Baltimore County Trash Pickup & Garbage Schedule 2026

Baltimore County uses an address-specific collection calendar for residential curbside service. Trash, recycling, yard material, and bulk days are assigned by schedule letters on the County guide, and the only reliable way to know your exact service pattern is to check the County’s collection schedule tool for your property address.

How to Find Your Baltimore County Trash Pickup Day

Baltimore County does not use a simple citywide “every Monday” or “every Tuesday” system. Instead, your collection schedule is tied to your property address and can include trash, recycling, yard material, and bulk letters on different weeks or the same day.

1. Open the County collection schedule tool. Go to Find Your Collection Schedule.
2. Enter your house number and street name. Use the exact service address to pull up the current yearly schedule for that property.
3. Check all letters on the schedule. Baltimore County may show different letters or collection markers for trash, recycling, yard material, and bulk collection.
4. Look for Y days if you use yard service. If your schedule has designated Y days, yard material is collected separately during the season.
5. Call the Bureau if anything looks wrong. Contact (410) 887-2000 if you need a mailed schedule or help understanding your calendar.

Baltimore County Pickup Schedule: What Runs When

Your exact Baltimore County collection pattern depends on your address. Trash and recycling are part of the regular curbside program, yard material can be separate if your schedule includes Y days, and bulk item pickup appears on your assigned calendar.

Baltimore County says it does not provide standard trash or recycling containers to residents. Those containers should be purchased by the resident and used according to County collection rules. If you are using curbside service, always follow your address-specific schedule instead of copying a nearby street’s routine.

Baltimore County Trash Rules

For regular household trash, Baltimore County expects residents to use proper containers and to place materials at the designated collection point only after the allowed set-out time. Early set-outs are prohibited because they create neighborhood appearance and rodent problems.

Place trash out after 6:00 p.m. on the night before collection at the same curbside or alley collection point used for your address. Baltimore County’s regulations specifically prohibit trash set-outs before 6 p.m. the evening before collection.

Baltimore County Recycling: Single-Stream Collection

Baltimore County uses a single-stream recycling program. That means acceptable paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, and glass can be mixed together in the same recycling container for collection.

Accepted examples from County recycling guidance:

• Most paper, paperboard and cardboard
• Pizza boxes if they are not heavily soiled with grease, cheese, and food
• Plastic bottles, jars and containers
• Metal cans and similar household recyclables
• Glass bottles and jars

Keep these out of Baltimore County recycling:

• Plastic bags
• “Recycling bags” or bagged recyclables
• Tanglers and other problem materials
• Contaminated recyclables with heavy food waste

Baltimore County Yard Material Collection

If your collection calendar includes Y days, yard material is collected separately for recycling from April 1 through the last Y day on your schedule each year. If your schedule does not include Y days, older County guidance notes that yard materials may be collected with trash on the regular trash day, so the calendar for your address matters.

Yard materials collected separately by the County are recycled into compost instead of being landfilled, so proper separation matters. Check your current County schedule before assuming yard waste will go out with regular trash.

Baltimore County Bulk Item Collection

Baltimore County bulk collection is tied to your address-specific collection schedule. You do not need to call the County to request pickup on a scheduled bulk day. Instead, check your calendar and place eligible items out correctly the evening before collection.

Bulk collection basics:

• Set bulk items out after 6 p.m. on the night before scheduled collection
• Place them at the same location where trash and recycling are normally collected
• No items over 8 feet in length are accepted in the residential bulk collection program
• County residents may also take bulk items to all three drop-off facilities at no charge

1. Check your bulk day on the County calendar. Use the address lookup to verify the exact scheduled day.
2. Wait until the evening before. Baltimore County says bulk items should be set out only after 6 p.m. the night before collection.
3. Use the normal collection point. Put bulk items where your trash and recycling are normally picked up.
4. Watch size limits. The County’s residential bulk rules reject items longer than 8 feet.
5. Use a drop-off center when needed. That can be easier than waiting for the next assigned bulk day.

Baltimore County 2026 Holiday Slide Schedule

Baltimore County clarified in January 2026 that only certain holidays trigger the County’s one-day “slide” collection schedule. All trash, recycling, and yard material collections scheduled on or after those holidays move one day later that week.

Important 2026 clarification: Baltimore County said the slide schedule applies only to those seven holidays. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day were specifically part of the early-2026 correction, so residents should use the County’s updated guidance instead of an older printed calendar for those weeks.

What to Do If Baltimore County Missed Your Pickup

If your trash, recycling, yard material, or bulk collection did not happen as expected, the first step is making sure your set-out matched the County rules. Many misses turn out to be timing, bagging, or holiday-week schedule mistakes.

1. Confirm the correct day. Re-check your address in the County collection schedule tool.
2. Confirm the set-out timing. The County prohibits early set-out and wants materials placed out after 6 p.m. the night before collection.
3. Check material type. Bagged recyclables, mixed yard waste, or oversized bulk items can cause a skip.
4. Call the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. Contact (410) 887-2000 for collection questions and current service status.
5. Watch weather/service updates. Baltimore County also maintains a severe weather operational status page for collection disruptions.

Baltimore County Drop-Off Centers

Baltimore County operates three resident drop-off facilities where County residents can take residential trash and recyclables. The County guide says residents may generally use these locations free of charge up to 10 times per year per household when arriving in an eligible passenger vehicle type.

Drop-off centers are also useful for bulk items, household recyclables, and other accepted materials listed in the County’s materials directory and drop-off rules.

Container and Set-Out Reminders

Baltimore County’s collection rules are stricter about set-out timing and material separation than many people realize. A clean, correct setup is the easiest way to avoid being skipped.

• Do not set materials out too early: before 6 p.m. the evening before collection is prohibited
• Do not bag recyclables: recycling containers must not contain plastic-bagged material
• Use the designated collection point: put materials where your address normally gets service
• Follow the schedule letters: especially for yard material and bulk items

Frequently Asked Questions About Baltimore County Trash Pickup

Official Baltimore County Waste Collection Resources

County contact: Bureau of Solid Waste Management, 111 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Suite 211, Towson, Maryland 21204. Call (410) 887-2000 Monday through Friday for collection questions, schedule help, bulk items, and recycling information.