Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Concord
Trash Day
Weekly collection Monday through Friday, depending on your assigned neighborhood route.
Recycling
Bi-weekly (every other week) on your designated trash collection day.
Yard Waste
Weekly on the same day as your regular trash collection.
Set Out Time
By 6:00 AM on collection day.
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Solid waste and recycling services are conveniently bundled into your monthly City of Concord utility bill alongside water, sewer, and electric services.
Billing Cycle
Monthly
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay (Bank Draft), Phone, Mail, In-Person, Payment Kiosks
Green/Gray City-issued Cart Bin (Trash)
All garbage must be securely bagged before being placed in the rollout cart to prevent litter and deter pests. Have carts at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on collection day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
- ✓Small broken household goods
Blue City-issued Cart Bin (Recycling)
Recyclables must be placed loosely in the blue cart. Never bag your recyclables. Collection occurs on a bi-weekly basis on your scheduled trash day.
Accepted Items
- ✓Cardboard (flattened)
- ✓Paper and magazines
- ✓Aluminum and steel cans
- ✓Plastic bottles, jugs, and jars
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic grocery bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Electronics
- ✕Household hazardous waste
- ✕Tanglers (cords, hoses, wires)
Yard Waste Bin
Place yard waste loosely at the curb or in open, personal yard waste containers. Do not mix yard waste with household trash, dirt, or rocks.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Small brush
- ✓Tree limbs (size restricted)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly on your standard collection day
Placement
Place items securely at the curb, keeping them distinctly separate from yard waste piles and ensuring they do not obstruct mailboxes, fire hydrants, or regular rollout carts.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (couches, tables, chairs)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Large household appliances (white goods)
- ✓ General large household debris
Not Accepted
- ✕ Construction and demolition debris (contractor generated)
- ✕ Hazardous waste and chemicals
- ✕ Tires
- ✕ Engine parts with fluids
Standard residential bulky item pickup is included in your solid waste service, but specialized tire disposal or contractor-level construction debris will not be collected and must be hauled to the landfill privately.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas generally cause a one-day delay in collection services for the remainder of the week, with Friday routes being collected on Saturday.
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste and bulky item pickup are subject to the same holiday delay schedule as standard garbage collection.
Because the exact holiday schedule can shift based on what day of the week a holiday falls, the City strongly recommends downloading the CARTology app to receive automatic push notifications regarding specific delays.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Autumn
October to DecemberDuring peak leaf-falling season, the City of Concord typically operates specialized loose leaf collection routes. Monitor the CARTology app for neighborhood-specific vacuum schedules so you don't have to bag all your leaves.
Winter
JanuaryLive Christmas trees are collected curbside in January. All decorations, lights, tinsel, and the tree stand must be completely removed before placing the tree out on your regular yard waste day.
Spring
March to MaySpring cleaning generates high volumes of bulky waste. While you can place items at the curb weekly, ensure oversized piles do not block the street, sidewalks, or access to your regular rollout carts.
Local Tips & Community Info
Cabarrus County's Cart Collection System
Nestled in the heart of Cabarrus County, the City of Concord delivers dependable weekly garbage collection to keep neighborhoods clean. Every single-family household is equipped with a dark green rollout cart specifically for household refuse. Solid waste crews start their routes early, so residents must have their green carts at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on their scheduled service day. To prevent automated truck arms from tipping over other objects, your container must be placed with at least three feet of clearance from mailboxes, vehicles, and utility poles. The metal lifting bar should always face the street. Carts left at the curb for consecutive days violate local neighborhood ordinances, so be sure to pull them back to your garage or backyard by the evening following your pickup.
Using the CARTology App for Blue Cart Recycling
Concord runs a bi-weekly recycling program utilizing large blue rollout carts. Because keeping track of alternating weeks can be confusing, the city heavily promotes its proprietary 'CARTology' mobile app. Available for free download, CARTology provides personalized collection calendars and instant push notifications. When filling your blue cart, stick to the basics: flattened corrugated cardboard, aluminum beverage cans, glass jars, and rigid plastic bottles. Never toss items like styrofoam, food waste, or plastic grocery bags into the recycling bin. Contaminated carts will receive a warning tag and may be bypassed by the collection driver entirely.
Navigating Loose Leaf Season and Yard Debris
Managing lawn clippings and fallen leaves in Concord requires attention to seasonal guidelines. For the majority of the year, yard waste is collected weekly but must be properly contained. You can use compostable paper yard sacks, clear plastic bags, or your own 32-gallon trash cans left unlidded. However, from mid-October through February, Concord shifts into its highly anticipated 'Loose Leaf Season.' During this specific window, residents are permitted to rake leaves directly to the edge of the street—behind the curb, not in the roadway—where specialized vacuum trucks will collect them on a published zone-by-zone schedule.
Reserving Your Bulky Waste Pickup
Replacing bulky furniture or discarding broken appliances? Concord prohibits residents from dumping large items indiscriminately on the sidewalk. Instead, you must request a specialized bulk pickup. This can be done rapidly through the CARTology app or by calling the city's Customer Care center at 704-920-5555. There is no additional charge for standard residential bulk pickups, provided they are scheduled in advance and do not contain restricted materials such as wet paint, tires, or construction debris generated by private contractors.
Sanitation Calendar Modifications for Holidays
City employees observe several annual holidays, resulting in modifications to the normal waste collection calendar. Holidays such as Good Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day typically prompt a one-day delay in neighborhood service. For example, if a recognized holiday occurs on a Tuesday, all Tuesday routes shift to Wednesday, and the rest of the week follows suit, ending with Friday collections occurring on Saturday. The CARTology app will automatically push an alert to your phone whenever these holiday shifts happen.
Drop-off Facilities
Cabarrus County Construction & Demolition Waste Landfill
4441 Irish Potato Road, Concord, NC 28025
Materials Accepted
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
246 General Services Drive SW, Concord, NC
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out my recycling week in Concord?
The most efficient way to view your personalized bi-weekly recycling calendar is by downloading the City of Concord's free CARTology mobile app or searching your address on the city's official solid waste webpage.
Can I rake my leaves to the curb for pickup?
You can only rake loose leaves to the curb during the designated Loose Leaf Season, which runs from mid-October through February. Outside of these months, all yard debris must be bagged or placed in 32-gallon containers.
What is the phone number to schedule an appliance pickup in Concord?
To arrange for the removal of white goods, appliances, or heavy furniture, you must call the Concord Customer Care center at 704-920-5555 or use the CARTology app.