Residential Recycling

Single-Family Households

Single-Family households are provided with one green City of Winston-Salem 18-gallon recycling bin and may receive up to one additional bin, upon request, at no charge.

Paper products must be separated from commingled products. Place mixed glass, plastic, steel, and aluminum products into the green recycling bin. For paper products, use a second bin or a brown paper bag. Refer to Preparing Materials.
For maximum efficiency, place your bin(s) out when full.

Place your bin(s) at the curb, or within five feet of the roadway, by 6:00 a.m. on your collection day. Bins must be visible - can not be blocked by parked vehicles or shrubs, etc. After your bin has been serviced, remove it from the curb and store safely. 

Bins are provided for recycling purposes only. If you move, leave your bin(s) behind for the next family. All bins remain the property of the City of Winston-Salem.

For bin requests, missed collections, schedule information, etc., call the Recycling Hotline at 72-EARTH (723-2784) or use the online request-a-bin form.

Multi-Family Households

Recycling is available to apartments, condominiums, townhouses, and mobile home parks. The program collects newspaper, magazines, telephone  books, chipboard, junk mail and office paper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum beverage cans, steel food and beverage cans, empty aerosol cans, and all plastic bottles, excluding hazardous waste bottles. See Preparing Materials. Simply locate your complex's recycling center and place your  recyclables into the appropriate green 96-gallon City of Winston-Salem recycling carts, at your convenience. 

Paper products must be separated from other commingled products. Paper items may be collected in a brown paper bag. Do not use any type of bags to collect glass, aluminum, steel, and plastics. The carts will be labeled for paper products and commingled products. Flattened cardboard no larger than 3 x 3 ft. must be placed beside the recycling containers (No cardboard inside containers).

Only the property's owner, manager, or association president can authorize recycling collection service. The city will provide 96-gallon recycling carts to multifamily units that use bulk containers, i.e., Dumpsters or compactors for garbage collection.  The City and the property management will determine the location of the on-site recycling center(s). To initiate service, the property's management should call 727-8153. To report missed collections, 72-EARTH (723-2784).