Columbus, OH Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Observed holidays
- Ten, from New Year's Day through Christmas Day
- Good Friday
- Collection days are not affected
- Color zones
- Navy, pink, ruby, gold, gray; day moves forward one day per holiday
- No-color trash
- Two-day window; before holiday first day, on or after second day
- Recycling and yard waste
- Delayed one day; Friday moves to Saturday
- Refuse Collection phone
- (614) 645-3111, 2100 Alum Creek Drive
Summary
Columbus Refuse Collection makes no pickups on the ten holidays the City observes, including Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Color-zone trash moves forward a day after each holiday, other residents use a two-day window, and recycling and yard waste slip one day. Good Friday changes nothing.
There are no collections on holidays observed by the City of Columbus. New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day Presidents’ Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Veteran's Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Note: Collection days are not affected by Good Friday. ... The refuse collection day moves forward after City observed holidays for residents assigned a collection color. For example, after a holiday, a color-collection day that was Tuesday, moves to Wednesday until the next holiday, when it will then move to Thursday. ... If your normal collection day falls before the holiday, your trash will be collected on the first day of the collection window If your collection day falls on or after the holiday, your trash will be serviced on the second day of the collection window ... Bi-weekly recycling and yard waste and subscription recycling collection with a collection day that falls on or after the holiday will be delayed by one day during the week of the holiday, with Friday’s collection occurring on Saturday
Full Breakdown
The Division of Refuse Collection publishes one flat rule: there are no collections on holidays observed by the City of Columbus. The City lists ten of them: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Good Friday is not on the list, and the City states that collection days are not affected by it. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and Christmas Day on Friday, December 25, 2026; those are calendar facts, and the City pages name the holidays but print no 2026 dates of their own.
How your day moves depends on your trash service. Residents assigned a collection color (navy, pink, ruby, gold or gray) see the refuse collection day move forward one day after every observed holiday. The City's own example: a Tuesday color day moves to Wednesday after a holiday, then to Thursday after the next one. Each color has a 24-hour hotline: (614) 645-NAVY (6289), 645-PINK (7465), 645-RUBY (7829), 645-GOLD (4653) and 645-GRAY (4729).
Residents without a color have a two-day collection window. If your normal day falls before the holiday, trash is collected on the first day of the window. If your day falls on or after the holiday, it is serviced on the second day.
Bi-weekly recycling and yard waste, and subscription recycling, are delayed one day in the holiday week when the collection day falls on or after the holiday, and Friday's collection happens on Saturday. The Find My Collection Day page adds that the day returns to normal the following week.
The legal footing is Columbus City Codes § 1303.03, which gives the director authority over frequency of collection and hours of collection. The Division's Rules and Regulations set the standard collection time at 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Friday and list holidays first among the reasons the collection time can change. Containers still go out no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled collection day and no later than 6:00 a.m. on it, so confirm your shifted day before setting out.
Violations & Fines
The holiday schedule carries no penalty of its own. Title 13 lets the director enforce the chapter through forfeitures, injunctive actions, civil citations, criminal complaints and other remedies under § 1303.03. The practical risk is setting a container out on the wrong day: the Division's rules bar containers before 6:00 p.m. the day before collection and require them to be retrieved by 2:00 p.m. the day after the scheduled day. Call Refuse Collection at (614) 645-3111 or your color hotline before a holiday week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is trash collected on Thanksgiving and Christmas in Columbus?
Does Good Friday change my Columbus collection day?
How do I find my shifted day if I have a collection color?
What happens to recycling and yard waste in a holiday week?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbus
Compare Columbus to another location·View the Ohio trash & recycling overview
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