Where does a Cameron Pond household take a carload of flattened holiday boxes in January? For years, Cary's Citizen's Convenience Center on North Dixon Avenue handled leaves, trash, recycling and cardboard in one stop. That changes on January 1, 2027. The leaves still stay with Cary, but most of the rest of the drop-off trip moves to Wake County's site on Aviation Parkway in Morrisville.
Leaf season and the drop-off change overlap. Cary's free curbside leaf rounds run into the new year, and the Dixon Avenue center keeps every service it has now through December 31. That makes the rest of 2026 the last stretch of the old routine. Planning the season means splitting it two ways: by date for the leaves, and by material for everything else.
The Curb Still Does the Heavy Lifting for Leaves
Cary's annual loose leaf collection is free during the regular season. Crews make three passes down every street between November and February. According to the Town's October 19 announcement, the schedule for the 2026–27 season is:
- Round 1 began the first week of November 2026 and is underway now.
- Round 2 begins November 30, 2026.
- Round 3 begins January 4, 2027.
- By request from February 8 through March 31, 2027, still free, through Cary 311. After March 31, extra pickup requests carry a fee.
These are start dates, not street dates. Crews work zone by zone, and one round can take several weeks to finish. Cary's Loose Leaf Map shows crew progress in real time, and it's the better guide to when the truck will actually get to Cameron Pond.
The Town's timing rule is that piles go to the curb no more than one week before a round begins and must be out by 7 a.m. For Round 2, the earliest day to rake to the curb is November 23, the Monday of Thanksgiving week. For Round 3, it's December 28, between Christmas and New Year's. On a mature-tree lot, both of those windows land in the middle of hosting season.
Building a Pile the Truck Will Take
The vacuum trucks work best on a clean pile. Cary's rules are specific:
- Rake leaves to the curb and keep them out of the roadway.
- Leave them loose. Don't bag leaves that are meant for the vacuum truck.
- Keep piles off sidewalks and away from storm drains, water meters, fire hydrants, sewer clean-outs, mailboxes and parked cars.
- Keep sticks, rocks, trash and other debris out of the pile. Bundle branches separately for weekly yard waste pickup.
The storm drain rule matters on curving subdivision streets, where many lots have an inlet at the curb line. Cary's November newsletter puts it plainly: leaves pushed toward drains, ditches and streams can contribute to localized flooding.
Weekly curbside yard waste pickup is the faster option, and it doesn't wait on a round. Cary takes leaves in brown paper yard waste bags or reusable containers. Containers can be up to 32 gallons and 25 pounds, and paper bags up to 25 pounds. Plastic bags are not accepted. Bagging is often the better choice for a small batch that drops after a round has already gone by, or for a yard cleanup timed to a holiday visit or a listing photo shoot. The Cary Collects app lists weekly collection schedules and sends notifications.
The curb handles leaves from now through March, and none of that changes on January 1. The drop-off trip is what changes.
Why the Dixon Avenue Center Is Changing
Cary's Citizen's Convenience Center is at 313 N. Dixon Ave. Its current hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 6 p.m. Today it takes residential trash, recycling, food waste and yard waste.
Most of the site sits inside the North Carolina Railroad right-of-way. According to the Town's convenience center page, the railroad has federal grant funding for improvements in that corridor and needs full access to its right-of-way. Because of those access limits, the Town says it can no longer safely run the full facility for public use at that location. The North Carolina Railroad Company describes its Carolinian and Piedmont Passenger and Freight Improvements Project as upgrades at seven locations, including Cary and Morrisville. The goal is to allow more passenger trains and reduce delays between freight and passenger traffic.
Under Cary's timeline, the center stays open as usual through December 31. Starting January 1, 2027, only the food and yard waste drop-off stays open to the public. The Town says curbside garbage, recycling and yard waste collection are not affected.
So the leaves keep both of their routes, the curb and Dixon Avenue. The materials that lose their Cary drop-off are household trash, mixed recycling and the overflow cardboard that piles up in December.
Where Each Material Goes After January 1
For drop-off trash and recycling, Cary sends residents to the Wake County Convenience Center at 266 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville. Wake County calls it Site 3. It's open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and serves Wake County residents only. That works out to 84 hours a week, against 65 at Dixon Avenue now, and its gates open an hour earlier on weekday mornings.
Site 3 doesn't take everything, though. Here is how the main categories sort out after January 1, based on the Town and county pages:
| Material | Where it goes after January 1, 2027 | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Loose leaves | Cary curbside rounds, then free by request through March 31 | Round schedule |
| Bagged leaves, branch bundles | Weekly Cary curbside yard waste, or Dixon Ave. yard waste drop-off | Weekly route |
| Food waste | Dixon Ave. food waste drop-off | Posted by Cary |
| Household trash, furniture under 8 feet | Wake County Site 3, 266 Aviation Pkwy., Morrisville | Daily, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Mixed recycling, flattened cardboard | Wake County Site 3 | Daily, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Scrap metal such as grills, bikes, push mowers with fluids removed | Wake County Site 3 | Daily, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Electronics, large appliances, motor oil, antifreeze | South Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility, 6130 Old Smithfield Rd., Apex | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Paint, chemicals and other household hazardous waste | South Wake Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 6150 Old Smithfield Rd., Apex | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
At Site 3, cardboard has to be clean, dry and flattened, with all packing material removed. Mixed recycling such as cans, bottles, jars, cartons, junk mail and plastic tubs goes in loose, not bagged. Shredded paper and foam are not accepted. Gift wrap foam and packing peanuts need another plan.
The Apex sites are a separate errand because Site 3 does not list electronics, yard waste or household hazardous waste. The South Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility takes electronics and corded devices, large appliances, cooking oil, automotive fluids, scrap metal and up to 10 wooden pallets. Next door, the South Wake Household Hazardous Waste Facility takes waste from Wake County residents only and requires proof of residency. Wake County's Convenience Center Site 2 is on the same road at 6120 Old Smithfield Road. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and also takes food waste, up to two mattresses a day and homeowner construction debris. Larger trailers, box trucks and certain materials fall under the county's convenience center rules, which can require a Trash Pass or a waste-verification form. Cary notes that county fees may apply.
Lining Up the Rest of 2026
Three dates matter between now and New Year's:
- November 23: the earliest day to put leaves at the curb for Round 2, which starts November 30.
- December 28: the earliest day to put leaves at the curb for Round 3, which starts January 4.
- December 31: the last day Dixon Avenue takes trash, recycling and cardboard.
A garage cleanout planned for the holiday break can still go to one familiar place if it's done by December 31. Any boxes after that go north to Aviation Parkway, and the leaves stay with the Cary crews, who keep working through the third round and the by-request window that ends March 31. For questions about a specific item, Cary's 311 line handles both collection and drop-off: dial 311 anywhere in Cary, call (919) 469-4000 from outside Town limits, or use the Cary 311 page.
For more on the trails and amenities around the neighborhood, see our Cameron Pond neighborhood guide and our recent post on the Panther Creek Greenway connection.
If this winter's raking and garage cleanout are early steps toward a spring listing, Azita K Wilson and the Living in Cary team can help you decide which projects matter before photos and showings. Request a complimentary home valuation for your Cameron Pond home, and we'll talk through timing with you.
