North Carolina
Landfill
Wilmington (New Hanover County) landfill
Hours, sticker price, who can use it, item fees, hazardous waste options, and holiday notes for New Hanover County Landfill.
Last verified from official sources: 2026-11-11
Who can use it
The landfill provides waste diversion, recycling, and disposal services to county residents and businesses. All customers must be unloaded and gone by the stated closing time. Out-of-county waste is accepted only with a surcharge (see fees). Private waste-hauling businesses that use the landfill need a franchise agreement; contact the Recycling and Solid Waste Director at 910-798-4403.
Hours
- Monday-Friday 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m., excluding select holidays.
- Saturday 6:30 a.m.-noon.
Sticker or permit
Required: No (see notes)
Price: No residential sticker is described. All customers are weighed in and out. There is a $5.00 minimum charge, effective July 1, 2023.
Where to buy:
Notes: Private haulers need a franchise agreement, approved by the Board of County Commissioners, good for seven years.
Per-item fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| MSW, garbage, refuse, and trash (effective July 1, 2026; includes the $2 per ton NC Solid Waste Tax) | $61.00 per ton |
| Construction and demolition debris (effective July 1, 2026) | $61.00 per ton |
| Minimum charge (effective July 1, 2023) | $5.00 |
| Lumber and pallets, untreated and unpainted, taken to designated recycling areas | $10.00 per ton. Loads containing pallets disposed of on the working face or in customer convenience cans are assessed a $5.00 surcharge per pallet. State law prohibits landfilling pallets. |
| Concrete/brick (no mesh, metal, or rebar) | $30.00 per ton |
| Clean concrete (no rebar) | $10.00 per ton |
| Clean dirt (uncontaminated) | $30.00 per ton |
| Asphalt shingles (clean) | $30.00 per ton |
| Asphalt shingles containing wrappers, felt, trash, or plywood, and mixed loads containing asphalt shingles | $104.00 per ton |
| Mattresses and box springs | $61.00 per ton plus a $10.00 surcharge each |
| Residential yard waste (no trash or plastic bags; paper lawn/leaf bags allowed) | $30.00 per ton |
| Commercial yard waste (no trash or plastic bags; paper lawn/leaf bags allowed) | $25.00 per ton |
| Palm trees | $25.00 each |
| Unpackaged food waste for composting | No charge |
| Household recyclables taken to the recycling area | No charge. Loads containing more than 15% by volume of recyclable materials in the landfill: $500.00 flat fee plus $61.00 per ton. |
| Cardboard recycling | Flattened cardboard is free. Contaminated cardboard loads: $250.00 flat fee plus $61.00 per ton. |
| Appliances (white goods) | No charge |
| Tires, homeowners | Source conflict: the Landfill page says the first 5 tires are free, then $100 per ton. The Fees page says tires disposed of by homeowners, up to 5 tires per day, are no charge. Ask at the scale house. |
| Tires, businesses | $100.00 per ton, with a state hauler license, NC Scrap Tire Certification form, and a call ahead |
| Out-of-county waste | $500.00 flat fee plus the weight of the material at $61.00 per ton. Loads are randomly screened. |
| Pender Commerce Park | $63.00 per ton |
| Sludges (special approval only) | $80.00 per ton |
| Nuisance conditions (excessive dust, extreme odors, special handling, and similar, at a supervisor's discretion) | $150 flat fee plus the weight of the load |
Common disposals
Pulled from the same official sources as the fee table. Confirm with the town if anything conflicts.
- Mattress / box spring: Accepted as a bulky item, at $61.00 per ton plus a $10.00 surcharge each (fees effective July 1, 2026).
- TVs / electronics: Computer equipment and TVs are banned from landfill disposal. Take household hazardous waste and electronics to the county HHW facility.
- Tires: Must be off the rim. See the homeowner vs. business fee conflict noted above. Businesses must call ahead, have a state hauler license, and complete the NC Scrap Tire Certification form.
- Appliances: Banned from landfill disposal but accepted for recycling at no charge. Notify the scale house.
- Yard waste / brush: Accepted in the yard debris area. Residential yard waste is $30.00 per ton and commercial yard waste is $25.00 per ton, with no trash or plastic bags; paper lawn/leaf bags are allowed.
- Household hazardous waste: Not in the working face. Use the county Household Hazardous Waste facility at 3002 Highway 421 North.
Hazardous waste
Household hazardous waste is not a working-face landfill item. The county operates a permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility at 3002 Highway 421 North and a mobile HazWagon. Batteries and some other banned items are directed to HHW or to designated recycling areas on the landfill property. Lithium-ion batteries are banned from landfill disposal.
Holiday closures
The Landfill page holiday table lists: January 1st, New Year's Day, closed; January 20th, Dr. Martin Luther King Day, open; April 19th, Good Friday, open; May 25th, Memorial Day, open; July 4th, Independence Day, closed; September 7th, Labor Day, open; November 11th, Veteran's Day, open; November 27th, Thanksgiving Day, closed; November 28th, day after Thanksgiving, open; December 24th, Christmas Eve, open until 2:00 p.m.; December 25th, Christmas Day, closed; December 26th, day after Christmas, open; and January 1st, 2027, New Year's Day, closed. Source conflict: those month-and-day holidays do not all match one calendar year. Labor Day on September 7 matches 2026, Thanksgiving on November 27 matches 2025, Martin Luther King Day on January 20 matches 2025, Memorial Day on May 25 matches 2026, and April 19 as Good Friday matches neither 2025 nor 2026. The county does not label a year except for January 1, 2027. Confirm the current year's closures at the scale house.
Holiday schedule last verified 2026-11-11 from official sources . Source: New Hanover County: Landfill .
Other notes
- The county says fee changes effective July 1, 2026, support the capital plan for cell closures and extending the life of the landfill. Fees are pro-rated by net weight. Example on the Fees page: 200 pounds of MSW is 0.1 tons times $61, or $6.10, which is above the $5.00 minimum.
- Accepted for disposal: municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, bulky items such as mattresses and furniture, and special waste by authorization (call 910-798-4453 ahead). Asbestos-containing material is no longer accepted.
- Items banned from landfill disposal by North Carolina, with designated recycling areas on the property for the starred items: motor oil and oil filters, yard trash, white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, whole scrap tires, lead-acid batteries, glass beverage containers from ABC permit holders, plastic beverage containers, wooden pallets, and oyster shells. Also banned: lithium-ion batteries; discarded computer equipment and TVs; and fluorescent lights and mercury thermostats. Notify scale house staff if you have any of these.
- The Customer Convenience Center also lists cooking oil, plastics #1, #2 and #5, asphalt shingles, scrap metals, cardboard, drywall, and mixed paper. The compost facility accepts unpackaged food waste and BPI-certified compostable serviceware. Tours are available by appointment; call 910-798-4403 at least 48 hours ahead (a week ahead for groups larger than 12). Closed-toed shoes are required, and children must be with an adult.
Nearby North Carolina towns
Sources
Every fee and hour above was taken from these official pages or PDFs on 2026-11-11. If something conflicts, trust the town.