Houston, Texas resident guide
Houston trash, recycling & bulk pickup
Find regular trash and recycling information alongside bulky-item schedules, set-out rules, accepted items, and holiday changes.
Official source links checked on August 27, 2026.
Regular household service
Trash and recycling service
Start here for the recurring household collections residents use most often.
Houston provides weekly garbage collection to eligible city customers; use the official map for the assigned weekday.
Curbside recycling follows the city schedule for eligible addresses. Confirm the current date in the city map.
Need it gone before the city service?
Compare independent pickup when the local date is too far away or an item is excluded.
Start here
How Houston service works
Use the official Houston heavy-trash map or address lookup to confirm whether the next collection is tree waste or junk waste and which day serves the property.
City rules at a glance
Local limits before set-out
Houston provides alternating tree-waste and junk-waste collection for eligible city solid-waste customers on an address-based schedule.
Use the official Houston heavy-trash map or address lookup to confirm whether the next collection is tree waste or junk waste and which day serves the property.
Heavy trash is collected every other month, for six collections a year. The standard pile limit is eight cubic yards.
Set material at the curb after 6 p.m. on the Friday before the scheduled collection and before 7 a.m. on collection day, clear of obstructions.
Local detail that matters
What makes Houston service different
Houston alternates material types. A pile that is eligible during a junk-waste month may be rejected during a tree-waste month, so the address calendar matters as much as the collection day.
Item guidance
What may go in the bulky-item pile
Accepted examples
Junk-waste months may include furniture, appliances, and other eligible bulky household material; tree-waste months are limited to eligible vegetative debris.
Not accepted
Household hazardous waste, electronics, contractor debris, and material that does not match the assigned tree-waste or junk-waste month.
Holiday collectionHouston published its 2026 Solid Waste holiday calendarPublished 2026 dates confirmed
These are Houston Solid Waste holidays. Route-specific operating instructions can differ by holiday; the city posts those instructions as each date approaches.
Published 2026 department holidays
Houston announces route effects separately for each holiday; the annual calendar does not publish one universal delay rule for every route.
- New Year’s Day — Thursday, January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Monday, January 19
- Presidents’ Day — Monday, February 16
- Spring Holiday — Friday, April 3
- Memorial Day — Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth — Friday, June 19
- Independence Day observed — Friday, July 3
- Labor Day — Monday, September 7
- Veterans Day — Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving — Thursday–Friday, November 26–27
- Christmas — Thursday–Friday, December 24–25
Confirmed summer service effects
Juneteenth had no Friday curbside collection; Friday routes moved to Saturday. July 3 curbside collection ran normally, while facilities closed July 4.
- Juneteenth — June 19–20
- Independence Day period — July 3–4
Common questions
Houston collection FAQ
Does Houston collect junk every month?
No. The city alternates tree-waste and junk-waste collections on an every-other-month cycle.
How large can the standard pile be?
Current city guidance allows a standard pile of up to eight cubic yards.
Sources used for this guide
Official supporting information
TrashDayFinder used these public sources to prepare the resident guidance above. They were checked on August 27, 2026 and are provided here as evidence.
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