What it costs to dump in North Carolina: 2026 landfill fees by city
This is the North Carolina breakdown. For the national picture — how gate rates, minimum charges and by-vehicle pricing compare across every state we cover — see how much it costs to dump at a landfill.
North Carolina is unusual: neighboring counties don't just charge different amounts, they charge in completely different units. Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem bill by the vehicle, from $5 to $25. Asheville and Hickory's county centers bill by the bag. Gaston County sells prepaid GarbCards. Wake, Iredell and Cumberland counties fold household disposal into an annual fee, so there's no gate charge at all. Everywhere else, it's by the ton, from $37 to $66. We checked every rate against the county or city's own fee schedule for 14 metros and put them side by side.
2026 cost to dump in North Carolina, city by city
| City | Residents pay | Standard gate rate | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | $2 a 33-gallon bag at the transfer station ($12 minimum under 380 lbs); appliances, cardboard and 10 tires free | Landfill $53.50/ton residential ($10 minimum) | TVs go to the landfill in Alexander, not the in-town transfer station |
| Cary | No gate fee at Wake County convenience centers (funded by a $20/year homeowner fee); $15 curbside bulky pickup | $37/ton at the South Wake Landfill | The Town's Dixon Ave center stops taking trash on January 1, 2027 |
| Charlotte | Recycling and hazardous waste free; 5 bags of trash and 1 bulky item free | $15 a load bulky, $25 a load C&D; $65/ton weighed | Card only; mixed loads are charged at the C&D rate |
| Concord | $6 for up to 5 bags; $15 a pickup load of household trash | $64/ton C&D, plus $2/ton state tax | Card only, no cash; no house cleanouts |
| Durham | $5 a car, $10–$20 a pickup for trash; $2–$11 for yard waste | $65/ton for commercial vehicles | Card only; be inside the gate 15 minutes before closing |
| Fayetteville | Homeowners: 4 cubic yards a week free (covered by the $130/year user fee) | $20 flat per car or pickup trip; $46/ton for trailers | Last load 3:45 p.m. on weekdays |
| Gastonia | $5 GarbCard for 1–10 bags at the convenience centers | $46/ton at the landfill, $23 minimum | $200 surcharge for an uncovered load |
| Greensboro | $15 a car, $25 a pickup at both City sites | $52/ton trash; $41/ton C&D and $43/ton yard waste at White Street | White Street is cash or local check only; hi-vis vest required |
| Hickory | $2 a bag, $20–$30 a pickup at Catawba County convenience centers | $41.09/ton at the Blackburn Landfill ($20.55 minimum) | The City's own drop-offs take recycling only |
| Mooresville | Household trash, brush and appliances free (covered by the county availability fee) | $66/ton for C&D ($44 plus a $22 transportation fee) | No concrete, brick or shingles; commercial loads stop at 2:45 p.m. |
| Raleigh | No gate fee at Wake County convenience centers; City bulky pickup $35 a load | $37/ton at the South Wake Landfill | City Yard Waste Center is $55/ton, card only |
| Statesville | Household trash free (availability fee); remodeling debris $8 a half pickup, $16 a full one | $44/ton at the Twin Oaks landfill | County decal required; convenience sites are residential only |
| Wilmington | $5 minimum, charged on exact weight | $61/ton household waste and C&D | $150 surcharge for nuisance loads |
| Winston-Salem | $7 a car, $15 a pickup in the flat-rate lane; City homeowners get 2 free trips a year | $37/ton, $10 minimum | The flat-rate lane is on the left of the scale house |
Rates checked against each county or city's own fee schedule in September 2026, most of them effective July 1, 2026. Heavy loads, construction debris, shingles, tires and electronics are usually billed separately from household waste. Always confirm with the facility before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your ZIP or city for the nearest disposal sites, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
North Carolina prices the same load four different ways
This is what makes comparing North Carolina landfills confusing, and it's worth understanding before you load up.
Prepaid through a county fee. Wake County funds its 11 convenience centers with a $20 annual homeowner fee. Iredell charges a $64 availability fee on the tax bill ($32 with the exemption). Cumberland homeowners pay $130 a year, which covers 4 cubic yards a week. In all three, a household load has no gate price.
By the vehicle. Durham charges $5 for a car up to $20 for a heaped pickup. Greensboro charges $15 for a car and $25 for a pickup or van at both City sites. Winston-Salem's flat-rate lane is $7 or $15. Fayetteville charges a flat $20 a trip for chargeable debris. A car crammed to the roof costs the same as one with three bags in it, so fill it.
By the bag or the load. Asheville's transfer station charges $2 a bag. Catawba County's centers near Hickory charge $2 a bag or $20–$30 a pickup. Gaston County sells $5 GarbCards (one covers up to 10 bags), and Concord charges $6–$24 a load. Charlotte's centers charge $15 a load for bulky waste and $25 for construction debris, and Iredell's convenience sites take remodeling debris at $8–$16 a pickup.
By the ton. Landfills and anything bigger than a pickup: $37 at Wake County and Winston-Salem, $41–$46 at Catawba, Gaston, Cumberland and Iredell, $52–$66 at Greensboro, Wilmington, Concord, Charlotte and Mooresville.
The practical lesson: sort before you go. Yard waste, recycling, appliances and hazardous household items are cheaper or free in a separate stream almost everywhere. In Charlotte and Concord, mixing yard waste into a construction load bumps the whole thing to the higher rate.
The cheapest and most expensive places to dump in North Carolina
Cheapest for residents: the prepaid counties. Wake County's convenience centers (Raleigh, Cary) are open every day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no gate fee. In Iredell (Statesville, Mooresville) and for Cumberland homeowners (Fayetteville), household trash is covered by the annual fee.
Cheapest paid load: Durham at $5 a carload, Winston-Salem at $7, and Asheville at $2 a bag. Winston-Salem also gives City single-family homeowners a free permit for two free trips a year.
Most expensive per ton: Mooresville at $66 for construction debris. That includes a $22 transportation fee, because Mooresville is a transfer station and everything tipped there is trucked on to the landfill. The same load costs $44 at Twin Oaks in Statesville. Charlotte's weighed loads and Durham's commercial rate are $65, and Wilmington charges $61 for household waste, though its $5 minimum keeps small loads cheap.
The hidden fees that catch people out
The headline rate is rarely the whole bill. These are the ones that surprise people in North Carolina:
- Uncovered loads. Gaston County adds $200 to every uncovered or unsecured load. Catawba and Iredell counties charge $50, and Charlotte can add up to 50%. A tarp and two ratchet straps prevent all of it.
- Nuisance and late-load charges. Wilmington adds $150 for loads that need special handling. Greensboro's White Street Landfill asks for a $150 deposit on loads arriving after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays (12:30 p.m. Saturday). Staying past closing in Charlotte costs $50 for every 15 minutes.
- Payment rules. Charlotte, Concord and Durham take cards only, as does Raleigh's Yard Waste Center. Greensboro's White Street Landfill takes cash or local check only. Gaston County's centers take only GarbCards, bought in advance from local vendors.
- Safety gear. Greensboro requires a high-visibility vest and closed-toe shoes to unload. Catawba and Iredell require hi-vis clothing, and Charlotte requires it on the landfill working face. Some sell or lend vests at the gate; Greensboro turns you away without one.
- Minimum charges. Gaston County's landfill charges $23 for any load under half a ton, and Catawba County $20.55 up to 1,000 lbs. A few bags cost less at a convenience center.
- The $2/ton state disposal tax. Some counties quote it built in (Wake, Wilmington, Catawba); others add it at the scale (Concord, Iredell, Winston-Salem). Ask which you're being quoted.
- Decals and residency. Iredell County requires a county decal. Charlotte's resident rate needs a free blue sticker, and Wake County checks residency for mattresses and construction debris. Sort it out before your first trip.
Some things can't go in the load at any price
North Carolina bans 14 materials from landfills under state law (G.S. 130A-309.10), not local policy. Scrap tires, lead-acid batteries, appliances, used oil and oil filters, antifreeze, yard trash, wooden pallets, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, oyster shells and computers and televisions all have to go somewhere other than the landfill.
That last one catches people out: an old TV or computer can't go in a North Carolina landfill load at all. Lithium-ion batteries join the list on December 1, 2026, the same day solar panels are banned from construction-debris landfills.
The full list, and where each item goes instead, is in our guide to what you can't throw away in North Carolina.