Junk removal in Winston-Salem, NC.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina runs an unusual bulk waste system: curbside bulky pickup happens only once per year, neighborhood by neighborhood, during a 6-month annual program from March through September. Crews make exactly one pass per neighborhood per year. Miss your week, and your options become donation, self-haul to Hanes Mill Road Landfill, or paid pickup. The trade-off is that the program is comprehensive when it does run: appliances, mattresses, furniture, and large items are all collected. The Forsyth County 3RC EnviroStation handles HHW and electronics free year-round. This guide covers every option for City of Winston-Salem residents.

Free options at a glance

Winston-Salem residents have several free disposal pathways. The annual program structure means timing matters more here than in cities with weekly or biweekly bulk pickup. Each option below has eligibility rules and accepted item lists; deeper details follow in the sections after.

Annual Bulky Item Pick-Up program

Winston-Salem’s annual Bulky Item Pick-Up is the city’s primary curbside bulk service. The 2026 program runs March 2 through September 4, 2026.

How the program works: Crews start in March and work through neighborhoods sequentially. Each neighborhood gets one designated week between March and September. The crews make a single pass through your street during your week. If they pass and your items aren’t out, they will not return until next year.

Finding your week:

· Households receive a postcard in the mail before the program begins, with the specific week assigned to their neighborhood.

· The Winston-Salem Collects app shows your collection week.

· The city’s bulky item lookup tool at cityofws.org accepts your address.

· Call CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000 to look up your week.

When to put items out: Items at curb by 6:00 AM on the first day of your collection week. Don’t place items more than 3 days in advance. The weekend before your scheduled week is the best time. Trucks come through only once during your week, so being out before they arrive is the key. Items placed at the curb after the truck has passed will not be collected.

Eligibility: Single-family residences within city limits only. Apartment buildings, condominiums, and businesses are not served by this program.

What’s accepted: Bulky household items including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, water heaters, sofas, mattresses, box springs, carpet, large furniture, and similar items that don’t fit in routine carts.

What’s NOT accepted: Construction debris, car parts, cement, electronic waste (TVs, computers go to 3RC EnviroStation), broken mirrors, lumber, oil drums, paints, rocks, tires, wood, and yard waste. Important: Mixing unacceptable items with collectible ones means none get picked up.

Refrigerators and refrigerant: Refrigerators and freezers are accepted. The city handles refrigerant recovery through its disposal chain.

Hanes Mill Road Landfill (year-round)

For residents who miss their annual week, have moved, or simply have items needing immediate removal, the Hanes Mill Road Landfill is the year-round backstop.

Address: 325 W Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27105.
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:00 AM–4:30 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM–noon.
Cost: Free for Winston-Salem residents with proof of residency.

What it accepts: Bulky items, yard waste, household waste. The landfill accepts most non-hazardous materials accepted at routine landfill operations.

NOT accepted at the landfill: Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, batteries) goes to 3RC EnviroStation. Tires require separate handling.

3RC EnviroStation HHW and electronics

The Forsyth County 3RC EnviroStation handles all hazardous and electronic waste for county residents. This is the right destination for items the bulky pickup and landfill don’t accept.

Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM (closed Sun–Tue).
Cost: Free for Forsyth County residents.
Required: Proof of Forsyth County residency.

What it accepts: Paint (latex and oil-based), motor oil, antifreeze, batteries (auto, household, lithium), pesticides, electronics (TVs, computers, monitors, printers), fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks (small), fire extinguishers.

Trash, recycling, and the red/blue weeks

Winston-Salem provides weekly garbage collection in a 96-gallon gray/black cart and bi-weekly recycling in a 96-gallon blue cart. Crews start at 7:00 AM, so carts must be out by then.

Red week vs. blue week: The city is divided into "red" and "blue" recycling zones, each on alternating weeks. Recycling collection happens on the same day as your garbage pickup but only every other week. Find your week and zone using the Winston-Salem Collects app, the service finder tool, or by calling CityLink at 311 / 336-727-8000.

Recycling rules: Single-stream, no sorting required. All recyclables go in the same blue cart. Don’t bag recyclables. Properly rinse plastic bottles and jugs. Glass bottles accepted (without lids).

NOT in recycling: Batteries, electronics, scrap metal, wood, medical waste, household hazardous waste, pizza boxes (food contamination), large toys, diapers, disposable cups, clothing, kitchen textiles.

Holiday schedule: Winston-Salem observes 10 holidays. When a holiday falls on a regular collection day, service is delayed by one day for that week only. All collections after the holiday shift one day later. Friday collections move to Saturday during holiday weeks.

Yard waste and the $65 program

Yard waste collection in Winston-Salem is an optional paid service. Participation requires:

· Yard waste cart: $65 one-time cart purchase (96-gallon)

· Annual sticker: $65 per year for service

· Total first year: $130; subsequent years $65 each

What goes in: Garden residue, grass, leaves, shrubbery clippings, sticks, small branches.

What does NOT go in: Animal waste, plastic bags, boxes, soil, large branches, rocks, construction dirt.

Free leaf collection: Separately, the city makes three free rounds of leaf collection each fall, beginning around November 7. The city is divided into 4 quads, each assigned a specific day for leaf collection.

Free alternative for yard waste: Drop off at Hanes Mill Road Landfill year-round (free for residents).

Donation pickup, what gets accepted

Donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (subject to program rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.

Items typically not accepted: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don’t work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), and exercise equipment that requires reassembly. Always call the program before scheduling.

Paid options

For items that don’t qualify for free programs, residents who missed their annual week, or households needing same-week service, paid options are available.

What to do, by item type

Reporting illegal dumping in Winston-Salem

Report illegal dumping to CityLink at 311 or 336-727-8000, or use the Winston-Salem Collects app. Include location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible.

For Forsyth County environmental violations outside city limits, contact Forsyth County Environmental Affairs. For active dumping in progress, call Winston-Salem Police non-emergency.

See our complete illegal dumping guide for North Carolina state penalty information and reporting best practices.

Common questions