Where and when to report a missed trash, recycling or bulk pickup in US cities and counties.
Report a missed trash pickup to whoever runs your route: the city, often through 311 or an app, or the private hauler assigned to your address. Most places ask you to wait until the trucks’ working day ends and to report within one to three business days. Rule out a holiday delay, a late set-out or a driver’s tag first, since some cities charge for a return trip. The city’s or hauler’s lookup names who serves you.
Photo: Recycling and waste sorting stations at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Intel Free Press, 2013-09-02. CC BY 2.0 · Source. Resized for web.
Atlanta
Crews may work until 3:30 p.m. on your collection day. After that, report a missed garbage, recycling, yard trimming or bulk pickup to ATL311 at 404-546-0311 or online through Missed Residential Garbage ↗. Report a missed bulk pickup within two business days, or you must book it again.
Atlanta trash pickup and recycling rules
Austin
Report a missed cart to Austin 3-1-1 (512-974-2000) or the ARR email form ↗ after 4 p.m. on collection day and within 2 business days; crews return as soon as possible. On-demand pickups come on different trucks, so wait until 4 p.m. for those too. A cart set out late can get a return trip for $20.50 per stream, with $21.20 proposed for FY 2026-27.
Austin trash pickup and recycling rules
Boerne
If WM did not empty your bins in Boerne, call Boerne Utilities Customer Care and Billing at 830-249-9511 option 1, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, on weekends and holidays the number is 830-248-1633. Check first that the bin was out by 7 a.m., that nothing was outside it and that it was not too heavy to lift; an overloaded or blocked bin is left on purpose. Stolen or damaged bins are replaced through the same office or the city’s online forms.
Boerne trash pickup and recycling rules
Boston
Report a missed trash or recycling pickup to Boston 311 ↗ in the BOS:311 app, online, at 311@boston.gov, or at 311 or 617-635-4500. Report a missed mattress or special item pickup within 24 hours, or it must be rebooked.
Boston trash pickup and recycling rules
Charlotte
Call CharMeck 311 at 704-336-7600, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., within 48 hours of a missed garbage, recycling, yard waste or scheduled bulky collection; the city’s Trash and Recycling ↗ page has the rules. Anything not at the curb by 6 a.m., when the truck may arrive, can wait until your next collection day. Carts or piles blocked by parked cars may be denied service.
Charlotte trash pickup and recycling rules
Chicago
File a CHI 311 request at 311.chicago.gov ↗, in the CHI 311 app, or by calling 311 (312-744-5000 from outside Chicago). Alley blue carts can be emptied on any day of the highlighted week. In a holiday week the exact service day may vary, so keep carts accessible all week.
Chicago trash pickup and recycling rules
Columbus
Call 311 at (614) 645-3111 or use the 311 Customer Service Center ↗ with your name, address and phone number or email, and the city will try to collect it. A container may be skipped if it went out after 6 a.m., sat in the wrong spot, held prohibited materials or was blocked by a parked car. In a color zone, the trash day moves one day later after each city holiday.
Columbus trash pickup and recycling rules
Dallas
If a cart is not emptied by 8 p.m. on your collection day, report it through a Dallas 311 service request ↗ or at 311 (214-670-3111 from outside the city), and leave the cart out until the crew comes. A cart set out late waits until the next week, and an orange tag means a violation to fix first. If truck cameras show the cart was late or broke the rules, the city may charge $25 each for garbage and recycling on your utility account.
Dallas trash pickup and recycling rules
Denver
Rule out a holiday-week delay or a blocked or late set-out first; trucks do not return for late set-outs. Then leave the cart out and call 311 (720-913-1311 from outside Denver), or file a request in Denver Utilities Online ↗.
Denver trash pickup and recycling rules
El Paso
In El Paso, call 915-212-6000 if the blue bin is still full at 3 p.m. on your collection day. Missed gray bins and new-bin requests go through Report a Problem on the city’s My Collection Day ↗ lookup, 311 or the same number, and the lookup tracks the work order. A go-back trip costs $15 on the water bill; leave the bin at the curb facing the street with the lid shut.
El Paso trash pickup and recycling rules
Falls Church
Falls Church curbside customers report a missed collection by 10 a.m. on Thursday, the day after the Wednesday service. Use the city’s Report a Concern form, the Recycle Coach app or the Solid Waste Hotline at 703-248-5160, option 1. Reporting early often gets same-day service, and the rest is handled Thursday morning; leave the items at the curb. Billing and code enforcement questions go to 703-248-5466.
Falls Church trash pickup and recycling rules
Fort Worth
Trucks run until 7 p.m., so do not report a miss before then. Leave the cart or pile at the curb and report a garbage, recycling or yard miss within 24 hours, by 6 p.m. the next day or by 4 p.m. Saturday for a Friday route, in the MyFW app ↗, by dialing 311 or at 817-392-1234; after that, the contractor will not come back. You can also email 311@fortworthtexas.gov or text “hello” to 817-835-6939.
Fort Worth trash pickup and recycling rules
Glendora
A missed pickup in Glendora goes to Athens Services at 888-336-6100, cs@athensservices.com or the Request Services form on athensservices.com; the Glendora customer service line is 877-317-1441, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon. The franchise agreement requires Athens to log every complaint and report to the city monthly. If the cart was not out by 6 a.m., the return trip is a $42.34 go-back charge. Extra, replacement or different-size carts and start or stop of service also go through Athens. The City of Glendora’s Environmental Services liaison, 626-914-8249, handles what Athens does not resolve.
Glendora trash pickup and recycling rules
Hillsborough County
The county contracts three haulers, but you report a miss to the county, not the hauler: online in the At Your Service ↗ system, any time, or to Solid Waste Customer Service at 813-272-5680, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A collection day that falls on a county holiday is not a missed pickup; service resumes on your next regular day, with no make-up day. Carts must be at the curb by 6 a.m. with the lid closed, and anything on top of or beside the cart is left.
Hillsborough County trash pickup and recycling rules
Honolulu
If the crew left a tag, fix the problem it names, and the cart is picked up on your next collection day. With no tag, leave the cart at the curb and call your collection yard, listed on Report a Missed Pick Up ↗:
- Honolulu yard (Foster Village to Hawaiʻi Kai): (808) 768-5990
- Kailua yard (Kailua, Temple Valley, Kāneʻohe, Waimānalo): (808) 768-5995
- Lāʻie yard (Kahuku to Kahaluʻu): (808) 768-9748
- Pearl City yard (Hālawa to Makakilo, Pearl City, Waipahu, Waipiʻo Gentry, Royal Kunia, Kapolei, ʻEwa Beach): (808) 768-9732
- Wahiawā yard (Wahiawā, Kunia Camp, Mililani, Waipiʻo Acres): (808) 768-9766
- Waialua yard (Waialua, Haleʻiwa, Sunset): (808) 768-9750
- Waiʻanae yard (Mākaha to Honokai Hale): (808) 768-3596
For a missed bulky pickup with the booked items out by 6 a.m., email collection@honolulu.gov or call (808) 768-3200.
Honolulu trash pickup and recycling rules
Houston
Report a missed collection to 311: dial 311 or 713-837-0311 at any hour, use the Houston 311 app or portal ↗, or email 311@houstontx.gov. For a request’s status, call 832-394-1453, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Houston trash pickup and recycling rules
Indianapolis
Crews have until 6 p.m., so a missed trash pickup cannot be reported until the next business day. Then use Report a Trash Pickup Issue ↗ for a missed regular or heavy trash pickup, file it on RequestIndy, or call the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.
Indianapolis trash pickup and recycling rules
Jacksonville
Your hauler has until 6 p.m. on collection day. After that, report a missed garbage, recycling, yard waste, bulk, tire or appliance collection on MyJax ↗, in the MyJax app or at 630-CITY (904-630-2489), Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon. Waste is usually left because it went out after 6 a.m., was mixed, too big or too heavy, or held a prohibited item; waste set out after the truck passed waits for the next pickup.
Jacksonville trash pickup and recycling rules
Joplin
Missed pickups, cart deliveries and cart removals in Joplin go to Republic Services at 800-431-1507, Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or through the customer service form at the bottom of its Joplin page. If a residential service problem persists after you have raised it with Republic, call the City of Joplin Recycling Division at 417-624-0820 ext. 1501. From October 1, 2026, Republic collects only what fits inside the cart, so bags left beside it are not a missed pickup. Ask Republic to remove any unneeded cart before the November 2026 bill, when extra carts start being charged.
Joplin trash pickup and recycling rules
King County (unincorporated)
Report a missed pickup to your hauler; the county does not run the routes. WM takes missed-collection requests on its online form, by live chat, or at 800-592-9995, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Under county code, once a complaint about missed recycling is confirmed, the hauler has one business day to collect it. Unresolved complaints go to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission ↗ at 1-888-333-9882, after you ask the hauler for a supervisor.
King County garbage pickup and recycling rules
Knoxville
In Knoxville, leave the cart at the curb and wait until the next business day, because trucks sometimes finish routes late or return the next morning. Then report within two business days of your service day: call 311 or 865-215-4311, use the 311 online form at knoxvilletn.gov/284/_311 or the My Knoxville app; the city says not to email. A late report still counts, but the driver only returns on the next scheduled day. During the October 5, 2026 route change, Waste Connections also answers missed collections at 865-522-8161.
Knoxville trash pickup and recycling rules
Lafayette
In Lafayette, timing decides who you call. Before 8 p.m. on your pickup day, call Acadiana Waste Services at 337-205-7710; the truck may still be on its route. After 8 p.m., call LCG’s Environmental Quality Division at 337-291-8529. Missed collections and stolen or broken carts can also be filed on Lafayette 311 (311lafayette.services) or by dialing 311. Replacement carts arrive within three business days or can be picked up at 2107 Carmel Drive.
Lafayette trash pickup and recycling rules
Los Angeles
Wait until 6 p.m. on your collection day, since trucks sometimes run late. Then report the miss in the MyLA311 app or at 1-800-773-2489 with your address, the bin color and whether it was a regular or bulky pickup; Report a Missed Collection ↗ has the steps. Buildings served through recycLA use Report a Missed recycLA Collection ↗.
Los Angeles trash pickup and recycling rules
Miami-Dade County
File a 311 service request ↗ or call 311 (305-468-5900). Report missed recycling within three business days of your day, or it waits for the next pickup. The 311 call center closes on holidays.
Miami-Dade trash pickup and recycling rules
Middlebury
Middlebury has no curbside pickup: residents haul their own trash and recycling to the transfer station at 1 Service Road, or hire a private hauler. Questions go to the transfer station at 203-758-1616 or to Public Works at 203-577-4170, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Middlebury transfer station hours, fees and rules
Minneapolis
Call Solid Waste & Recycling at 612-673-2917 the business day after your pickup day; after two business days the crew may not come back, and an email may arrive too late. If your cart was not out on time, it waits until the next week; if the crew missed it, the City can send a truck back. The city’s Missed pickup ↗ page has the details.
Minneapolis trash pickup and recycling rules
Nashville
Report it on hubNashville, online or in the app, or at 311 or 615-862-5000. Pick Missed Pickup - Trash Cart Service ↗ for a missed trash cart, curbside or backdoor, or Missed Pickup - Recycle Cart Service ↗ for a missed recycling cart. Use Missing Trash Cart when a cart fell into the truck.
Nashville trash pickup and recycling rules
New Bedford
In New Bedford a missed trash, recycling, yard waste, bulky or brush pickup goes to Capitol Waste Services at 855-533-3400, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A missing or damaged cart, or an extra recycling cart, goes to the Department of Facilities and Fleet Management at 508-979-1520 or trashandrecycling@newbedford-ma.gov, 294 Liberty Street. Questions about drop-off events go to the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District at 508-979-1493.
New Bedford trash pickup and recycling rules
Newburgh
In Newburgh, call the Sanitation Line at 845-565-1082, or the Department of Public Works at 845-565-3297, 88 Pierces Road, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no online form. Garbage that is undrained, unbagged, over the container limit or mixed with recyclables is left behind, and the city does not supply or replace cans.
Newburgh trash pickup and recycling rules
New York City
Report a miss through 311 from 8 a.m. the day after collection, on Missed Trash, Recycling, or Compost Collection ↗ or at 212-639-9675. Leave the material at the curb; DSNY collects within five days of the report. Reports are refused after a holiday or snow suspension, or if material went out wrong, on the wrong day or after midnight.
New York City trash pickup and recycling rules
Painesville
The city sends every service question to its hauler, Major Waste Disposal: call 440-254-4929 or toll-free 800-366-4921, or email info@majorwastedisposal.com. Collection may run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. under the city ordinance, so leave the cart out until the truck has passed. Carts must be at the curb by 7 a.m. (Major Waste asks for 6 a.m.), and in a holiday week routes from the holiday through Friday run one day late. Damaged or extra carts go through the same number.
Painesville trash pickup and recycling rules
Philadelphia
Trucks work all day, so check PickupPHL on StreetSmartPHL first. If trash or recycling set out correctly is still there after 7 p.m. on your collection day, call 311 (215-686-8686 from outside Philadelphia) or file the missed pickup form ↗. The Philly311 contact center closes on City holidays, but the 311 app and online forms still work.
Philadelphia trash pickup and recycling rules
Phoenix
Report a miss on the myPHX311 Solid Waste Container form ↗, confirming the container was out by 5:30 a.m., not overloaded and free of prohibited items. Once the year’s courtesy collection is used, a return trip costs $10 per container type. Questions go to 602-262-6251 or solid.waste@phoenix.gov.
Phoenix trash pickup and recycling rules
Portland
If bins were out by 6 a.m. and got missed, call your garbage company within three days; it must return within 24 hours, not counting weekends and holidays. If you set out late, pay the $13.30 callback, or set out up to double next time at no charge. For frequent misses, contact the City’s Garbage and Recycling line ↗ at 503-823-7202 or wasteinfo@portlandoregon.gov; you may get a bill credit.
Portland trash pickup and recycling rules
Raleigh
Report a missed garbage, recycling or yard waste pickup once: through the city’s Missed Collection form ↗, open 24 hours, or by calling Solid Waste Services at 919-996-3245, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays (from 9 a.m. on Thursdays). Leave the carts out from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and give the crew two business days to return. A skipped cart may carry a tag that explains why; carts must be at the curb by 6 a.m.
Raleigh garbage pickup schedule and recycling rules
Saint Paul
Crews work until 6 p.m., so report a miss after 6 p.m. or the next day, after ruling out a holiday delay. Call 651-266-6101 or use the Report a Missed Collection ↗ form, monitored Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A bulky item set out by 6 a.m. and still there after two business days counts as missed.
Saint Paul trash pickup and recycling rules
San Antonio
Wait until after 5 p.m. on your collection day, since drivers may still be on their routes. Then report a missed cart ↗ online or call 311 or 210-207-6000; brush and bulky misses have their own form ↗. A “No Service” tag means the crew left the cart; follow the curbside guidelines for the next pickup.
San Antonio trash pickup and recycling rules
San Diego
Report a miss on Get It Done ↗ or at 858-694-7000 by 5 p.m. the day after your scheduled collection day, or the day after the actual collection if the route ran late. There is no return trip if the bin was not out by 6 a.m. and the truck served your neighbors, or if the report comes late. Overfilled, overweight or broken bins are tagged and left.
San Diego trash pickup and recycling rules
San Francisco
Check the service day, holiday calendar, closed lids and unobstructed access, then email customerservice@recologysf.com naming each missed cart. Recology’s FAQ recommends putting carts out the night before and notes that route changes can delay collection. Its current residential rate information lists special or return-trip pickup at 25% of the subscribed monthly rate; ask customer service whether that applies to your report. Sources: Recology FAQ and rates.
San Francisco trash pickup schedule
San Jose
If garbage, recycling or yard trimmings are not picked up by 6 p.m. on collection day, report it through San José 311 ↗, by dialing 3-1-1 or at (408) 535-3500. Carts set out after the truck passed are collected on your next collection day. Apartment and condo residents take service problems to their property manager.
San Jose trash pickup and recycling rules
Seattle
Report a miss after 6:00 p.m. on collection day and within two business days, on SPU’s Report Missed Collection ↗ page, in the Recycle It app or at (206) 684-3000; SPU reschedules it within 24 hours. If the driver left a tag, fix the problem for next time instead.
Seattle trash pickup and recycling rules
Washington, DC
If nothing was collected by 7 p.m. and DPW’s Collection Status Map ↗ shows no delay, report it through 311.dc.gov ↗ or at 311 or (202) 737-4404. In a holiday week, collection slides one day for the rest of the week, through Saturday.
Washington, DC trash pickup and recycling rules
Wichita
Call your hauler; the city runs no routes. The City of Wichita’s Available Waste Haulers ↗ list gives each permitted hauler’s number: Allen & Sons 316-558-8050, English Rentals 316-217-1625, ICT Trash 316-633-0775, Kansas Waste Recovery 316-469-6688, Waste Connections 316-838-4920, WM 316-847-7109 and Waste Services of Wichita 316-800-0100. If your hauler is not on the list, its truck carries no city decal, or it refuses to offer single-stream recycling or a smaller cart, contact the Office of Environmental Health at 316-268-8351 or email ADean@wichita.gov.