Official Town Yellow Bags Bin (Trash)
All household garbage must be placed in official Town of Southold Yellow Bags, whether you use a private carter or self-haul to the transfer station. Private carters will refuse unbagged garbage, and self-haulers without yellow bags will be charged a much higher scale fee.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
- ✓Latex paint (must be completely dried out)
Personal bins or clear bags Bin (Recycling)
Recyclables are dropped off free of charge at the Cutchogue Transfer Station in separated bunkers. Do not place recyclables inside the Town Yellow Bags.
Accepted Items
- ✓Mixed paper and cardboard
- ✓Plastics #1 and #2 ONLY
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
- ✓Metal cans
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastics #3 through #7
- ✕Plastic grocery bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Hazardous chemicals
- ✕Fabric or clothing
Yard Waste Bin
Seasonal highway department pickups require leaves to be placed in heavy-duty biodegradable paper bags. Plastic yard bags are strictly forbidden. Yard waste can also be self-hauled to the Cox Lane compost facility for a fee by weight.
Accepted Items
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Brush
- ✓Branches (Spring only for curbside)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Self-Haul to Transfer Station
Placement
If you have a private carter, you must negotiate bulk pickups and extra fees directly with them. Otherwise, haul the items to 6155 Cox Lane.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture and couches
- ✓ Mattresses
- ✓ Construction and demolition (C&D) debris
- ✓ Appliances and E-Waste (Free drop-off for electronics)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Hazardous waste (must wait for a STOP day)
- ✕ Explosives or ammunition
- ✕ Liquid chemicals
Rubbish and C&D debris are assessed a tipping fee based on the scale weight. Cash, check, or credit cards are accepted at the scale house.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
The Southold Transfer Station and Compost Facility are open 7 days a week but are fully closed on major town-observed holidays.
Yard Waste Exception
The Transfer Station's Reuse Area is closed on all holiday weekends and STOP (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) days.
Because curbside pickup is privatized in Southold, holiday route delays vary by company. You must check with your specific private carter to see if your collection day shifts.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Check Your Plastic Numbers
The Southold Transfer Station recycling bunkers strictly accept plastics marked #1 and #2. All other plastic containers, including yogurt tubs (#5) and clamshell containers, must be discarded in your yellow garbage bags.
Dry Out Latex Paint
Do not bring latex (water-based) paint to Household Hazardous Waste collection days. It is not considered hazardous. Simply leave the lid off until the paint dries completely solid, then dispose of it in your standard trash.
Never Use Plastic Yard Bags
During the town's seasonal leaf clean-ups, leaves must only be packed in 60-pound biodegradable kraft paper bags. Crews will flatly reject and leave behind any yard waste packed into plastic garbage bags.
Seasonal Information
Spring
April to MayThe Southold Town Highway Department conducts a free curbside yard waste clean-up, collecting both branches and biodegradable bags of leaves. Exact neighborhood dates are published annually on the town website.
Fall
November to DecemberA second free curbside sweep is conducted by the Highway Department for leaves only. Brush and branches are not included in the autumn pickup and must be hauled to the compost facility.
Winter
JanuaryThe town does not offer dedicated curbside Christmas tree pickup. Residents must coordinate with their private carter or self-haul dead trees to the compost facility to avoid holiday fire hazards.
About Southold Waste Management
Southold’s Decentralized Waste Collection Model
The Town of Southold does not provide municipal curbside pickup for household garbage or recycling. To manage their daily waste, residents are presented with a choice: either hire a licensed private carter for curbside collection, or act as a 'self-hauler' by transporting materials directly to the Cutchogue Transfer Station. This decentralized model is designed to minimize local tax burdens and grant property owners maximum flexibility.
Mandatory Yellow Bag Pay-As-You-Throw System
Regardless of whether you use a private sanitation company or drive your own trash to the transfer station, all standard household garbage in Southold must be placed inside official municipal Yellow Bags. This 'Pay-As-You-Throw' system funds the town's waste disposal costs directly through user fees rather than property taxes. Bags are sold in 13-gallon, 33-gallon, and 44-gallon sizes at local retailers, the Town Clerk’s Office, and via a vending machine at the transfer facility.
Free Recycling for Self-Haulers
To encourage landfill diversion, the Southold Transfer Station accepts residential recyclables completely free of charge. If you arrive at the facility solely to drop off sorted paper, cardboard, glass bottles, and #1 or #2 plastics, the standard $5 single-entry gate fee is waived. Remember, recyclable items should never be placed inside the required yellow garbage bags, as they must remain loose and uncontaminated.
Strict Ban on Composting Invasive Species
The Southold Town Highway Department offers free seasonal curbside collections for yard waste—specifically branches in the spring and leaves in the fall. However, under state guidelines, the municipal compost facility categorically rejects invasive species such as bamboo, phragmites, Japanese knotweed, and fountain grass. These invasive plants must be bagged separately as general rubbish, weighed at the transfer station scales, and sent to a waste-to-energy plant.
The Free Transfer Station Reuse Area
Instead of throwing away perfectly functional items, residents can take advantage of the free Reuse Area located at the Cutchogue Transfer Station. Open Friday through Sunday, this materials exchange zone allows locals to drop off clean, 100% usable goods like bicycles, small kitchen appliances, and solid wood furniture. Attendants monitor the area to ensure broken or soiled items are rejected and disposed of at the owner's expense.
Drop-off Facilities
Southold Transfer Station & Compost Facility
6155 Cox Lane, Cutchogue, NY 11935
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
I just moved to Southold. When is my garbage day?
The Town of Southold does not provide municipal garbage collection. You must either hire a private carter for curbside service or act as a 'self-hauler' and bring your waste directly to the Cutchogue Transfer Station.
What happens if I don't use the yellow garbage bags?
All standard household garbage must be in official Town Yellow Bags. If you use a private carter, they will refuse to collect unbagged trash. If you self-haul in standard black bags, the transfer station will force you to weigh your vehicle on the commercial scales and pay a significantly higher 'rubbish' tipping fee.
Can I recycle my old TV or computer at the transfer station?
Yes. Thanks to New York's Product Stewardship law, the Cutchogue Transfer Station accepts electronic waste (E-Waste) completely free of charge. Bring your old TVs, computers, monitors, and gaming consoles to the designated e-waste containers during normal business hours.
Do I have to pay to get into the transfer station if I'm just recycling?
No. While self-haulers without an annual vehicle permit must usually pay a $5 single-entry fee, this fee is entirely waived if you are only bringing sorted recyclables to the drop-off bunkers.