Herndon, VA Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Herndon is one of the few jurisdictions in the Washington DC region that operates its own municipal refuse and recycling collection service directly, rather than franchising to a private hauler. The Department of Public Works divides the Town into collection zones, each assigned a weekday for pickup. Trash must be set out at the curb by 7 AM on collection day and cannot be placed out earlier than 5 PM the evening before. Containers must be removed from the curb by the end of the collection day. Each household is generally limited to a reasonable volume of household waste per week; excess or bulk items may require a separate bulk pickup request. Holiday schedules shift collection by one day when Town offices are closed for recognized holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Residents of multi-family buildings and commercial properties typically contract with private haulers, as Town collection is primarily for single-family and small multi-family properties. Missed collections should be reported to Public Works within 24 hours. The Town periodically publishes a collection calendar showing route days, holiday shifts, yard waste weeks, and bulk collection schedules.