Apex Garbage Day, Recycling & Yard Waste Schedule 2026
Use this local resident-first guide to find your Apex trash pickup schedule, understand GFL garbage and recycling service, use ApexCollects reminders, avoid missed collection mistakes, prepare yard waste correctly, schedule bulk items, handle holidays, report damaged carts, and know where to take electronics, paint, batteries and hazardous waste.
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Apex trash pickup schedule garbage collection is address-based. GFL, formerly Waste Industries, is contracted by the Town of Apex to provide weekly household garbage and recycling collection. Use the official Apex garbage, recycling and yard waste page, the “My Schedule” tool, or the ApexCollects app to confirm your exact collection day.
Garbage and recycling are collected weekly. Yard waste is collected by Apex Public Works on the business day after your garbage and recycling day. If your garbage and recycling are collected Tuesday, your yard waste day is normally Wednesday.
Apex Trash Pickup Day Lookup — Use My Schedule, ApexCollects and Waste Wizard
The fastest way to check an Apex collection day is to use the official Town schedule tool or ApexCollects app. Do not rely only on a neighbor, because newly constructed homes, apartment communities, HOA-managed streets, private roads and nearby Cary or Wake County addresses can follow different service rules.
Open the official Apex solid waste page
Use the Town’s Garbage, Recycling & Yard Waste page and select the “My Schedule” option to confirm your collection day by address.
Download or use ApexCollects reminders
ApexCollects provides garbage, recycling and yard waste schedules and sends service-change notifications when holidays or inclement weather affect routes.
Check yard waste separately
Yard waste is not collected the same day as garbage and recycling. It is collected on the business day after your garbage/recycling day.
Use Waste Wizard before guessing
If you are not sure whether an item belongs in trash, recycling, yard waste, bulk pickup, electronics or HHW, use the Town Waste Wizard before setting it out.
Best resident move: Set an ApexCollects reminder for the night before collection, then keep a separate reminder for yard waste the next business day.
Sign Up for RemindersApex Garbage Collection Rules — Lid Closed, No Overflow and Carts 3-4 Feet Apart
The Town’s garbage rule is simple but strict: keep everything inside the cart and close the lid. Overflow trash placed on the ground beside the cart is not the same as regular collection and can lead to missed service, litter, animals and street mess.
- Place only household trash in the rolling garbage cart.
- Bag household trash to reduce wind-blown litter.
- Roll the bin to the curb the night before your scheduled day.
- Keep all items inside the cart with the lid fully closed.
- Place garbage and recycling carts 3-4 feet apart.
- Keep carts accessible for the automated truck arm.
- Yard waste such as grass, limbs, leaves, dirt or rocks.
- Construction debris, wood, carpet or sheet rock.
- Automotive parts or tires.
- Hazardous waste such as paint, motor oil or chemicals.
- Hot ashes.
- Metal items that need bulk or disposal handling.
Common Apex mistake: Placing bags beside the cart because the lid will not close. The Town says only items that fit inside the cart with the lid closed will be collected. If your household regularly has overflow, fix the source: recycle correctly, schedule bulk pickup, use Wake County drop-off, or contact Customer Service.
Town of Apex Waste Video Guide — Get Cart Smart
This official Town of Apex video is useful for residents who want a quick visual reminder about cart placement and curbside collection habits. It supports the practical guidance in this article about keeping carts accessible, using the correct cart, and preventing missed or messy collection.
Best for: New residents, homeowners with both garbage and recycling carts, residents whose carts are often blocked, and anyone confused about why placement and spacing matter for automated collection.
This video supports the practical guidance in this article. For exact pickup dates, holiday changes, missed collection, cart issues, bulk pickup fees, yard waste delays, and service alerts, residents should still verify details through official Town of Apex links and ApexCollects reminders.
Apex Recycling Pickup — Weekly Collection, No Bagged Recycling and Sonoco Processing
Apex curbside recycling is collected weekly by the contracted service provider. The Town says recyclables should be placed inside the recycling cart, not on the ground beside it, and the lid should be able to close. Recyclables collected from Apex residents go to Sonoco Recycling in Raleigh.
- Place only household recycling in the rolling recycling cart.
- Do not bag recycling.
- Keep garbage, yard waste and non-recyclables out of the cart.
- Place all recyclable items inside the cart with the lid closed.
- Keep recycling and garbage carts 3-4 feet apart.
- Use Waste Wizard when unsure about an item.
- Plastic bags or bagged recyclables.
- Overflow items outside the cart.
- Yard waste or food waste in the recycling cart.
- Household trash mixed with recycling.
- Electronics, cords, batteries or textiles in the cart.
- Wishcycling items just because they show a recycling symbol.
New resident tip: If you have moving boxes, flatten and break down cardboard before placing it in recycling. Chipboard and corrugated cardboard are accepted when prepared correctly, but large, messy moving piles may need special handling.
Apex Yard Waste Pickup — Business Day After Garbage, Separate Piles and 10 Feet From Storm Drains
Apex Public Works collects residential curbside yard waste weekly on the business day after garbage and recycling collection. Yard waste is not one mixed pile. Apex specifically asks residents to separate yard waste by type because different trucks collect different materials.
- Leaves.
- Grass clippings.
- Pine cones.
- Pine straw.
- Weeds with no dirt.
- Small shrubbery clippings less than 4 inches long and less than 1/4 inch diameter.
- Sticks and limbs.
- Christmas trees after removing lights and decorations.
- Limbs up to 8 feet long.
- Limbs up to 8 inches in diameter.
- Cut ends facing the same direction.
- Bagged yard waste.
- Dirt.
- Sod.
- Mulch.
- Rocks.
- Mixed leaves with sticks or limbs.
Apex Yard Waste Placement Rules
Peak leaf season warning: Loose leaves should be raked to the curb and separated from sticks and branches. Leaves mixed with debris can damage vacuum equipment and may not be collected.
Apex Holiday Trash Pickup — One-Day Delay When Collection Falls on an Observed Holiday
The Wake County landfill is closed for major holidays. If your Apex garbage collection day falls directly on one of the observed holidays, garbage and recycling are postponed to the following day and the rest of that same week is also postponed by one day. If the holiday falls on a weekend, your schedule is not affected.
| Holiday | 2026 Date | Day | Apex Resident Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday and Friday routes should check one-day delay notices. |
| Memorial Day | May 25, 2026 | Monday | Weekday routes after Monday likely shift one day. |
| July 4th | July 4, 2026 | Saturday | Weekend holiday generally does not affect weekday collection. |
| Labor Day | September 7, 2026 | Monday | Weekday routes after Monday likely shift one day. |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 26, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday route moves to Friday and Friday route moves to Saturday. |
| Christmas Day | December 25, 2026 | Friday | Friday route should verify Saturday collection or current Town notice. |
Weather rule: If collection is disrupted by inclement weather, Apex asks customers to put carts and bins out on the regular collection day and leave them at the curb until collected, unless snow plows are expected. Later routes in the same week may also be delayed.
Seasonal tips: Pumpkins are food waste and are not regular yard waste. Apex lists drop-off at the Public Works facility at 105 Upchurch Street during the seasonal window, first-week November/December curbside collection, or trash cart placement anytime. Christmas trees are collected and chipped curbside as part of regular yard waste after decorations and nails are removed.
Apex Bulk Item Pickup — Fees, Friday Mattress Rule and What Not to Put Out
Apex bulk item collection removes large household items from the curb for a fee. It is not automatic and it is not for businesses or apartments. You must schedule the pickup online or by contacting Customer Service, then wait for the scheduled collection day.
- Submit an online service request or call Customer Service at 919-362-8676.
- Watch for an email within 1-2 business days with your scheduled day.
- Place items at the curb by 6:00 AM on the scheduled pickup day.
- Staff will not enter private property to retrieve items.
- Only mattresses and box springs are collected on Fridays.
- White goods: $18 each.
- Single bulk items: $11 each.
- Multiple bulk items: $40 per load, not more than one pickup truck load.
- Mattress / box spring: $10 each, in addition to existing single item bulk fee.
- Mattress or box spring minimum charge: $21.
Do not put out first and schedule later. Apex bulk pickup requires a request first. Construction debris, demolition materials, remodeling materials, HHW, electronics, household recycling and yard waste are not collected as bulk items.
Moving boxes: Apex offers a one-time, free box pickup for new residents when boxes are empty, flattened and stacked curbside. Boxes that are not completely empty and flattened can trigger bulk trash charges.
Bulk Pickup RulesApex Electronics, Textile, Used Oil and Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off
Some items should never go in the garbage cart, recycling cart, yard waste pile or bulk pickup pile. Apex points residents to Wake County facilities and other official resources for electronics, textiles, hazardous waste, used oil and special recycling.
- Address: 6130 Old Smithfield Road, Apex, NC 27539.
- Open Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
- Accepts many electronics.
- Examples include mobile devices, computers, game consoles, small appliances, printers, copiers, televisions and corded electronics.
- Acids and bases.
- Antifreeze.
- Batteries.
- Drain openers.
- Paints, lacquers and solvents.
- Pesticides, herbicides and poisons.
- Mercury thermometers and photographic chemicals.
Latex paint note: Small amounts of latex paint can be disposed of with household garbage only after fully drying it out, such as by mixing with kitty litter or sawdust. Large amounts of latex paint and all oil-based paints should go to Wake County waste facilities for proper treatment.
South Wake Facility Map
Missed Garbage, Recycling or Yard Waste Pickup in Apex — What to Check Before Reporting
Before submitting a missed pickup request, check the basics: Was it your correct collection day? Was there a holiday or weather delay? Was the cart lid closed? Were the carts 3-4 feet apart? Was yard waste separated by type and placed after the right timing? Many “missed pickup” problems are really preparation problems.
Verify the address schedule
Use My Schedule or ApexCollects. Newly constructed addresses may take time to appear correctly in the tool.
Check holiday or inclement weather delay
If a holiday or storm affected service, routes may slide. The Town asks residents to keep carts out until collection can safely resume.
Check cart or yard waste preparation
Overflow carts, bagged recycling, mixed yard waste, blocked piles, piles too near storm drains, or prohibited materials can cause collection problems.
Report to the correct route
Use the Apex online service request or call Customer Service at 919-362-8676 for missed garbage, recycling, damaged carts, missing containers or yard waste issues.
| Issue | Best Contact | Before You Report |
|---|---|---|
| Missed garbage | 919-362-8676 or online request | Check day, holiday delay, closed lid and no overflow. |
| Missed recycling | 919-362-8676 or online request | Check day, no bagged recycling, no overflow and cart spacing. |
| Damaged/missing cart | 919-362-8676 or online request | Have address and container type ready. |
| Yard waste missed | 919-362-8676 or yard waste request | Check yard waste day, separated piles, 48-hour rule and storm drain clearance. |
Official reporting: Apex lists online service requests and Customer Service for missed garbage, recycling, damaged carts, missing containers and yard waste issues.
Report Garbage/RecyclingTown of Apex Trash Pickup Phone Number, Address, Map and Official Resources
| Need | Official Contact | Use This For |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service / Utilities | 919-362-8676 | Collection day questions, missed garbage/recycling, cart problems, bulk pickup and service questions. |
| Ask Apex | 919-249-3311 | General Town help and routing to the right department. |
| Town Hall | 73 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502 | General Town office and municipal contact location. |
| Public Works Facility | 105 Upchurch Street, Apex, NC | Seasonal pumpkin drop-off and public works-related disposal guidance when listed by the Town. |
| South Wake Facility | 6130 Old Smithfield Road, Apex, NC 27539 | Electronics, HHW and many Wake County drop-off materials. |
Apex Town Hall Map
Official Apex Trash and Recycling Links
Related Trash Pickup Guides — Wake County, Holiday Delay and Bulk Pickup Help
Use these related guides when comparing nearby collection rules, one-day holiday delays, cart set-out windows and bulk pickup preparation.
Apex Trash Pickup FAQ — Local Resident Questions Answered
Source Verification and Editorial Note
Independent information guide — not affiliated with the Town of Apex, GFL or Wake County. trash-pickup.org is a public information resource. We do not operate garbage collection, recycling pickup, yard waste collection, bulk pickup, ApexCollects, Waste Wizard, or Wake County disposal facilities.
Pickup rules, GFL service notes, weekly recycling, yard waste timing, cart placement, holiday delay rules, bulk item fees, HHW drop-off guidance, official video availability, and contact details were checked against official Town of Apex and Wake County-linked resources as of May 2026. Routes, fees, forms, app details, accepted materials and holiday notices can change. Always verify through Town of Apex official links before acting.
Official Sources — Verified May 2026
- Town of Apex — Garbage, Recycling & Yard Waste
- Town of Apex — Garbage Collection
- Town of Apex — Residential Recycling
- Town of Apex — Yard Waste Collection
- Town of Apex — Bulk Item Collection
- Town of Apex — Household Hazardous Waste
- Town of Apex — Electronic and Textile Recycling
- Town of Apex — Solid Waste Collection Reminders
- ApexCollects — Google Play
- ApexCollects — App Store
- Town of Apex — Official Get Cart Smart Video
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