This question also sometimes comes in with the idea to move trash to every other week and do recycling every week. There are a few reasons that isn't advisable at the moment, but we keep performance measures and evaluate all programs continually. We can promise that the idea of garbage collection every other week sounds much better than it actually is, especially in the summer months. Currently, Durham residents produce an average of about 1,500 pounds of garbage per household annually, and about 400 pounds of recycling annually. Residents can recycle all they want as we will provide up to 4 recycling carts for free. It would cost a significant amount to buy additional trucks and hire additional personnel and would provide little to no return. The environmental harm from running the additional vehicles would far outweigh any slight incremental environmental benefits that would be realized from higher collection frequencies. Residents can help by ensuring that boxes are broken down and flattened, plastic bottles, jugs and milk cartons are flattened and so on, to make best use of the space in their recycling carts.
Service request:
Click or call 919-560-1200