Litter is defined as any amount of solid waste or recyclables which has been disposed of, discarded, or abandoned improperly or illegally including on road sides, in water, or on public or private lands. Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling works to prevent and clean up litter.

If you see someone littering call Chatham County’s Illegal Dumping Hotline

You can also report them to the State of North Carolina via the NC Department of Transportation Swat-a-Litterbug program. Report those who litter to by filling out an online form or calling NCDOT Litter Management at 1-800-331-5864.

Chatham County does not have staff who can regularly conduct litter clean ups. The Chatham County court system does assign litter pick up as community service from time-to-time, but this is not a steady stream of people picking up litter. Therefore, we need to rely on volunteers who are willing to help keep the community clean.

To support volunteers willing to pick up litter we have supplies available for FREE to check out. We have gloves, safety vests, grabbers, and trash bags available. Simply complete the online Litter Clean up Supplies Agreement. If you need a printable version of the form download the PDF version and send it to the Main Facility. 

Bags and items from a litter clean up can be taken to any of the 12 Collection Centers. You do not need a decal to take trash and recycling from litter clean ups to the Collection Center, but you will need to complete a form upon your arrival. Depending on the clean up we might also be able to arrange to pick up the items on the roadway, especially if you find large items. We will let you know the options for disposal when we receive your Litter Clean up Supplies Agreement.

If you have any questions please contact the Main Office Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm at (919) 542-5516 or email us anytime at recycle@chathamcountync.gov