Yard Waste
Year-Round Yard Waste Collection
Wake Forest provides weekly curbside collection to single-family homes, duplexes and select townhomes. Yard waste collection occurs one business day prior to your trash and recycling day. Yard waste is collected through carts and bags and on-demand collection.
Bagged Yard Waste & Household Containers
Wake Forest provides weekly curbside collection to single-family homes, duplexes and some townhomes. Yard waste collection occurs one business day prior to your trash and recycling day. Yard waste is collected through carts and bags and on-demand collection.
Acceptable yard waste includes grass clippings, leaves and trimmings too small to be included as a brush pickup.
Small branches less than four feet may be neatly stacked for collection. For larger limbs, schedule a free brush pickup. Accepted Materials include acorns, bamboo, dead plants, flower and vegetable debris, flowers, grass clippings, hay, ivy, leaves, pine cones, shrubs, small tree limbs, twigs, vines, weeds, wood chips.
Weeds and invasive plants are acceptable for yard waste collection. All yard waste is composted. The hot compost pile will kill weed seeds as well as invasive plants without having to worry about them popping up in your garden beds if you use compost.
Mulch is not accepted for collection.
*If bagging yard waste, please use a clear or paper bag.*
Schedule a Pickup
Brush collection requests are limited to 20 per service day to make sure we complete requests in a safe and timely manner. Collections will occur on your normal collection day. Residence receive brush collection of up to 8 cubic yards per week.
How to Prepare for Pickup
Place your trimmings at the curb no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before and by 7 a.m. on your collection day.
Items may be collected in a town yard waste cart, paper lawn/leaf bags or clear plastic bags.
Bags should weigh 50 pounds or less
Yard waste must not be included with regular trash. Trash will not be collected if trash and yard waste are mixed.
Remove dirt, litter, mulch, and sod
Brush and tree limbs too large to fit in a container or bag (over four feet) can be collected by scheduling a large brush collection.
Brush Pickup
Unbundled brush is defined as limbs longer than four feet and cannot fit in bags or in a household container. Brush is collected and recycled into wood mulch. Large quantities of brush resulting from the removal of more than one tree or land clearing will not be collected; the homeowner is responsible for its disposal. Brush is collected on your yard waste collection day as long as the form is submitted by 2pm the day before your yard waste day. Residence receive brush collection of up to 8 cubic yards per week.
How to Prepare for Pickup
Brush collection can only be done curbside and brush must be loose and unbundled, NOT contained in a bag or collection container.
Brush must be less than 10 inches in diameter and no longer than 6 feet.
Brush exceeding 6 inches in diameter must not exceed 2 feet
Brush must be set out by 7 a.m. on your collection day, but no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection.
Do not place in carts, bags or boxes- it must be visible to the driver
Avoid low-hanging power lines- drivers need a clearance of 25 feet
Don't place by parked cars, fixed objects, or fences.
- Up to 8 cubic yards per week, per residence
Did we miss your cart, bag or scheduled collection?
Two Types of Trucks Visit Your Street on Yard Collection Day - Leaf truck from October to March
Rearloader Yard Waste Truck | Collects Town-provided carts and household containers with yard waste, small sticks and limbs placed behind the curb | Limbs must be no more than 8 feet long and a maximum diameter of 8 inches. Larger logs, stumps and roots that exceed these dimensions should be placed at the curb in a different pile. These items are collected separately by the knuckleboom truck. |
| Truck Type | What This Truck Collects | Collection Tips |
Knuckleboom Truck | Safely and more efficiently collects limbs, logs, stumps and roots that are too large for the small yard waste truck | If you see the small yard waste truck pass your large pile of limbs, it’s very likely that the knuckleboom truck has been notified and will collect that pile by the end of the day. |
Contractors
Any yard waste pruned or cut by a contractor must be prepared according to the guidelines outlined above. Materials cannot be placed at the curb for collection prior to 5 p.m. the day before collection.
Leaf Collection
Leaves are picked up loose at the curb each year from Oct. 1 through the second Friday of March. Leaves should be placed next to and behind the curb, not in the street, so they do not interfere with traffic or drainage. From the third Monday in March through the end of September, grass clippings, loose leaves, pine straw, etc. must be either bagged (in a clear bag or paper bag) or in a container. Leaf piles and bags must be free of limbs, trash and debris. Please note, the schedule may be affected by leaf volume, weather conditions, mechanical issues, or other operational challenges.
For daily updates on leaf collection contact the leaf collection hotline at 919-435-9582.
Point of Service
All items must be placed next to and behind the curb by 7 am on the day of pickup. Yard waste is picked up from front of residence and we do not service yard waste in alleyways.
Pickups will be from occupied residences only - not from vacant lots or unoccupied properties.
Mulch & Wood Chips
To request the delivery of leaf mulch, contact Chad Hildebrandt
To request the delivery of wood chips, contact Betty Pearce
Each delivery is approximately 20 cubic yards.
Leaf mulch is available from October through March.
Please Note: The wood chips are not similar to the chips you would purchase in a home improvement store. The size, color, and type of wood chips is a mixture and are available year-round.
Mulch and dirt are not accepted for curbside collection.
Days of Service
Yard Waste Collection Schedule