Winston-Salem, NC Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)

Section 26-6(c) of the Winston-Salem Code sets the baseline: residents may place the container at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on the day before the normally scheduled collection day, carts should be out by 6:00 a.m. on collection day, and carts come in by 8:00 a.m. the day after collection, unless collected on a Friday, when the deadline is 8:00 a.m. Monday. The same subsection adds that "Exceptions will be made during schedule changes due to emergencies or holidays." The Sanitation Division's published Holiday Collection Schedule fills in those exceptions, and garbage, curbside recycling and yard waste carts each follow their own line.

Thanksgiving, November 26 and 27: garbage on Tuesday and Wednesday runs on those days, Thursday garbage is collected Friday, and Friday garbage is collected Saturday, November 28. Curbside recycling in RED WEEK runs normally Monday through Wednesday, with Thursday collected on Friday and Friday collected on Saturday, November 28. Yard waste carts run normally Monday through Wednesday, and Thursday is collected Saturday, November 28.

Christmas, December 24 through 28: garbage runs on a normal operation Tuesday through Thursday, and Friday garbage is collected Saturday, December 26. RED WEEK recycling runs normally Monday through Thursday, with Friday collected Saturday, December 26. Yard waste carts keep a normal schedule Monday through Thursday of Christmas week, and the week after Christmas resumes normally beginning Monday, December 28.

New Year's Day 2027, Friday, January 1: garbage runs normally Tuesday through Thursday, and Friday garbage is collected Saturday, January 2. BLUE WEEK recycling runs normally Monday through Thursday, with Friday collected Saturday, January 2. Yard waste carts run normally Monday, December 28 through Thursday, December 30.

Earlier in the fall, Veterans Day on November 11 leaves garbage and RED WEEK recycling on the normal schedule, while yard waste moves: Wednesday is collected Thursday and Thursday is collected Friday. Fall leaf collection begins November 2, 2026. The city also posts a printable 2026 Holiday Collection Calendar and a Recycling Red/Blue Week Calendar, and the Winston-Salem Collects app shows each address's service zone.