Wake Forest disposal guide

How to Get Rid of Junk in Wake Forest, NC

Wake Forest households on Town trash service get two free bulk pickups a year, on Tuesdays by appointment. Paint, batteries and chemicals go to a Wake County household hazardous waste site. Refrigerators and electronics go to the North Wake recycling facility, and usable furniture can go to the ReStore on Capital Blvd. This guide covers where every common item goes.

Item by item

Where Each Type of Junk Goes in Wake Forest

Find the thing you are trying to get rid of, then follow the route. Rules change, so each card links to the office that sets them.

Furniture and Other Bulky Items

Couches, recliners, tables, dressers, desks, rugs and exercise equipment can go out on a Town bulk pickup. Residents get two free bulk collections each calendar year, and the Town charges $50 for each one after that. Pickups run on Tuesdays by appointment only.

Mattresses and Box Springs

Mattresses and box springs are on the Town's bulk pickup list. Wake County convenience centers 1, 2, 4, 7 and 11 also take up to two a day from county residents. Neither of the two centers in Wake Forest is on that list. The South Wake Landfill shreds extra mattresses for a fee.

Appliances

Washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers and water heaters can go on a bulk pickup. Refrigerators, freezers and A/C units hold Freon, so the Town won't collect them. Take them to the North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility, 9029 Deponie Drive, Raleigh, which accepts large appliances.

TVs, Computers and Electronics

North Carolina has banned computer equipment and televisions from disposal since July 1, 2011. The Town's bulk pickup won't take TVs, computers, printers or microwaves. The North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility accepts any corded electronic device.

Paint, Chemicals and Batteries

Liquid paint, thinners, pesticides, pool chemicals, gasoline, batteries, fluorescent tubes and small propane tanks go to a Wake County household hazardous waste site. Dried-out paint cans can go in your trash cart. The sites are for Wake County residents only, so bring proof of residency.

Yard Waste, Brush and Leaves

Yard waste is collected weekly in paper yard waste bags or marked reusable containers, not plastic bags. Brush goes loose at the curb, up to 8 cubic yards a week. Loose leaf collection runs from the first Monday in October to the second Friday in March. The Town won't collect land-clearing debris or stumps from lots.

Concrete, Drywall and Remodel Debris

The Town's bulk pickup excludes construction and remodeling material, concrete, lumber, sheetrock, flooring and carpet. Wake County accepts household construction debris only from homeowners, not tenants or hired contractors. Everyone else uses a private C&D facility from the County's list.

Things Still Worth Using

Furniture, appliances and building materials in good condition can be donated to the Habitat Wake Forest ReStore at 12253 Capital Blvd. The donation dock closes before the store does, and larger items can be booked for a pickup. The Town also suggests Vietnam Veterans of America and Goodwill.

Cardboard and Moving Boxes

Fold or cut cardboard to fit in your recycling cart, because the automated trucks can't collect anything left outside it. After a move, the Town says to book a bulk pickup for cardboard that won't fit. Break the boxes down, with no styrofoam or packing fill.

Town of Wake Forest bulk pickup

How Wake Forest's Bulk Pickup Works

Bulk pickup is the simplest way to clear large items in Wake Forest if your home is on Town trash service. It's for items too large for the trash cart, it runs on Tuesdays by appointment, and two collections each calendar year are free.

Schedule a Bulk Pickup

List Every Item

The crew only collects what's on your form. If it isn't listed, it stays at the curb, so write down every piece before you submit.

Book a Tuesday

Pickups are by appointment only. Collection starts at 7 a.m. and usually ends around 5 p.m., though it can occasionally roll into Wednesday.

Prepare Each Item

Break down swing sets, trampolines and basketball goals. Drain toilets, take the propane off grills, drain fuel from mowers, and tape and wrap any mirrors or glass.

Get It to the Curb by 7 a.m.

Place items within six feet of the curb and at least four feet from mailboxes, poles and vehicles. Keep them off the sidewalk and out of the road. Any litter left after collection is yours to clean up.

North Wake HHW, 9037 Deponie Drive, Raleigh

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off for Wake Forest

Wake County runs three household hazardous waste sites for county residents, with no business waste accepted. The nearest to Wake Forest is North Wake, which has been temporarily closed since a fire in January 2025. Until it's rebuilt, the County holds a collection event there every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The South Wake site in Apex is open Monday to Saturday.

Latex and oil-based paint, stains and varnishes

Paint thinners, mineral spirits and solvents

Gasoline and fuel, up to 5 gallons per container

Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers

Pool and spa chemicals

Propane tanks up to 20 pounds

Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs

Household, rechargeable and vehicle batteries

Mercury thermometers and thermostat switches

Not accepted at the hazardous waste sites: business waste, ammunition and explosives, asbestos, Freon and refrigerants, hoverboards, medical waste, needles, prescription medicine, smoke detectors and spray foam tanks. Motor oil, antifreeze and oil filters go to the Multi-Material Recycling Facilities instead. Latex paint is limited to 10 gallons, and box trucks, enclosed trailers, dual-axle trailers and company vehicles are turned away. Be ready to show proof of Wake County residency.

North Carolina law

Never Put These in Your Wake Forest Trash Cart

TVs, computers, monitors and printers

Refrigerators, washers and other large appliances

Car and other lead-acid batteries

Used motor oil and antifreeze

Whole tires

Yard waste, which the Town collects separately

Self-hauling

Hauling Junk Yourself From Wake Forest

Use the Two Local Convenience Centers

Wake County runs two convenience centers in Wake Forest, at 3913 Lillie Liles Road and 2001 Durham Road (Hwy 98). Both are open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for county residents. They take household trash, furniture under 8 feet, scrap metal, cardboard, recycling and clothing.

Know What They Won't Take

The Wake Forest centers don't list mattresses, electronics, appliances, construction debris or hazardous waste. Those go to the North Wake recycling or hazardous waste sites, or to one of the other convenience centers that take them.

Secure the Load and Check Your Vehicle

The County requires open-body vehicles hauling waste to be secured against blown and spilled debris. If you're bringing trash in a box truck, dual-axle or enclosed trailer, request the County's free Trash Pass before you go.

Weigh the Real Cost

A self-haul often takes a borrowed or rented truck, several trips, loading time and a free weekend. For one load of yard waste that's fine. For a whole garage it adds up fast.

If hauling it yourself doesn't add up, tell us what needs to go and where it is on the property.

When the Town options don't fit

When a Junk Removal Service Makes More Sense

The Town and County programs cover most small jobs, and you should use them. They stop working when any of these apply.

Questions

Wake Forest Junk Disposal FAQ

Two per calendar year, on Tuesdays by appointment. The Town charges $50 for each extra collection.

No. Bulk pickup can't collect anything that contains Freon. Wake County's North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility (9029 Deponie Drive, Raleigh) accepts refrigerators, freezers and A/C units.

No. North Carolina has banned computer equipment and TVs from disposal since July 1, 2011, and bulk pickup excludes electronics. The North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility takes any corded device.

Book it on a bulk pickup, or take up to two a day to Wake County convenience center Sites 1, 2, 4, 7 or 11. The Wake Forest centers (Sites 6 and 8) don't take mattresses. The South Wake Landfill shreds extra mattresses for a fee.

It has been temporarily closed since a January 2025 fire. The County holds a collection event there every Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for county residents. South Wake in Apex is open Monday to Saturday.

Flatten them into your recycling cart. For more than will fit, the Town says to schedule a bulk pickup, with the boxes broken down and no styrofoam or packing fill.

Sources

Where This Information Comes From

Program rules belong to the agencies that run them. Confirm hours and accepted items with them before you load up.

Too much for a curbside pickup?

Get Junk Removed in Wake Forest, NC

Tell us what needs to go and where it is on the property, and we'll take it from there.

We lift it. We load it. We haul it away.