Finding Your Washington DC Trash and Recycling Collection Schedule

Knowing when your trash and recycling is collected in Washington DC is key to keeping your neighborhood clean. The District Department of Public Works (DPW) provides trash and recycling collection services to residents across the city. Use this guide to look up your scheduled pick-up days and learn about how holidays impact the collection schedule.

Looking Up Your Trash and Recycling Collection Days

Most households in Washington DC have trash collection once per week. You can easily look up your assigned collection day by entering your address on the DPW Trash and Recycling Collection Day finder.

When you enter your address, the tool will return the day of the week when your trash and recycling is collected. It also specifies if you are in a neighborhood that receives twice weekly trash pickup.

Key Trash Collection Details

• Most households use a 96-gallon rolling cart, known as a “Supercans,” for trash collection.

• Some neighborhoods with narrow streets and alleys get twice-weekly trash pickup on Mondays and Thursdays. These households use smaller 32-gallon carts called “mini-Supercans.”

• Apartment buildings and multi-family homes with more than 3 units do not receive DPW trash collection. These properties must arrange private hauling.

• Make sure your trash is at the curb by 6:00am on your collection day.

Recycling Collection

Recycling is collected weekly on the same day as your regular trash pickup. Recyclables should be placed in the blue lid rolling cart provided by DPW.

Accepted recyclable materials include:

• Paper and cardboard
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic containers
• Metal cans and foil

Recycling Tips

• rinse or wipe containers clean before recycling
• do not bag recyclables
• flatten cardboard boxes
• do not include plastic bags or wrap

Holiday Collection Schedules

Holidays impact your normal trash and recycling collection schedule. DPW provides an annual holiday collection slide guide that shows schedule changes.

When a holiday falls on your normal collection day, pickups slide to the next day through Saturday. For example:

• If the holiday is on Monday, Monday pickup slides to Tuesday. Tuesday slides to Wednesday, etc.

• In neighborhoods with twice weekly pickup, Monday and Thursday would slide to Tuesday and Friday.

The DPW holiday trash collection schedule specifies how each holiday affects pickups.

Holidays That Impact Collection

The following major holidays alter the normal trash and recycling collection schedule in Washington DC:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Emancipation Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

In some cases, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, pickup slides multiple days since the holidays fall late in the week.

Scheduling Exceptions

While most holidays just slide collection days, DPW does make some one-off schedule changes:

• Independence Day – No trash or recycling collection
• Emancipation Day – April 16th is the District’s Emancipation Day holiday. When it falls on a weekday, DPW provides trash and recycling pickup but parking enforcement is suspended.

Accessing the Holiday Schedule

You can view the holiday collection slide guide on the DPW website. It is published each year prior to the start of the calendar year.

The guide is available in PDF format and shows a visual calendar highlighting how each holiday impacts pickups.

Setting Out Trash and Recycling Properly

To help keep Washington DC clean, DPW provides guidelines on how to properly set materials at the curb for collection. Follow these tips:

Trash

• Place your trash cart at the curb by 6:00am on your collection day.

• Make sure the lid is closed and there is no trash overflowing.

• Do not overfill the cart – the lid should fully close.

• Do not place extra bags beside the cart. They will not be collected.

Recycling

• Use your blue lid recycling cart. Do not use plastic bags.

• Rinse food residue off containers to discourage pests.

• Break down and flatten cardboard boxes.

• Avoid putting trash in your recycling. Contaminated loads may be rejected.

Other Tips

• Keep lids closed to keep contents dry and deter pests
• Place carts at least 2 feet apart at the curb
• Remove carts from the curb by the end of collection day
• Avoid blocking bike lanes or sidewalks with your carts

Following these guidelines helps collection go smoothly. It also prevents litter or debris left behind at the curb.

Bulky Trash and Other Collection Services

In additional to regular trash and recycling, the Department of Public Works provides other waste collection services to residents.

Bulky Trash

You can schedule pickup of large bulky items like furniture or appliances up to 3 times per year. Schedule your free bulky trash collection by calling (202) 673-6833.

Household Hazardous Waste

DPW collects paint, chemicals, batteries and other household hazardous waste on Saturdays from 8am-3pm at the Fort Totten Transfer Station.

Food Waste Drop-Off

Drop-off locations across the city accept food scraps for composting on Saturdays from 8am-2pm.

Textile Recycling

Clothing and textiles can be dropped off for recycling at the Fort Totten Transfer station from 7am-5pm daily.

Contact DPW with Questions

If you have any questions about your trash and recycling collection schedule, you can contact the Department of Public Works:

Phone: (202) 673-6833

Email: [email protected]

Website: dpw.dc.gov

DPW’s website also contains additional information on trash policies, bulky item pickup, food waste composting, and more.