check the city's holiday collection schedule directly.

What You Pay (Only What Is Published)

Only these amounts are published in the city sources this guide relies on:

• First garbage cart: free, with free delivery. A second garbage cart: $65 per year.
• Yard waste: $130 for a green 96-gallon cart plus sticker; $65 for an annual renewal sticker on a cart you already own; up to three carts per residence at 150 pounds each.
• Landfill: homeowners get two free landfill passes every 12 months through the city's landfill permit page, and used appliances and up to five tires per household per year are accepted free from city residents.
• 3RC EnviroStation: household hazardous waste and electronics drop-off is free to city and Forsyth County residents.

Nothing else is priced here on purpose. The city does not publish, in these sources, fees for extra recycling carts, brush, leaf collection, bulky item pickup, or special collections — so this guide does not invent them. Published fees change, and cart and sticker requirements differ by what you already own. Confirm any amount with CityLink before you pay.

Where the Rest Goes: Landfill, Hazardous Waste, and Electronics

Not everything belongs at the curb. These are the official channels for the rest.

Facility	What it takes	Where and when
3RC EnviroStation	Household hazardous waste such as paint and chemicals; used motor oil and filters; automotive fluids; electronic waste including computers, televisions, monitors, and printers	1401 S Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27107; 336-784-4300; Wednesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; free to city and Forsyth County residents
Hanes Mill Road Landfill	Disposal loads, used appliances, and up to five tires per household per year at no charge to city residents	325 W Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27105; 336-661-4900; Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.–noon
Old Salisbury Road Landfill	Construction debris	3336 Old Salisbury Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27127
City recycling drop-off centers (three locations)	Recyclables for residents who need an option outside curbside pickup	Tuesday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Overdale and Forum 52 yard-waste drop-offs	Yard waste and landscaping debris from the public	4010 Old Milwaukee Lane; 180 Northstar Drive, Rural Hall

Computers, printers, and monitors can also be recycled through RECONNECT at any Goodwill store or donation center, any brand and any condition — that route is often easier than a trip to the EnviroStation.

A little state-law context explains why the city separates these streams at all. In North Carolina, yard waste cannot be disposed of in sanitary landfills. Plastic bottles have been banned from landfill disposal since October 1, 2009, and aluminum cans are also banned. Electronics are also banned from North Carolina landfills. So brush, leaves, yard carts, recycling, and the EnviroStation are not bureaucratic extras — they exist because the state will not let those materials go into the ground.

Missed Pickups, New Carts, and Help Rolling Carts Out

The most common requests, and the official path for each.

Missed collection. First, look for the red non-collection courtesy notice on or near the cart — it explains why the material was not collected. If there is no notice, call CityLink at 336-727-8000 on a weekday and allow 24 hours for the pickup. Missed collections are reported to a route supervisor, so report it the same week rather than waiting. Call the number and let it tell you its current staffing hours rather than relying on one printed window.

New or replacement carts, new service, and yard-cart and sticker orders. These go through CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000, or through the city's online yard-cart pages. Carts are assigned to addresses rather than people, so if a single-family house inside the city limits has no carts, call CityLink and the city delivers them.

Help rolling carts to the curb. Residents who cannot roll carts out because of a physical or other limitation can apply for backyard collection for garbage and recycling using the city's exemption form with a doctor's note. One form covers both services.

"Is this recyclable?" Call 723-2784 (72-EARTH).

Winston-Salem City Limits vs. Forsyth County and Private Service

Everything in this guide describes City of Winston-Salem curbside service for single-family households inside the city limits. Point by point:

• Outside the city limits, including unincorporated Forsyth County and other municipalities, this program does not apply — those addresses arrange their own service.
• Inside the city, apartment complexes, condos, mobile home parks, and businesses above three 32-gallon receptacles a week sit outside residential curbside collection and use container collection or a private hauler.
• An HOA or landlord may contract private service. If so, your schedule comes from that hauler, not the city.
• Some subdivisions are on separate municipal solid waste arrangements with a contract hauler — another reason to confirm the provider for your exact address.

One point of good news for county readers: unincorporated Forsyth County residents can still use county and city solid waste facilities such as the 3RC EnviroStation.

Confirm eligibility and your provider with CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000 before relying on any rule in this article.

Winston-Salem Trash Questions, Answered Quickly

When is my trash picked up? Look it up by address — there is no citywide day list. Use Winston-Salem Collects or the city's address service finder, or call CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000.

How do I find my garbage collection day? Type your street address into the Winston-Salem Collects app or the address service finder on the Solid Waste Collections page. The tool returns the day for your property, not for your neighborhood.

Red week or blue week — how do I know? Your recycling zone is assigned by address and published nowhere as a map or list. The app and the address finder return your week color; CityLink can read it to you.

What is Winston-Salem Collects? The city's mobile app (iOS and Android) for garbage, recycling, and yard-waste days, your service zone, and optional pickup reminders.

How much is a yard waste cart in Winston-Salem? $130 for a new green 96-gallon city yard cart plus its sticker, or $65 for an annual renewal sticker on a cart you already own. Up to three carts per residence, 150 pounds each.

How does bulky item pickup work in 2026? Free, once a year, single-family homes only, during your neighborhood cleanup week — the 2026 schedule runs March 2 through September 4. Postcard three to four weeks ahead, items out the weekend before, one truck pass.

What is the trash holiday schedule for 2026? There is no single rule. Garbage often runs normally while recycling and yard-waste carts are postponed a day, and Friday holidays push Friday routes to Saturday. The full table is above.

What is CityLink 311? The city's service line: 311 inside the city limits or 336-727-8000, text 855-481-LINK, email citylink@cityofws.org.

How do I report a missed trash pickup? Check for the red non-collection notice first; if there is none, call CityLink at 336-727-8000 on a weekday, report it the same week, and allow 24 hours.

What is the brush collection schedule? Brush is collected one quadrant at a time, clockwise, on roughly a three-to-four-week rotation, and crews spend about 21 business days in each quadrant. Brush is limited between November 1 and January 15 because of leaf season.

When is leaf collection in 2026? Free curbside leaf collection typically starts in early November and runs into January, with three passes through each quadrant. The 2026 calendar lists a November 2 start — confirm your quadrant's passes on the city's leaf route tool.

What are the recycling cart rules? One blue 96-gallon cart per single-family household, every other week, no sorting, nothing beside the cart, no plastic bags. Empty and rinse containers and flatten cardboard.

What is the Hanes Mill Road landfill pass? Homeowners get two free landfill passes every 12 months through the city's landfill permit page, and appliances and up to five tires per household per year are accepted free from city residents.

What is the 3RC EnviroStation? The drop-off for household hazardous waste and electronics at 1401 S Martin Luther King Jr. Drive — paint, chemicals, used oil, TVs, and computers — free to city and Forsyth County residents, Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Resident Scenarios

You just moved into a house near downtown. Your cart arrived, but you do not know the day. Check the postcard or roll-up that came with it, then look up your address in Winston-Salem Collects. If nothing is listed, call CityLink. Do not copy a neighbor's schedule — even houses on the same street can land on different recycling week colors.

You put the blue cart out on the right weekday and it was not emptied. You almost certainly rolled it out on the wrong week. Recycling is every other week on a red or blue zone tied to your address. Check your zone in the app, mark the next collection on your calendar, and turn on reminders.

You have a yard full of grass clippings after mowing season. You cannot put them out loose, and they are not free weekly yard waste. Either buy the green yard cart and sticker ($130, or $65 to renew a sticker on a cart you own) for weekly pickup, or take them to a yard-waste drop-off facility — never assume loose piles of grass will be taken.

You are clearing a downed tree limb. If it fits the brush limits — 6 inches wide, 6 feet long, cut ends aligned — it goes out with brush on its rotation. If the limb is bigger, it does not; oversize wood is on the refuse list for bulky pickup and is not collected as brush. Between November 1 and January 15, brush collection is limited because of leaf season, so plan around that window.

Your refrigerator finally died in July. You cannot call for a bulk pickup. Bulky collection is the once-a-year neighborhood cleanup, and 2026 runs March 2 through September 4, with one truck pass and a postcard three to four weeks ahead. If your week has passed, an appliance has to go to the landfill route, where used appliances are accepted free from city residents, not to the curb.

Your cart was left unemptied with no explanation. Look for the red courtesy notice on or near the cart first — it will tell you why. If there is no notice and the cart was out correctly (by 6 a.m., three feet of clearance, hinge away from the street, lid closed), call CityLink at 336-727-8000 on a weekday and allow 24 hours. Report it the same week.

It is the week of Memorial Day and you are not sure what shifts. Do not assume everything slides a day. On Memorial Day 2026, garbage is normal while recycling is postponed one day and yard-waste carts are postponed one day. Check your material separately on the city's holiday schedule.

You are painting the house and have half-empty cans left over. Paint cannot go in the garbage cart or into a landfill. Take it to the 3RC EnviroStation on Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — free for city and Forsyth County residents.

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Assuming a pickup day from a neighbor, a flyer, or a third-party site. Days are address-specific and unpublished as a list. Use the app, the address finder, or CityLink.
2. Rolling the blue cart out every week. Recycling is every other week on a red or blue zone. The day can be right while the week is wrong.
3. Expecting free weekly yard waste. In-cart yard waste is a paid, optional service. The free fall program is leaf collection, and brush is a separate rotation.
4. Mixing yard waste programs. Brush, leaves, and yard-waste carts are three different programs with different rules.
5. Putting the cart out too early or leaving it out too long. No earlier than 5 p.m. the day before; at the curb by 6 a.m.; removed by 8 a.m. the next day. Carts left out can be skipped.
6. Blocking the cart. Parked cars, mailboxes, trees, and other carts within three feet cause misses. So does placing the hinge toward the street or the cart in the street.
7. Using a personal can or store-bought cart. Only city-issued carts are collected.
8. Bagging recyclables in plastic. Curbside recyclables are handled without sorting; use paper bags if you bag at all, and keep plastic bags out.
9. Setting recyclables beside the cart. Automated trucks only empty the cart — extras go to the next collection or a drop-off center.
10. Overloading a yard cart or leaving the lid open. A yard-waste cart with the lid open is not serviced, and carts are limited to 150 pounds.
11. Waiting for the annual bulky pickup. It is once a year, single-family only, with one truck pass, and the 2026 window closes September 4. Plan the appliance replacement around the dates, not the other way around.
12. Mixing unacceptable material into a bulky pile. One paint can, tire, or bag of yard waste can mean nothing is collected.
13. Applying a blanket holiday rule. Garbage is frequently normal while recycling and yard waste shift. Check each material separately.
14. Reusing 2026 dates in 2027. The holiday calendar is year-specific.
15. Assuming the city serves every Winston-Salem address. Apartments, townhomes, mobile home parks, larger businesses, and addresses outside the city limits are served differently or not at all.

Verify Before You Act

Before your next pickup, confirm three things:

1. Your garbage day and your red or blue recycling week for your exact address — in Winston-Salem Collects or through CityLink.
2. Whether the coming week carries a holiday change — and check each material separately, because garbage is often normal while recycling and yard waste move.
3. Any fee, sticker renewal, or cart order requirement with CityLink before you pay.

Concretely: open the app or the address service finder, enter your street address, read the days and zone it returns, and save or print the schedule. Turn on app reminders. If you cannot use the tools, call CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000 and have the agent confirm your days and week.

This guide was checked against official City of Winston-Salem sources on September 9, 2026. Fees, cart rules, and holiday dates can change, and the 2026 calendar dates will be replaced in 2027. Verify your own address and your own week before you set anything out or pay anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What day is trash picked up in Winston-Salem? It depends on your address. Garbage is collected once a week on an assigned day that is not published as a citywide list, so look it up in the Winston-Salem Collects app or the city's address service finder, or call CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000 and an agent will give you your schedule.

How often is recycling collected, and how do I know if it is a red or blue week? Recycling is collected every other week from a 96-gallon blue cart on a red-week or blue-week zone assigned to your address. Only rolling the cart out on the right week gets it emptied, so check your zone in Winston-Salem Collects or call CityLink. No sorting is needed, and curbside recyclables go loose or in paper bags — never in plastic bags.

What can and cannot go in the blue recycling cart? Accepted: plastic bottles, aluminum cans, steel food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, office paper, and flattened cardboard. Keep out batteries, plastic bags and wraps, Styrofoam, food-tainted items, frozen food boxes, pizza boxes, clothing, diapers, electronics, tires, toys, scrap metal, and hazardous or medical waste. Empty and rinse containers, flatten cardboard, and never bag recyclables in plastic.

Is yard waste pickup free in Winston-Salem? In-cart yard waste collection is not free — it is an optional paid service. You buy a green 96-gallon city yard cart with a sticker for $130, or renew an annual sticker on a cart you own for $65, and then the cart is collected weekly. Fall leaf collection is the free curbside program, and brush is collected separately on its own rotation. You can also haul yard waste to the city's Overdale or Forum 52 drop-off facilities.

What time do carts have to be at the curb? Carts go out no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection and must be at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, then be removed by 8 a.m. the day after. Leave three feet of clearance from cars, mailboxes, trees, and other carts, put the lift handle toward the street, and keep the lid hinge facing away from the street. Only city-issued carts are collected.

How does bulky item pickup work in Winston-Salem? Bulky items such as furniture, appliances, mattresses, carpet, and toys are collected by city crews only during your annual neighborhood cleanup, which is free and for single-family homes only — not apartments, townhomes, or businesses. The 2026 weeks run March 2 through September 4, households get a postcard three to four weeks ahead, items go out the weekend before your collection week, and trucks make one pass. Items mixed with unacceptable material are not collected.

What changes on holidays in 2026? There is no single rule. On MLK Jr. Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, garbage follows its normal schedule while curbside recycling and yard-waste carts are postponed one day, and on Good Friday, Juneteenth, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day the Friday routes move to Saturday — except Independence Day 2026, when Friday garbage moved to Monday, July 6. Check the city's 2026 holiday collection calendar for your material before you set anything out, and do not reuse these dates in 2027.

Where do I take paint, electronics, old oil, or tires? Paint, chemicals, used motor oil and filters, and electronic waste including computers and televisions go to the 3RC EnviroStation at 1401 S Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, free to city and Forsyth County residents, Wednesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Used appliances and up to five tires per household per year are accepted free from city residents at the Hanes Mill Road Landfill. Computers, printers, and monitors can also go to RECONNECT at any Goodwill location.

How do I report a missed trash or recycling pickup? Look for the red non-collection courtesy notice that explains why the material was not collected. If there is no notice, call CityLink at 336-727-8000 on a weekday and allow 24 hours for the pickup. Report it the same week rather than waiting.

Does this apply to apartments, businesses, or addresses outside the city limits? No. Curbside garbage, recycling, yard waste, brush, leaf, and bulky collection covers single-family households receiving City of Winston-Salem service inside the city limits. Apartments, condos, mobile home parks, and larger businesses use container collection or a private hauler, though small businesses already on weekly hand collection with a small cart may be eligible for the recycling cart program. Addresses outside the city — including unincorporated Forsyth County — must arrange their own service, but can still use facilities such as the 3RC EnviroStation. Confirm your provider with CityLink at 311 before relying on these rules.

Related Guides

• Winston-Salem utilities — who provides water, sewer, and the rest: /nc/winston-salem/utilities/
• Winston-Salem water bill — billing, payment, and start or stop service: /nc/winston-salem/water-bill/
• Winston-Salem building permits — the Inspections Division and what needs a permit: /nc/winston-salem/building-permits/

Sources

Official City of Winston-Salem sources checked on September 9, 2026:

• City of Winston-Salem — Solid Waste Collections: https://www.cityofws.org/568/Solid-Waste-Collections
• City of Winston-Salem — Curbside Pickup: https://www.cityofws.org/590/Curbside-Pickup
• City of Winston-Salem — Recycling: https://www.cityofws.org/611/Recycling
• City of Winston-Salem — Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.cityofws.org/631/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• City of Winston-Salem — New Resident Resources: https://www.cityofws.org/1263/New-Resident-Resources
• City of Winston-Salem — Yard Waste Carts: https://www.cityofws.org/655/Yard-Waste-Carts
• City of Winston-Salem — Bulky Items: https://www.cityofws.org/587/Bulky-Items
• City of Winston-Salem — Brush Collection: https://www.cityofws.org/583/Brush-Collection
• City of Winston-Salem — Leaf Routes: https://www.cityofws.org/606/Leaf-Routes
• City of Winston-Salem — 3RC EnviroStation (Household Hazardous Waste): https://www.cityofws.org/1158/3RC-EnviroStation---Household-Hazardous-
• City of Winston-Salem — Red/Blue Week Holiday Collection Calendar 2026 (PDF): https://www.cityofws.org/DocumentCenter/View/41390/Red_Blue-Week-Holiday-Collection-Calendar-2026---85x11
• City of Winston-Salem — Landfill Permit: https://landfillpermit.cityofws.org/
• City of Winston-Salem — Civic Alert, holiday collection notice: https://cityofws.org/CivicAlerts.asp?AID=1926

This guide summarizes official City of Winston-Salem solid waste sources for reader use. Collection days, recycling weeks, fees, cart rules, and holiday dates can change, and the 2026 dates are year-specific. Verify your exact address in Winston-Salem Collects or with CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000 before acting.