Bowie, MD Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 10-3 of the Bowie City Code governs residential refuse and household trash collection. Under Subsection B, refuse and household trash must be placed at the curb in front of the property for pickup, except that a property whose rear line abuts or is adjacent to an alley or public right-of-way where trash is collected from the rear must set it out at the rear curb instead, never in the street, alley or right-of-way itself. Trash may be placed at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening before the scheduled collection day and must be out by 7:00 a.m. on collection day; anything placed at the curb after 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled day may not be collected that week.

The same curbside timing window (5:00 p.m. the prior evening to 7:00 a.m. of the collection day) also governs the City's separate special collection for metal items under § 10-6B and its single-stream recycling collection under § 10-6C, so residents effectively work on one citywide curb schedule across refuse, recycling and special pickups. The Public Works Department administers the collection routes and schedule; residents who miss a set-out window must hold materials until the next scheduled day rather than leaving them at the curb outside the window.

Violations of Chapter 10, including improper set-out that creates litter under § 10-2, are municipal infractions under § 1-6C(8), enforced through the citation process in Chapter 1, § 1-6C.