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North Carolina pallet and wood waste rules

In North Carolina, wooden pallets may not go to municipal solid waste landfills (G.S. 130A-309.10(f)(12), in force since October 1, 2009). A landfill permitted to take only construction and demolition debris may accept them, and state guidance limits that to pallets that are themselves C&D waste.

Partial landfill ban Last reviewed October 27, 2026 by repallet.org editors. Not legal advice.

Landfill ban In force

Wooden pallet landfill ban. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-309.10(f)(12)

  • Wooden pallets are on the statute's list of materials that may not be disposed of in landfills, except that they may go to a landfill permitted to accept only construction and demolition debris. G.S. 130A-309.10(f)(12) (source)
  • The ban was enacted by Session Law 2005-362 (House Bill 1465) and took effect for municipal solid waste landfills on October 1, 2009. S.L. 2005-362; NC DEQ, Wooden Pallets (source)
  • NC DEQ reads the C&D exception narrowly: pallets may go to a C&D landfill only if they were generated as C&D waste under rule 15A NCAC 13B .0532, and pallets from industries other than building construction are not allowed in any landfill. NC DEQ, Wooden Pallets (source)
  • A county or city may petition the state for a waiver from the pallet ban by showing that it would cause economic hardship. G.S. 130A-309.10(k) (source)
  • The statute's incineration list in subsection (f1) does not include wooden pallets, so the ban is a landfill ban, not a ban on combustion. G.S. 130A-309.10(f1) (source)

Wooden pallet landfill ban in North Carolina: full detail

Marked and pooled pallets Not yet verified

We haven't checked North Carolina's marked and pooled pallets rules against the law yet, so we say nothing about them. Ask North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Open burning Not yet verified

We haven't checked North Carolina's open burning rules against the law yet, so we say nothing about them. Ask North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

C&D recycling Not yet verified

We haven't checked North Carolina's c&d recycling rules against the law yet, so we say nothing about them. Ask North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Who to ask

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for state rules. Cities and counties can add their own disposal rules; check your hauler contract and local ordinance too.

Sources

  1. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-309.10 (prohibited acts; disposal bans) North Carolina General Assembly. Accessed October 27, 2026.
  2. Wooden Pallets N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Accessed October 27, 2026.

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