Gardena, CA Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- No-collection holidays
- New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day
- Weekday holiday
- Collection delayed one day for the remainder of the week
- Saturday or Sunday holiday
- No delay in service
- Holiday weeks (code)
- Collection on the following Saturday, § 8.20.130(A)
- Residential collection hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Holiday tree window
- Regular service days, December 26 to January 22
- WM Customer Service
- (310) 366-7600, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Summary
Gardena skips trash, recycling and organics collection on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. When a holiday falls on a weekday, the city's 2026 Residential Service Guide delays collection one day for the remainder of that week. Municipal Code § 8.20.130(A) sends collection in a holiday week to the following Saturday. The guide prints no dates for 2026-27 holidays.
A. Residential. Collection shall be made between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In the case of a holiday, collection shall be made on the day following the regularly scheduled day of collection. During those weeks in which a holiday occurs, collection shall be made on the following Saturday.
Full Breakdown
Two layers set the rule. Gardena Municipal Code § 8.20.130(A) limits residential collection to 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, moves a holiday's collection to the day following the regularly scheduled day, and sends collection to the following Saturday in weeks in which a holiday occurs. Chapter 8.20 never defines holiday or lists which days count, so the names come from the City of Gardena 2026 Residential Service Guide, which the city hosts on its own site for residential cart service.
The guide's Holiday Schedule says collection does not occur on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. When a holiday falls on a weekday, collection is delayed for one day for the remainder of the week. A holiday on a Saturday or Sunday causes no delay in service. The city's 2026 Business and Multifamily Service Guide repeats the same wording. The city's March 22, 2022 franchise agreement with Waste Resources of Gardena, the hauler WM replaced on May 1, 2026, lists the same days in § 4.5.1 (Fourth of July for Independence Day) and permits residential Saturday collection in the make-up week. This page relies on the 2026 guide for the current rule.
For this season, Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026, Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, 2026, and New Year's Day is Friday, January 1, 2027. All three fall on weekdays, so the weekday-holiday delay governs each of those weeks. The guide is titled 2026, prints no holiday dates or make-up dates, has no 2027 schedule and gives no make-up days by route, so this page gives no make-up dates either. The guide does not name Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11, 2026), Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve or the day after Thanksgiving.
Section 8.36.080(H)(3), the noise chapter's exemption for collection vehicles, allows alternative collections on the following Saturday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. when a collection day occurs on a holiday. Commercial customers follow § 8.20.130(B), which moves collection to the day following the regularly scheduled day when collections are not made on holidays.
The guide asks for carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day. WM became Gardena's service provider on May 1, 2026, and the guide says WM will continue service on the current collection day and frequency. It lists WM Customer Service at (310) 366-7600, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Violations & Fines
The holiday shift moves the collector's schedule; the household duty is container timing. Section 8.20.110(B) bars placing a container for collection earlier than twenty-four hours before the scheduled start and requires removal within twenty-four hours after collection. Under § 8.20.190(B) a violation is grounds for an administrative citation, and § 8.20.190(E) sets base penalties of fifty to one hundred dollars for a first violation, one hundred to two hundred for a second, and two hundred fifty to five hundred for a third or subsequent. Appeals follow § 1.20.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is trash picked up on Thanksgiving in Gardena?
Is trash picked up on Christmas Day and New Year's Day in Gardena?
What is the make-up day for a Gardena holiday?
Is Veterans Day a trash holiday in Gardena?
When does Gardena collect Christmas trees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gardena
California rules heatmap·Compare Gardena to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Holiday Pickup Schedule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle holiday pickup schedule.