Landfill Tours

Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash when it leaves the curb? Collection day is the first day in a long life for your trash. Join staff on a FREE tour of the South Wake Landfill to find out how Wake County Waste Management Division safeguards the environment and public health by safely disposing of over 1.2 million people's garbage. On the tour, you will also learn:

• How municipal landfills are designed and operated
• Where you can recycle additional items, not picked up at the curb
• Where to dispose of harmful household items safely
• How to reduce waste at home, school or work
  
   

Public Tours

You will be accompanied by a NC Certified Environmental Educator on a riding tour of South Wake Waste Management Facilities in Apex, NC. Tours depart promptly, at 10 AM and last approx. 90-minutes. To register for a public landfill tour, click on a date below:

• Monday, September 21, 2026, at 10 AM
• Monday, October 12, 2026, at 10 AM
• Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 10 AM
• Friday, December 4, 2026, at 10 AM

Please Note: 

• Participants must be eight years or older by the date of the tour (no exceptions)
• ALL participants are required to register, and sign a waiver
• Registration is limited. If the tour is fully booked, there is a waitlist to join
• If you cannot make the tour, cancel your seat, for waitlisted people to register
   

Private Group Tours

Your group will be accompanied by a NC Certified Environmental Educator on a riding tour of South Wake Waste Management Facilities in Apex, NC. A minimum of ten (10) participants are required to schedule a group tour. Group tours are available by request to all organizations that operate within Wake County. Group tours can be requested Monday thru Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and last approx. 90-minutes. To request a group tour, fill out and submit this REQUEST FORM, a minimum of two weeks in advance.

Please Note:

• Participants must be eight years or older by the date of the tour (no exceptions) 
• ALL participants are required to register, and sign a waiver
• Group transportation is required to take a private group tour
• Group transportation is available for up to 14-passengers, at no cost. If your group is larger, you must arrange group transportation at your own expense. 

Virtual Tours

Tour South Wake Waste Management Facilities via drone, and from the comfort of your own couch. Produced in 2020, our virtual tour navigates the South Wake Waste Management Facilities with staff. Take our 15-minute VIRTUAL TOUR and learn how:

• The landfill is designed
• The trash is buried
• The pollution is managed 
• To manage waste more sustainably

Environmental Educator Led 

Your group will be accompanied by a NC Certified Environmental Educator on a virtual tour of South Wake Waste Management Facilities in Apex, NC. Take our virtual tour with staff, and get your chance to speak with a waste management professional and have all your waste related questions answered. Environmental Educator led virtual tours are available by request to all organizations that operate within Wake County. They require a minimum of ten (10) participants, in the recommended age range of eight years or older. Staff led virtual tours last 30-minutes, and can be requested Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. 

Virtual tours use Microsoft Teams to meet. If your organization hosts its own online meetings, we will join other online platforms, such as Zoom, Google Meets, WebEx etc. Participants will need internet and a device to join a virtual tour. To request an Environmental Educator led virtual tour, fill out and submit this REQUEST FORM, a minimum of two weeks in advance.