Howard County, MD Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Thanksgiving 2026
- Thursday, November 26: Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday
- Christmas Day 2026
- Friday, December 25: Friday collections slide to Saturday
- New Year's Day 2027
- Friday, January 1: Friday collections slide to Saturday
- Set-out deadline
- All items out by 6 a.m. on collection day
- Independence Day 2026
- Saturday, July 4: no change to collections
- Publishing office
- Bureau of Environmental Services, Department of Public Works
- Weather decision
- Bureau strives to decide by 5:30 a.m.
Summary
Howard County slides curbside collection by one day after Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26, 2026), Christmas Day (Friday, December 25, 2026) and New Year's Day (Friday, January 1, 2027). Thursday and Friday pickups move to Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Every item must be at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day of collection.
Remember! All items must be out by 6 a.m. on the day of collection. ... Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Thursday collections slide to Friday Friday collections slide to Saturday | Christmas Day Friday, December 25, 2026 | Friday collections slide to Saturday | New Year's Day (2027) Friday, January 1, 2027 | Friday collections slide to Saturday
Full Breakdown
Howard County does not set holiday collection dates in its County Code. Section 18.1001(c)(8) assigns the Department of Public Works the collection of refuse and the operation of facilities for processing, handling, recycling and disposal of refuse, and the department's Bureau of Environmental Services publishes the holiday calendar. The schedule quoted on this page is the Holiday Slide Schedule 2026, and its last entry is New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027. Howard County has no incorporated municipalities, so this one county schedule covers every address, including Columbia, Ellicott City, Fulton and Clarksville.
The fall and winter holidays work like this. Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026: Thursday collections slide to Friday and Friday collections slide to Saturday. Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026: Friday collections slide to Saturday. New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027: Friday collections slide to Saturday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday collections do not move for those three holidays.
The earlier 2026 holidays follow the same pattern. New Year's Day on Thursday, January 1, 2026 slid Thursday collections to Friday and Friday collections to Saturday. Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026 and Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026 each slide every weekday collection one day later, with Friday moving to Saturday. Independence Day fell on Saturday, July 4, 2026, and the county lists no change to collections.
The county's inclement weather rule uses the same one-day slide. The Bureau of Environmental Services strives to decide by 5:30 a.m. whether collection continues, is delayed or is cancelled, and announces the decision by voicemail, email blasts, the County's Facebook and X pages and its website. If collections are cancelled for the day, Monday slides to Tuesday, Tuesday to Wednesday, Wednesday to Thursday, Thursday to Friday and Friday to Saturday.
This page quotes the 2026 table as the county posted it. Holiday dates change each year, so the Bureau's Holiday Trash & Recycling Schedule page is the place to confirm a date outside the table printed here.
Violations & Fines
Howard County's schedule page prints no fine for putting items out late or on the wrong day. The only stated requirement is that all items must be out by 6 a.m. on the day of collection, so material set out after the crew passes waits for the next collection. Improper refuse disposal and unauthorized removal of recyclables are handled under separate Howard County Code sections on those subjects, not by this schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Howard County trash pickup delayed for Thanksgiving 2026?
What happens to trash pickup on Christmas Day 2026 in Howard County?
Does New Year's Day 2027 change Howard County collection?
Does Howard County slide pickup for bad weather too?
Do Columbia and Ellicott City follow a different holiday schedule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
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