Montgomery County, MD Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026
- Thursday routes Friday, November 27; Friday routes Saturday, November 28
- Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026
- Friday routes move to Saturday, December 26
- New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027
- Friday routes move to Saturday, January 2
- Slide rule
- Weekday County holiday: collections on or after it run one day later
- Coverage
- County-provided service to single-family homes and townhomes
- Set-out time
- At the curb by 7 am on collection day
- Licensed collectors, Sec. 48-21(b)
- Earliest collection 9:00 a.m. on federal holidays and Sundays, 500-foot business exception
Summary
When a County holiday falls Monday through Friday, Montgomery County slides County-provided recycling and trash collections scheduled on or after the holiday one day later that week. For Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026, Thursday routes are collected Friday, November 27 and Friday routes Saturday, November 28. Christmas Day and New Year's Day move only Friday routes, to Saturday, December 26 and Saturday, January 2.
Our schedules apply to recycling and trash collection services provided by Montgomery County, Maryland, to single-family homes and townhomes. ... If a County holiday falls during the week (Monday – Friday), all collections scheduled on or after the holiday will "slide" and be made one day later that week. If the holiday falls on the weekend, but the County observes the holiday on the Friday before or the Monday after the actual holiday, there is no change in the collection schedule. ... Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026 If your collection day is | Your collection day this week is |
Monday | Monday, November 23 | Tuesday | Tuesday, November 24 | Wednesday | Wednesday, November 25 | Thursday | Friday, November 27 |
Friday | Saturday, November 28 | ... Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026 If your collection day is | Your collection day this week is | ... Friday | Saturday, December 26 | ... New Year's Day, Friday, January 1, 2027 If your collection day is | Your collection day this week is | ... Friday | Saturday, January 2 |
Full Breakdown
The County states its holiday rule in one sentence on its "Slide" Schedule page: if a County holiday falls during the week (Monday – Friday), all collections scheduled on or after the holiday will "slide" and be made one day later that week. If the holiday falls on the weekend, but the County observes the holiday on the Friday before or the Monday after the actual holiday, there is no change in the collection schedule. The page lists New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day as slide days, under the same heading as the Shady Grove Transfer Station & Recycling Center closures. Its dated tables run from Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026 through Independence Day, Sunday, July 4, 2027.
Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday routes keep their normal days, November 23, 24 and 25. Thursday routes are collected Friday, November 27, and Friday routes Saturday, November 28. The list of slide days has no entry for the day after Thanksgiving.
Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, 2026. Monday through Thursday routes get normal collection on December 21, 22, 23 and 24, and Friday routes are collected Saturday, December 26. New Year's Day is Friday, January 1, 2027. Monday through Thursday routes get normal collection on December 28, 29, 30 and 31, and Friday routes are collected Saturday, January 2.
The tables apply to recycling and trash collection services provided by Montgomery County, Maryland, to single-family homes and townhomes. A resident of a municipality is told that the holiday schedule for recycling or trash collection can differ from the County schedule. All items to be collected must be out at the curb by 7 am on your collection day.
Chapter 48 of the County Code does not print this holiday calendar. Sec. 48-29(b) says that in the Solid Waste Collection District the County or its contract agent must be the primary collection agency for single- or two-family dwelling units. Licensed private collectors work under a different clause: Sec. 48-21(a)(3) requires the written statement of service they furnish to each customer to name the holidays for which service is suspended and the collection schedule thereafter. The County page speaks of County holidays, while the hours rule in Sec. 48-21(b) speaks of federal holidays.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 48-30 punishes a violation of Chapter 48 as a class A violation under section 1-19 of chapter 1 of the County Code, unless the applicable section provides otherwise, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Under Sec. 48-21(b) that reaches a licensed collector who collects before 7:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on federal holidays and Sundays) or after 9:00 p.m. The subsection excepts business establishments with no residential structure within 500 feet of the collection point. The slide schedule page prints no penalty of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montgomery County trash picked up on Thanksgiving 2026?
When is the Christmas and New Year's make-up day?
Does a holiday that falls on a weekend change pickup?
What happens to pickup on Veterans Day and the 2027 Monday holidays?
Does this schedule cover me in a city or with a private hauler?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montgomery County
Compare Montgomery County to another location·View the Maryland trash & recycling overview
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