Raleigh takes Halloween pumpkins free at the Yard Waste Center on North New Hope Road through Dec. 12, not in your cart. Rechargeable batteries leave the trash Dec. 1.

Raleigh’s Yard Waste Center takes Halloween pumpkins and gourds for composting, free, through Saturday, Dec. 12. They cannot go in your yard waste cart. The center is at 900 N. New Hope Road.

Updated Oct. 31: The city’s Shred + Dead drop-off ran Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Wilders Grove Solid Waste Services Facility. This page now leads with the pumpkin drop-off and the Dec. 1 battery ban. The event details are kept below for reference.

Pumpkins and gourds

The center has taken pumpkins and gourds since Oct. 17 and will through Dec. 12, the city said in a separate release. Drop-off is free.

  • Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Bad weather can change them.
  • Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26.
  • Not at the curb: pumpkins and gourds cannot go in your yard waste cart or in paper yard waste bags. The city said they contaminate yard waste collections.

Batteries leave the trash Dec. 1

Lithium-ion and other rechargeable batteries are banned from North Carolina landfills starting Tuesday, Dec. 1, the city said. After that date they can no longer go in your garbage cart. They are inside electric toothbrushes, toys, cordless vacuums, power tools, smart watches and vapes.

The Shred + Dead event, Oct. 24

The city’s Solid Waste Services department held the drive-thru event from 9 a.m. to noon at 630 Beacon Lake Drive. It announced it in a news release, and the details below come from the city’s event page.

What it took

  • Small appliances and electronics. The city’s examples include air fryers, hair dryers, lamps, TVs, vacuums, DVD players, radios, toasters and blenders. “Think anything with a cord!” the event page says.
  • Computers, laptops, monitors, tablets and phones. Representatives from the nonprofit Kramden collected them to refurbish for its digital inclusion programs.
  • Household batteries, both alkaline and rechargeable lithium-ion.
  • Sensitive papers for shredding. Staples, paper clips, folders, bound documents and envelopes were fine.

The limits

  • Up to four banker box-size boxes or four 13-gallon bags of paper per household or business.
  • One visit per household.
  • Only sensitive documents go to the shredder. Mail, newspapers and printer paper belong in your curbside recycling cart, the city said.
  • No car, boat or other vehicle batteries, and no damaged or leaking batteries.
  • No washers, dryers, ovens, refrigerators or pianos.

What it means for you

  • Take your jack-o’-lantern to North New Hope Road after Halloween instead of the yard waste cart.
  • Keep rechargeable batteries out of your garbage cart from Dec. 1.
  • Mail, newspapers and printer paper belong in your curbside recycling cart, the city said.
  • Questions go to Solid Waste Services at SWSCommunications@raleighnc.gov. Our trash and recycling page has pickup days, cart rules and who to call.