Trash and recycling pickup in Asheville: schedule, holidays, bulk

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Asheville’s Sanitation Division and Buncombe County Solid Waste.

The City of Asheville’s Sanitation Division collects trash, recycling, brush and bulky items from homes inside the city’s collection area. Trash goes in the green roll cart and recycling in the blue cart, and both must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

Who to call

• Missed trash or brush pickup, bulky items, appliances: City of Asheville Customer Service, 828-251-1122, or The Asheville App
• Missed recycling: Curbside Management, 828-252-2532
• Sanitation Division: 828-259-5857, sanitation@ashevillenc.gov, 161 S. Charlotte St., second floor, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday
• Your schedule by address: AVL Collects

What day is my pickup?

Look up your address in AVL Collects, the city’s schedule tool, or download the free AVL Collects app. It gives a printable calendar and sends reminders that adjust for holidays and bad weather.

• Trash: green roll cart, on your collection day.
• Recycling: blue roll cart, every other week (an A or B week) on your collection day, as the city explained when it moved some streets between weeks.
• Brush and leaves: every other week. Put yard waste out by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week; it is picked up some time that week, according to the brush and leaves page.

Keep the blue and green carts 3 to 5 feet apart, and away from poles, mailboxes and cars. The trucks lift carts mechanically, and crews leave a sticker on a cart they could not reach, the city says on its missed recycling page.

Holiday schedule

From the city’s 2026 holiday collection schedule:

The Sanitation office is closed Dec. 24-28. Brush collection is limited from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1; areas missed in those two weeks are handled first the weeks after.

Bulky items, appliances and moving

All of these are scheduled through Customer Service at 828-251-1122 or The Asheville App, according to the city’s bulky items page:

• Furniture, beds, mattresses and box springs: collected on request. Put them at the curb by 7 a.m. on the scheduled day.
• Appliances and scrap metal: $10 an item for stoves, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners and water heaters, added to your utility bill. State law bans appliances from landfills.
• Moving in or out: the city collects a large amount of household trash one time only.
• Carpet: rolled in 4-foot rolls and tied with string or twine, not wire.

What goes in the blue cart

Rinse and empty everything, and do not bag recyclables, the city’s recycling guide says.

• Yes: plastic bottles, tubs, jugs and jars; steel and tin cans; glass bottles and jars; paper, cartons and flattened cardboard.
• No: foam, plastic bags and wrap, cords and hoses, clothing, food, batteries, foil, disposable cups and lids, electronics, mirrors, shredded paper and receipts.

Bears and your trash

Asheville rents bear-resistant trash carts for $10 a month per cart on top of the regular fee, with a one-year minimum and a waiting list. A privately owned bear cart must be registered with the Sanitation Division, according to the city’s bear cart page.

Brush rules

Brush and limbs must be cut to no more than 4 feet long and 6 inches across, stacked loose at the curb. Leaves go in paper yard waste bags or labeled rigid containers; plastic bags have been banned for yard waste since Aug. 1, 2023. The city does not take contractor brush, land-clearing debris or grass clippings. Burning leaves is not allowed in the city.

Landfill, transfer station and hazardous waste

Buncombe County runs the transfer station at 190 Hominy Creek Road in Asheville (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays) and the landfill on Panther Branch Road in Alexander. County Solid Waste: 828-250-5460. Household hazardous waste collection days are held at the landfill; call 828-250-5462 for the next one. Asheville GreenWorks runs Hard-2-Recycle events for batteries, electronics and foam; the next is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at T.C. Roberson High School, the city announced Sept. 11.

What it costs

Since July 1, 2026, the city’s solid waste fee is $20 a month on the combined water, sewer and stormwater bill, plus $20 a month for each extra roll cart. Residential recycling has no fee.

What this means for you

• Carts out by 7 a.m., 3 to 5 feet apart.
• Thanksgiving week, Thursday pickup moves to Friday, Nov. 27.
• Book bulky items by phone or app before you put them out.
• Recycling is every other week: check AVL Collects for your week.

More city services: who to call at City Hall and property taxes.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Asheville?

Each address has its own collection day. Look it up by address in the city’s AVL Collects tool or app, and have carts at the curb by 7 a.m. that day.

Is Asheville recycling every week?

No. Curbside recycling in blue carts is collected every other week, on an A or B week, on your collection day. AVL Collects shows which week is yours.

Does Asheville trash pickup change for Thanksgiving?

Yes. There is no collection on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. Thursday customers are collected Friday, Nov. 27.

How do I get a couch or mattress picked up in Asheville?

Call the city at 828-251-1122 or use The Asheville App to schedule bulky item collection, then put the items at the curb by 7 a.m. on the scheduled day.

How much is the Asheville trash fee?

Since July 1, 2026, the city charges a $20 monthly solid waste fee on the combined utility bill. There is no fee for residential recycling.