Winston-Salem Trash Pickup Schedule & Holiday Delays
Source-reviewed schedule
Trash pickup is scheduled for this date.
- Trash pickup days
- Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday & Thursday & FridaySet carts out Put your cart at the curb by 6 a.m. on pickup day, or after 5 p.m. the day before. Bring carts back in by 8 a.m. the next day.
- Next trash pickup
- Sep 23Based on the listed schedule
- Recycling days
- Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday & Thursday & FridaySingle-stream collection
Regular trash pickup & collection details
| Service | Collection days | Placement or collection rule |
|---|---|---|
| Trash | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday · Weekly | Placement cutoff: Put your cart at the curb by 6 a.m. on pickup day, or after 5 p.m. the day before. Bring carts back in by 8 a.m. the next day. |
| Recycling | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | Single-stream recycling |
| Bulk waste | Bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, carpet, and appliances are collected once per year during your designated annual neighborhood area cleanup week (March through September). Put items out the weekend before your scheduled collection week. Trucks make one pass through each neighborhood; items placed out late will not be picked up. Carpet must be rolled and tied into bundles. Outside of your annual cleanup week, bulky items should be taken directly to the Hanes Mill Road Landfill. Construction debris, glass, tires, paint, and chemicals are not collected. | Up to 8 items per pickup |
| Yard waste | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | Year-round. Brush is collected quadrant-by-quadrant on a rotating city schedule. Limbs must be under 6 feet long, under 6 inches in diameter, and stacked neatly at the curb with cut ends facing the street. Residents subscribing to the city yard-waste cart program receive weekly pickup in 96-gallon green carts (up to 3 carts per household, max 150 lbs each) with a valid yearly sticker. Plastic bags and boxes are not accepted. |
Trash container requirements
- City-issued 96-gallon garbage cart for weekly residential refuse collection
- Put cart at the curb by 6 AM on pickup day or after 5 PM the evening before
- Bring cart back in by 8 AM the following day
- All trash must be in heavy-duty bags and fit completely inside the cart with lid closed
- No extra bags outside the cart; overflow trash will not be picked up
- Place cart at the curb, not in the street, with silver lift bar facing the street and lid hinge toward the house
- Keep at least 3 feet of space away from trees, bushes, parked cars, and other carts
Winston-Salem recycling overview
Single-stream recycling · Collection days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Accepted items
- Plastic bottles (caps on)
- Aluminum beverage cans
- Steel food and drink cans
- Glass bottles and jars (remove lids)
- Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and office paper
- Flattened cardboard and chipboard
Prohibited items
- Plastic bags and plastic wraps (never bag recyclables)
- All batteries (fire hazard; drop off at 3RC EnviroStation)
- Styrofoam cups, plates, and packing peanuts
- Electronics, televisions, and computers
- Clothing, textiles, and clothes hangers
- Pizza boxes and food-tainted items
- Tanglers such as garden hoses, cords, and wires
- Diapers and medical waste
Winston-Salem bulk pickup rules
| Collection rule | Bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, carpet, and appliances are collected once per year during your designated annual neighborhood area cleanup week (March through September). Put items out the weekend before your scheduled collection week. Trucks make one pass through each neighborhood; items placed out late will not be picked up. Carpet must be rolled and tied into bundles. Outside of your annual cleanup week, bulky items should be taken directly to the Hanes Mill Road Landfill. Construction debris, glass, tires, paint, and chemicals are not collected. |
|---|---|
| Limit per pickup | 8 items |
| Permitted materials | No unconditional accepted-material list is verified. Confirm eligibility before putting items out. |
| Advance notice | Not required under the listed rules. |
| Dispatch phone | 336-727-8000 |
Winston-Salem holiday trash delays
Listed strategy: one day slide. A listed holiday shifts remaining pickups in its Monday-Saturday service week by one day.
Observed holidays: Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. Named holidays recur each year; explicit dates apply only to their listed year.
2026 Holiday Collection Calendar: Winston-Salem, NC
Official schedule adjustments for recognized 2026 holidays. When a holiday falls on or before your collection day, review whether curbside pickups slide forward:
| Holiday | Observed Date | Schedule Status | Curbside Adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday, Jan 1, 2026 | Not Observed | Regular collection schedule. Trash and recycling run as normal. |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, Jan 19, 2026 | Not Observed | Regular collection schedule. Trash and recycling run as normal. |
| Presidents' Day | Monday, Feb 16, 2026 | Not Observed | Regular collection schedule. Trash and recycling run as normal. |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 25, 2026 | 1-Day Slide | Collections on Monday and the remainder of the service week are delayed by 1 day. |
| Juneteenth | Friday, Jun 19, 2026 | 1-Day Slide | Collections on Friday and the remainder of the service week are delayed by 1 day. |
| Independence Day | Saturday, Jul 4, 2026 | Weekend Holiday | Holiday falls on a weekend. Regular weekday curbside routes are unchanged. |
| Labor Day | Monday, Sep 7, 2026 | 1-Day Slide | Collections on Monday and the remainder of the service week are delayed by 1 day. |
| Columbus Day | Monday, Oct 12, 2026 | Not Observed | Regular collection schedule. Trash and recycling run as normal. |
| Veterans Day | Wednesday, Nov 11, 2026 | Not Observed | Regular collection schedule. Trash and recycling run as normal. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, Nov 26, 2026 | 1-Day Slide | Collections on Thursday and the remainder of the service week are delayed by 1 day. |
| Christmas Day | Friday, Dec 25, 2026 | 1-Day Slide | Collections on Friday and the remainder of the service week are delayed by 1 day. |
DPW & sanitation contact
City of Winston-Salem Solid Waste Collections · municipal dpw
Phone: 336-727-8000
101 N Main StWinston-Salem, NC 27101
These collection rules cover Zone City of Winston-Salem Sanitation Collection Routes.
Trash & recycling questions
What days is trash collected in Winston-Salem, NC?
Listed trash collection days are Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. Set containers out Put your cart at the curb by 6 a.m. on pickup day, or after 5 p.m. the day before. Bring carts back in by 8 a.m. the next day.. These rules apply to Zone City of Winston-Salem Sanitation Collection Routes.
Is garbage pickup delayed for holidays in Winston-Salem?
As of 2026-09-23: No observed holidays this week. Collections follow the regular schedule. A listed holiday shifts that day and the remaining collection days in its service week by one day. Observed holidays: Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. These rules apply to Zone City of Winston-Salem Sanitation Collection Routes.
How do I schedule bulk trash pickup in Winston-Salem?
Bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, carpet, and appliances are collected once per year during your designated annual neighborhood area cleanup week (March through September). Put items out the weekend before your scheduled collection week. Trucks make one pass through each neighborhood; items placed out late will not be picked up. Carpet must be rolled and tied into bundles. Outside of your annual cleanup week, bulky items should be taken directly to the Hanes Mill Road Landfill. Construction debris, glass, tires, paint, and chemicals are not collected. The listed limit is 8 items per pickup. Advance notice is not required under the listed rules. Contact sanitation at 336-727-8000 to confirm eligibility and arrange service. These rules apply to Zone City of Winston-Salem Sanitation Collection Routes.
What items are accepted for recycling in Winston-Salem?
The listed accepted materials are Plastic bottles (caps on), Aluminum beverage cans, Steel food and drink cans, Glass bottles and jars (remove lids), Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and office paper, Flattened cardboard and chipboard. Keep these listed prohibited items out: Plastic bags and plastic wraps (never bag recyclables), All batteries (fire hazard; drop off at 3RC EnviroStation), Styrofoam cups, plates, and packing peanuts, Electronics, televisions, and computers, Clothing, textiles, and clothes hangers, Pizza boxes and food-tainted items, Tanglers such as garden hoses, cords, and wires, Diapers and medical waste. Confirm item-specific preparation rules with the official sanitation office. These rules apply to Zone City of Winston-Salem Sanitation Collection Routes.