Trash and recycling in Forsyth County: there is no county pickup, so here is how it works

New arrivals in Forsyth County, Georgia, sometimes wait for a trash truck that is never coming. The county does not run curbside pickup. Here is what it does run, what the City of Cumming does, and where the harder items go, as the county posted it when we checked on Oct. 19, 2026.

Does Forsyth County pick up trash?

No. Forsyth County government does not provide curbside trash pickup, per its Waste Haulers page. Outside the City of Cumming, residents either hire a private hauler or take their own bags to a county convenience center. The county posts a list of haulers, but it endorses none of them.

Cumming is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city. Everything else in Forsyth County is unincorporated, which is why the county’s answer covers most addresses.

How do I choose a hauler?

Start with the county’s list, then check two things before you call anyone. First, your HOA: some require a specific hauler, so the choice may already be made. Second, whether the home is inside the City of Cumming, because city homes go through the City instead.

The county does not publish hauler prices or schedules, so compare them yourself. Questions worth asking: which day they collect on your street, whether recycling is included, whether they supply the cart, and how billing works. If the seller already has a hauler, ask who it is before closing.

Am I in the City of Cumming?

Do not go by the mailing address. A Cumming address does not mean a home is inside the city limits. Sharon Forks Library, at 2820 Old Atlanta Road, Cumming, is in unincorporated Forsyth County, according to the Census Bureau’s geocoder. The city covers about 7.2 square miles of land, a small share of the county’s roughly 225. You can enter an address in the same geocoder to see whether it falls inside the city.

If you are in the city, call the City at (770) 781-2019. Cumming Utilities lists garbage service among its services, along with water and sewer, per its contact page. The City’s garbage rates and pickup days were not in the sources we checked.

Where are the county convenience centers?

• Tolbert Street: 351 Tolbert Street, Cumming.
• Old Atlanta: 3678 Old Atlanta Road, Suwanee. Despite the Suwanee mailing address, the Census Bureau places the center in Forsyth County.
• Coal Mountain: 3560 Settingdown Road, Cumming.

All three are open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and they serve county residents, per the county. They take bagged household trash and most recycling.

What does it cost?

Bagged household trash costs $0.50 a bag if you also bring recycling, or $1 a bag otherwise. There is a five-bag daily limit, and bags can be no larger than 32 gallons. The centers take cash only, so bring small bills or coins. At the limit, that is $2.50 a visit with recycling and $5 without.

Most recycling is free. Electronics, paint and tires have fees. The amounts were not in the research we used, so check the county’s recycling centers page before you load the car.

Where do paint, chemicals and batteries go?

To the household hazardous waste day. Keep Forsyth County Beautiful, with the county’s Recycling & Solid Waste office and the City of Cumming, holds a drop-off on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Freedom Park campus, 2435 Freedom Parkway, Cumming, per the county. That is the same campus as the county’s water and sewer business office.

It takes paint, cleaners, oils, fuels, batteries, electronics, pesticides and other household hazardous waste at no charge, with a $5 donation suggested. Online pre-registration is required. It opens at 9 a.m. on Oct. 19 on Keep Forsyth County Beautiful’s website.

What happens to Christmas trees?

Keep Forsyth County Beautiful runs Bring One for the Chipper each winter. Trees become lake fish habitat or mulch, and free wood chips are available at Coal Mountain Park. The 2025-26 drop-off ran Dec. 26 through Jan. 31 at the three convenience centers and other sites, per the county. Dates for 2026-27 have not been posted, so treat that as last season’s pattern.

What is not published?

• Hauler prices and pickup days. The county lists haulers but does not compare them.
• Center fees for electronics, paint and tires. The county says there are fees; we did not record the amounts.
• Yard waste and mattresses. Our sources do not say where these go, so ask your hauler or check the county’s Recycling & Solid Waste pages.
• City of Cumming garbage rates and pickup days.

Our utilities page covers water, power and gas, and the move-in checklist puts trash in the right place on your list. The services page has the county offices.

• Forsyth County government does not provide curbside trash pickup. Outside the City of Cumming, residents hire a private hauler (the county posts a list but endorses none) or use county drop-off centers. City of Cumming residents should call the City at (770) 781-2019. Forsyth County Recycling & Solid Waste: Waste Haulers
• Forsyth County runs three recycling and trash convenience centers for county residents: Tolbert Street (351 Tolbert Street, Cumming), Old Atlanta (3678 Old Atlanta Road, Suwanee) and Coal Mountain (3560 Settingdown Road, Cumming). They are open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Forsyth County: Recycling Centers
• Bagged household trash costs $0.50 a bag if you also bring recycling, or $1 a bag otherwise, with a five-bag daily limit and 32-gallon maximum bag size. The centers take cash only. Most recycling is free; electronics, paint and tires have fees. Forsyth County: Recycling Centers

Questions

Written by the Forsyth County Living Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organizers have the final word: Forsyth County Government