Solid Waste Management Department

Recycling in the City of Durham

It’s easy to recycle in Durham. Place all your recyclable items in your blue cart. There is no need for any sorting. Recycling is collected every other week, depending on a red week or blue week schedule. Follow this link to view a recycling map to determine your collection day and collection week color.

This interactive map can also be used to determine your collection day and week. Once you go to this page, in the layers list, located on the right hand side over the map, click on boundaries, and check the box next to "Solid Waste Collection Day." Type your address in the upper right hand corner in the box next to quick search. Click the "GO" button and the collection information will be displayed on the map.

Curbside Recycling Items

Download our recycling brochure – effective January 2010>

  • Mixed paper: office paper, envelopes, paper egg cartons, shredded paper (must be placed in a paper bag first). NO napkins or paper plates.
  • Newspapers including inserts: They must be dry and clean. DO NOT tie or bundle. NO items with food, paint, animal waste, or dirt.
  • Junk mail, catalogs, & magazines: Remove any plastic cards or stickers. DO NOT tie or bundle.
  • Paperboard & chipboard: cereal boxes, shoes boxes, toothpaste boxes. NO boxes with a wax coating or that directly touched food, like a donut box.
  • Corrugated cardboard: NO pizza boxes, or anything with grease or food particles. NO waxed boxes.
  • NEW Aseptic Containers: juice boxes & soy milk containers.
  • NEW Gable-Top Containers: milk & juice cartons.
  • Glass bottles and jars: Food and beverage containers only. No mason jars, drinking glasses, ceramics, vases, mirrors, or windows.
  • Plastic bottles & jugs: All numbers. NO bottles that once contained hazardous materials like motor oil or pesticides. No bags, take out containers, or frozen food trays.
  • Six-pack rings: soft flexible rings only, NO hard plastic rings.
  • NEW Plastic jars: yogurt cups, margarine containers, peanut butter jars.
  • Aluminum: beverage cans, clean foil (no food residue), clean pie plates. NO scrap metal.
  • Tin & Steel Cans: Food and beverage cans only. NO scrap metal, pots, pans, or coat hangers.
  • Telephone books & small paperbacks: NO hardcover books.
  • NEW Rigid Plastics: clean buckets, plastic toys, & lawn furniture. Each item must be under two feet in length and weigh less than 40 pounds. No polystyrene or styrofoam.