Memorial Day 2026 Recycling Schedule: Every State and County Trash Pickup Guide

Memorial Day 2026 falls on Monday, May 25 — and in most U.S. counties, your recycling and trash pickup is delayed by one day that week. This guide covers every major state, county, and national waste hauler so you know exactly when to put your bin out — and when to expect it back.

No federal rule governs trash collection. Your city, county, or private hauler sets its own schedule. That is why Clearwater, FL runs full normal service on Memorial Day while neighboring Hillsborough County shuts down entirely. This guide breaks it all down, region by region.

What Happens to Recycling on Memorial Day 2026?

Memorial Day (Monday, May 25, 2026) is a federally observed holiday. Most municipal sanitation departments and private waste haulers treat it as a no-service day.

The most common policy nationwide:

• No collection on Monday, May 25
• Every pickup day that week shifts one day later
• Friday routes move to Saturday
• Recycling, trash, and yard waste all follow the same delay

The one-day slide schedule looks like this:

Set your bin out on your normal day. Leave it at the curb. Your waste hauler will collect it on the delayed day — usually within 24 hours of your normal pickup time.

Northeast Region

New York

New York City lists Memorial Day as an official sanitation holiday through NYC 311. The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) suspends all residential collection on May 25. Routes are adjusted by sanitation zone for the remainder of the week. No guaranteed make-up day for residential refuse — your collection simply shifts to the next adjusted route day.

Residents in Rockland, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester Counties follow the standard one-day delay. Fulton County closes all landfill and transfer station facilities on the holiday, with full operations resuming Tuesday, May 26.

What to do: New York City residents should check their zone schedule via NYC 311 online or by calling 311. Upstate and suburban county residents follow the one-day delay and should leave bins at the curb past Monday.

New Jersey

New Jersey follows the one-day delay pattern almost universally. One notable exception is Riverton Borough, where trash and recycling have separate adjusted dates — trash moves to Tuesday, May 26, but recycling shifts to Thursday, May 29. If you live in Riverton, do not put both bins out on the same day.

Northern New Jersey counties — Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson, Sussex, Union, Warren, and Northern Morris — all suspend Monday service and push routes one day forward. Central New Jersey counties follow the same policy, with all routes completed by the end of the holiday week.

Pennsylvania

Waste Management observes Memorial Day across its Pennsylvania service areas. If your scheduled pickup day falls on or after Monday, May 25, your collection is one day later that week. South Fayette Township residents with Thursday routes get Friday service; Friday routes move to Saturday. Bucks County follows the same Waste Management delay policy. Greensburg residents see Monday collections move to Tuesday, May 26.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts municipalities served by Waste Management follow the standard one-day delay. Woburn and Boxford both suspend May 25 service, with all routes resuming one day behind for the rest of the week. Dedham hosts an annual recycling day in April, separate from weekly curbside service — Memorial Day still affects the regular Monday–Friday pickup routes.

Rhode Island

Both East Providence and Pawtucket suspend all curbside service on Memorial Day and shift collections one day forward for the entire week. Rhode Island municipalities broadly observe all major federal holidays as no-service days.

Connecticut

Interstate Waste Services, which handles collection across much of Connecticut, follows a consistent statewide policy: no pickup on Memorial Day Monday, with all routes running one day late for the rest of the week. Friday routes move to Saturday. Connecticut residents served by Interstate Waste Services should plan accordingly.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Maryland

Prince George’s County follows a full one-day slide across all routes, including organics and food scrap collection. Bulky trash pickups — including white goods, appliances, and scrap tires — are not scheduled on Monday, May 25. Electronics recycling and scrap metal collection are available by appointment only during the holiday week. Residents who normally receive Monday organics pickup should set out their carts on Tuesday, May 26 instead.

Virginia

The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) operates its own holiday calendar, which does not always align with local, state, or federal holidays. Memorial Day is confirmed as a no-service day for CVWMA. All collections shift one day forward — Friday routes move to Saturday during Memorial Day week. CVWMA residents in Richmond and surrounding counties should verify their exact schedule at the CVWMA website.

Southeast Region

Florida

Florida is one of the most variable states in the country for holiday recycling policy. The same county can have wildly different rules depending on whether you live in an incorporated city versus unincorporated county land — or which private hauler holds your service contract.

Hillsborough County closes all Solid Waste Facilities on Memorial Day — including the Southeast County Landfill, Northwest and South County Transfer Stations, Resource Recovery Facility, and all Community Collection Centers. There are no make-up collection days; if your pickup falls on Monday, May 25, your next service is your next regularly scheduled day.

Meanwhile, just a short drive away, Clearwater provides completely normal service on Memorial Day 2026. And unincorporated Palm Beach County — one of the few places in the country — only suspends service on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every other holiday, including Memorial Day, is business as usual.

Boca Raton, which sits inside Palm Beach County, follows a different policy than the rest of the county: Monday collections move to Tuesday, and Tuesday collections move to Wednesday.

Florida residents: Do not assume your neighbor’s schedule is the same as yours. Check your city or county’s solid waste page before putting your bin out on May 25.

Georgia

The City of Atlanta and surrounding counties served by Waste Pro and 121 Disposal all follow the standard one-day delay. Canton, served by Waste Pro, shifts every route one day forward through the week with Friday routes landing on Saturday. Coosa, Macon, and Randolph Counties — served by 121 Disposal — follow the same sliding-day policy.

Alabama

Troy, Alabama takes a different approach. Instead of a simple one-day delay, Monday routes are bumped forward two days — to Wednesday, May 27. This is less common than the standard one-day slide but worth noting for Troy residents. All other days of the week run on their normal schedule.

North Carolina

Charlotte, NC introduced a new holiday collection pattern beginning in January 2026. For MLK Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day, the city does not simply delay by one day — it skips Monday and Saturday routes entirely. All remaining routes are consolidated and collected Tuesday through Friday of that week. Yard waste is fully suspended for the holiday week.

Charlotte residents with Monday pickup will not receive a make-up collection that week. Residents can text their collection day to 73224 for real-time holiday updates from Charlotte Solid Waste Services.

Buncombe County, served by FCC Environmental, follows the more standard one-day delay for any route falling on or after the holiday.

Midwest Region

Ohio

Kimble Recycling & Disposal confirms no trash or recycling service on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25, 2026) across all its Ohio service areas, including Dover, Canton, Cambridge, Carrollton, St. Clairsville, and Twinsburg. All Monday through Friday routes shift one day for the entire holiday week.

Michigan

Farmington Hills explicitly suspends trash, recycling, and yard waste on Memorial Day. Collection resumes one day behind Tuesday through Saturday. Notably, Farmington Hills does not observe many other holidays — service continues as normal on MLK Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day 2026. Memorial Day is one of only a few holidays that actually affects pickup.

Illinois

GFL Environmental serves a large portion of Illinois counties with biweekly recycling service. Memorial Day (May 25) is a confirmed observed holiday for GFL, causing a one-day delay across McLean, Henry, and other GFL-served Illinois counties. Joliet residents served by Waste Management also see a one-day delay — the full 2026 WM schedule is available through the Joliet city website.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Rapids suspends all garbage and recycling collection on Memorial Day. Since recycling in Wisconsin Rapids is collected on the same day as garbage but on alternating weeks, the one-day delay applies to whichever service is scheduled that week. Madison residents should use the Streets Division address lookup tool for their specific 2026 pickup calendar.

Minnesota

Bloomington, MN follows a one-day delay policy for all city-observed holidays including Memorial Day. The full 2026 garbage and recycling calendar is available at blm.mn/2026garbage for residents to confirm their exact week-by-week schedule.

Iowa

Monticello, Iowa publishes specific make-up dates rather than a blanket one-day delay. Wednesday garbage moves to Thursday, May 28. North-Side recycling routes move to Friday, May 29. Friday garbage moves to Saturday, May 30. Monticello residents should note which specific adjusted date applies to their route type.

South Central Region

Texas

Texas is one of the most divided states for Memorial Day collection policy. Your experience depends entirely on which hauler serves your specific address.

Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) — serving Travis County, Hays County, Williamson County, and surrounding Central Texas areas — provides completely normal, uninterrupted service on Memorial Day 2026. TDS is one of the few large regional haulers in the country to do so. Austin-area and Central Texas residents served by TDS can expect their normal collection day with no delay.

Best Trash, serving Harris County Municipal Utility Districts around Houston, takes a more fragmented approach. Some MUDs receive full regular collection on Memorial Day. Others receive trash pickup only, with recycling suspended. A handful receive no service at all. Harris County residents should look up their specific MUD contract or contact Best Trash directly.

West Region

California

California has an important distinction that trips up many residents: Riverside County’s Department of Waste Resources is not a trash hauler. It does not provide curbside pickup. Residents must identify and contact their individual private hauler using the county’s lookup tool. The county’s own landfills and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facilities are closed on Memorial Day, but that is separate from your weekly curbside service.

In Los Angeles, Ware Disposal delays residential collection by one day for Memorial Day. However, the City of Los Angeles’s commercial and multi-family routes typically continue on the holiday as normal. Residents and businesses should confirm which service category applies to their address.

San Mateo County, served by Recology, delays service by one day for any route that falls on or after the holiday. Lake County residents should check with their specific hauler — either Lake County Waste Solutions or South Lake Refuse & Recycling — as both follow the sliding-day policy.

Oregon

Portland, Oregon stands out as one of the clearest examples of a major metro with virtually no Memorial Day disruption. Both Portland Disposal & Recycling and Waste Management Portland provide full normal service on Memorial Day. Portland’s haulers only suspend collection on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Every other holiday — including Memorial Day — is a regular collection day for Portland residents.

Washington State

No official 2026 Memorial Day holiday schedule has been confirmed from specific Washington State municipalities at this time. Washington residents should contact their local hauler — Republic Services, Waste Management, or Recology — directly, or check their city or county solid waste website for the updated 2026 calendar.

Colorado

Denver’s solid waste and recycling system operates across nine different collection districts. When Memorial Day falls on a Monday, any district whose scheduled pickup falls on or after that Monday is collected one day late for that week only. Denver residents should enter their address at denvergov.org to find their specific district schedule and confirm their adjusted May 2026 pickup day.

The Town of Superior, served by Republic Services, shows the holiday delay on its published 2026 calendar. Superior residents should check their Republic Services calendar or the town’s website for the exact adjusted date.

Arizona

Arizona’s Waste Management service areas — including Eloy — may experience a one-day delay on Memorial Day, but this is not uniform across all WM Arizona service zones. Arizona residents served by WM should enter their address at wm.com/us/en/holiday-schedule to get a confirmed answer for their specific pickup location.

National Waste Hauler Policies for Memorial Day 2026

If you don’t know who handles your collection, look for your hauler name on your utility bill or sanitation invoice. Then check this table:

Special Collection Items: What Is and Isn’t Affected

How to Find Your Exact 2026 Memorial Day Schedule

Every county and municipality sets its own rules — often delegated to private haulers. Here is how to verify your specific schedule:

1. Check your city or county’s official website Search “[Your City] solid waste holiday schedule 2026” or look for a “trash and recycling” section in your city’s services menu.

2. Use your hauler’s address lookup tool

• Waste Management: wm.com/us/en/holiday-schedule
• Republic Services: republicservices.com/schedule
• GFL Environmental: Local municipality PDF calendars at gflenv.com
• Recology: Address lookup at recology.com

3. Call 311 Most U.S. cities and counties support 311 for non-emergency municipal services. It connects you to your local sanitation department.

4. Use text alerts Charlotte, NC residents can text their collection day to 73224 for real-time holiday updates.

5. Check your district directly Denver residents: Enter address at denvergov.org for your specific district schedule. Madison, WI residents: Contact the Streets Division or use the address lookup tool at the Streets Division website.

Common Mistakes to Avoid This Memorial Day Week

Pulling your bin back in too early. Holiday weeks run behind. If your Monday route moves to Tuesday, trucks may arrive late Tuesday afternoon or even early Wednesday. Leave your bin out.

Assuming no delay because last year had none. Charlotte, NC changed its entire holiday policy in 2026. Several other municipalities update schedules annually. Always verify before the holiday.

Thinking trash and recycling follow different rules. In most areas, both follow the same one-day delay. The exception is places like Riverton, NJ, where trash and recycling have different adjusted pickup days.

Expecting a make-up day that does not exist. Hillsborough County, FL and several other municipalities explicitly do not offer make-up days. If Monday is your day and there is no service, your next pickup is your next regular scheduled collection.

Putting hazardous or bulk items out expecting normal pickup. Bulk item and HHW collection is typically the first service to be suspended on a holiday, even in areas where regular trash collection continues.

Summary: Memorial Day 2026 Recycling by State

Schedules listed reflect confirmed and available 2026 information. Memorial Day recycling policies are hyper-local and can change year to year. Always verify your specific schedule through your city, county, or waste hauler’s official website before the holiday.