San Diego County Recycling Holiday Schedule 2026

If your recycling day falls on a holiday in San Diego County, your pickup usually moves — but by how much depends on who collects your trash.

The City of San Diego and private haulers like EDCO don’t run on the same holiday calendar, and San Diego County itself doesn’t publish one master schedule that covers every city and company.

Here’s the short version: on a holiday week, most residents get their recycling picked up one day later than usual, and every collection day after that shifts by one day too, through the end of the week.

But your exact holiday list, and whether a Saturday holiday causes any delay at all, depends on your service provider.

This guide breaks down the 2026 schedule for the City of San Diego’s curbside program and EDCO, the largest private hauler in the county, plus how to find your own schedule if you live somewhere else in the county.

Last verified: July 2026, against the City of San Diego Environmental Services Department and EDCO San Diego official pages.

Quick Answer: Is My Recycling Delayed This Week?

City of San Diego residents: Your recycling, trash, and organics are delayed one day for the rest of the week only on these five 2026 holidays — New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), Memorial Day (May 25), Labor Day (Sept. 7), Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), and Christmas Day (Dec. 25).

EDCO customers in San Diego: Delays only apply to customers whose regular pickup falls on or after the holiday that week, and a holiday landing on a Saturday (like July 4, 2026) causes no delay at all.

Everyone else in the county: Your city or hauler sets its own holiday list. Use the address lookup tools linked below to confirm.

Article Summary

• The City of San Diego observes 5 holidays in 2026 that delay curbside collection by one day for the rest of that week.
• EDCO, which serves parts of San Diego and many other county communities, observes a similar but not identical list — and treats Saturday holidays differently.
• There is no single county-wide recycling holiday schedule; San Diego County’s observed holidays apply to county government offices, not necessarily to your curbside pickup.
• Recycling in the City of San Diego is collected every other week, not weekly, so check which week you’re on in addition to any holiday delay.
• Your exact pickup day depends on your address — use the official lookup tools before assuming a schedule.
• Christmas tree recycling and other seasonal drop-off programs run on their own separate schedule.

City of San Diego: 2026 Recycling Holiday Schedule

The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department (ESD) runs curbside collection for trash (gray bin), organic waste (green bin), and recycling (light blue bin). Trash is collected weekly, Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Organic waste is also collected weekly on the same schedule. Recycling, however, is collected every other week, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

That means before you even factor in holidays, you need to know whether this week is your recycling week.

2026 Holidays That Delay City Collection

No collection of City of San Diego trash, recyclables, or organic waste happens on these City-observed holidays in 2026:

Source: City of San Diego Environmental Services – Collection Schedules

How the One-Day Delay Works

Starting on the day of the holiday, trash is collected one day later for the remainder of that week. For example, if the holiday falls on a Tuesday, Tuesday’s collection moves to Wednesday, Wednesday’s moves to Thursday, Thursday’s moves to Friday, and Friday’s moves to Saturday.

Applied to the 2026 dates: Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, so if your normal day is Thursday, expect Friday pickup that week — and Friday customers shift to Saturday. Memorial Day and Labor Day both fall on Mondays, so the whole week’s collection shifts by one day from Monday onward.

Bins must be at the curb or alleyway by 6 a.m. on your collection day, holiday-shifted or not.

EDCO: 2026 Holiday Schedule for San Diego-Area Customers

EDCO is a private hauler serving residential customers in the City of San Diego and numerous other San Diego County communities (Alpine, Lakeside, Ramona, Poway, and others, depending on your address). Its holiday list overlaps with the city’s but isn’t identical, and it handles Saturday and Sunday holidays differently.

Holidays which fall on Saturday do not delay waste removal services for the remainder of the week. Holidays which fall on Sunday will delay waste removal services for the remainder of the week. Holidays that occur on a weekday delay service for the remainder of that week, with each day’s pickup moving to the next day.

EDCO 2026 Holiday Table

Residential collection service will not be performed on the holidays listed below, resulting in a one-day residential delay in service.

Source: EDCO San Diego – Service Schedules

One important note: EDCO does not delay service for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Lincoln’s Birthday, Presidents’ Day, Washington’s Birthday, Cesar Chavez Day, or Veterans’ Day — customers should set out containers on their regular schedule for those holidays. The City of San Diego doesn’t observe those as collection holidays either, so this isn’t a point of confusion between the two — but it’s a common misconception, since many people assume any federal holiday delays trash pickup.

Why There’s No Single “San Diego County” Recycling Schedule

San Diego County is large and covers dozens of cities and unincorporated communities, each served by its own contracted hauler — the City of San Diego runs its own program, while EDCO, Republic Services, Waste Management, and other companies serve different areas depending on your address.

The County of San Diego does publish an observed holiday schedule for county government offices, but that calendar governs when county buildings and services are closed — it isn’t the same thing as your curbside pickup calendar, and no official source ties the two together into one countywide collection schedule.

If you live outside the City of San Diego and aren’t an EDCO customer, check your city’s public works or sanitation department page, or look up your address with your hauler directly.

How to Find Your Exact Pickup Day and ZIP-Code Schedule

Your collection day depends on your specific address, not just your city. Here’s how to check:

1. City of San Diego residents: Use the Collection Map Lookup tool and enter your address to see your exact trash, recycling, and organics days.
2. EDCO customers: Use the address lookup on EDCO’s Service Schedules page — it’s built specifically to show holiday-adjusted pickup days once you enter your address.
3. Other cities or unincorporated areas: Search “[your city] sanitation department trash schedule” or check your property tax bill or utility statement, which usually lists your hauler.

Don’t assume your neighbor’s schedule matches yours — collection routes can differ block by block, even within the same ZIP code.

Recycling Bin Rules: A Quick Reminder

The City of San Diego asks residents to discard recycling items dry and loose, not bagged in plastic. Bagged recyclables can jam sorting equipment at the recycling facility and may end up discarded as contamination, so loose is the way to go regardless of which hauler serves your address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom line: Holiday delays in San Diego County depend entirely on who picks up your trash. Confirm your exact schedule using your city’s or hauler’s official lookup tool before setting out your bins — it takes less than a minute and saves you from a missed pickup.