Compost Central Disposal and Recycling Center

Mecklenburg County’s full-service center on Valleydale Road, where the county takes solar panels and medical devices.

Compost Central Disposal and Recycling Center is at 140 Valleydale Road in Charlotte. Its hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; it is closed Sunday. The county names it as the drop-off for solar panels and donated medical devices, the place for compost orders over 10 cubic yards and the home of its spring and fall paper shredding events. It takes trailers up to 16 feet and trees up to 48 inches across.

Serves: Charlotte trash pickup and drop-off rules.

What this center takes and what it does not

Compost Central takes the full list of a county full-service center: household trash, recyclables, plastic bags and film, bulky waste, appliances, electronics, household hazardous waste, tires and mattresses, with the limits shown in the fields. On top of that list:

• Solar panels, up to 10 per visit, from residents and businesses.
• Donated medical devices such as wheelchairs, hospital beds and walkers, collected with the non-profit Assist M.E. N.C.
• Residential food scraps for composting, free to residents.
• Trees up to 48 inches in diameter, as at Foxhole. Hickory Grove and North Mecklenburg take trees up to 24 inches.
• Trailers up to 16 feet long for bulky and construction waste. Hickory Grove and North Mecklenburg take trailers of 12 feet or less.
• Yard waste from businesses, which the county directs here or to Foxhole.

It does not take business hazardous material, explosives, ammunition or radioactive items.

About this site

Compost Central sells bulk and bagged mulch and compost. Compost orders of more than 10 cubic yards must be bought here rather than at the other centers. While Hickory Grove temporarily turns away yard waste loads over 3 cubic yards, the county sends those larger loads to Compost Central.

The county holds its secure paper shredding events for residents here each spring and fall. The next two are on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and Saturday, November 14, 2026, both from 9 a.m. to noon, and both are free. Registration for the October event opens October 1; that event takes up to three banker boxes, six paper bags or one 18-gallon tote of documents per resident.

Rules at every Mecklenburg County full-service center

The four full-service centers serve Mecklenburg County residents who show a blue entry sticker, free with a driver’s license or other proof of residence. Fees, load limits, payment and holiday closures are on the county’s Where can I recycle page; the county’s phone is 980-314-3867.