Thanksgiving Trash Pickup 2026: Holiday Schedule Changes in 20 U.S. Cities

Phoenix, Houston, San Diego, Philadelphia and Charlotte do not collect trash on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, according to each city’s own page, and their Thursday routes move to Friday or Saturday, as the table below shows city by city.

The pattern breaks in places. Jacksonville and Oklahoma City send Thursday’s route to Saturday, Nov. 28, Philadelphia has no collection on Friday either, and San Francisco’s hauler says drivers will service as normal. We read the pages of 20 large U.S. cities on Nov. 3, 2026; 11 have a 2026 answer or a holiday rule, and nine had no 2026 Thanksgiving schedule posted.

Trash pickup on Thanksgiving 2026, city by city

Quotes in the table are the cities’ own words. “Not yet posted” means we found no 2026 Thanksgiving schedule on the city’s page on Nov. 3, 2026.

City	Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26)	Day after (Nov. 27)	Where the makeup pickup goes	Source
Phoenix	“Solid waste collections will not be provided”	Thursday customers: trash and recycling collected	Friday collection moves to Saturday, Nov. 28	City of Phoenix
Jacksonville	Holiday; Thursday pickup moves	Not stated on the page	Thursday customers serviced on Saturday, Nov. 28	City of Jacksonville
Houston	“City Holiday: No collection services”	“Thursday’s garbage and recycling collections will be collected”	Friday’s collections on Saturday, Nov. 28	City of Houston
San Diego	No trash, recyclables or organic waste collection	One day later	“One day later for the remainder of that week”	City of San Diego
Philadelphia	No collection	No collection	Thursday’s collection on Saturday, Nov. 28; Friday’s on Sunday, Nov. 29	Philly311
Charlotte	City closed, no collection	One-day delay for Thursday and Friday routes	Friday collections on Saturday, Nov. 28	City of Charlotte
San Francisco	“Drivers will service as normal” (Recology)	Not stated in the entry we read	None stated	Recology San Francisco
Denver	Trash and recycling collected Monday to Wednesday only that week	Not stated for Friday customers	Thursday customers set out carts by 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25	City and County of Denver
Oklahoma City	Thanksgiving Day, makeup on Saturday	“Collection as usual”	Saturday, Nov. 28	City of Oklahoma City
Austin	Standing rule: slides one day later (no 2026 dates printed)	Same rule, if it falls after the holiday in the same week	Exact day by address in My Schedule	City of Austin
Columbus	Thanksgiving notice not yet posted; 2026 holiday rule below	Not yet posted	Not yet posted	City of Columbus
Seattle	2026 schedule not yet posted (2025 rule below)	2026 schedule not yet posted	2026 schedule not yet posted	Seattle Public Utilities
New York City	2026 schedule not yet posted (2025 notice below)	2026 schedule not yet posted	2026 schedule not yet posted	NYC Department of Sanitation
Los Angeles	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	LA Sanitation
Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, San Jose, Indianapolis	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	2026 schedule not yet posted on the city’s page	None

Print the Thanksgiving 2026 trash pickup planner to keep the confirmed cities and the reminders on one page, and mark your day on the November 2026 printable calendar.

Which cities move trash pickup to Friday or Saturday?

Phoenix and Houston collect Thursday’s route on Friday, Nov. 27. Phoenix says Friday’s collection then happens on Saturday, Nov. 28, and Houston says the same for Friday’s collections. Phoenix’s page adds that “Changes in collection day only occur on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.”

Jacksonville and Oklahoma City use Saturday, Nov. 28 for the Thursday route. Jacksonville’s page says its “waste collection schedules change only on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day,” and Oklahoma City lists the day after Thanksgiving as “Collection as usual.”

Philadelphia is the longest slide. Its Philly311 table shows regular collection on Nov. 23 to 25, none on Thursday, Nov. 26 or Friday, Nov. 27, Thursday’s collection on Saturday, Nov. 28 and Friday’s collection on Sunday, Nov. 29. The page also says that during weeks with a City-observed holiday there are no second trash collections.

What is different in Houston, Denver and San Francisco?

Houston closes more than collection. Its page says all facilities, residential drop-off centers, recycling centers and administrative offices are closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and that drop-off facilities reopen Saturday. It also says heavy trash and yard waste are not collected in the month of November.

Denver runs a shorter week. Its page says Solid Waste collects trash and scheduled recycling only, Monday to Wednesday, for the week of Thanksgiving, so customers with Thursday collection set out the cart by 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. Compost collection is suspended that week, and the Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-off is closed Nov. 26 to 30. The page does not say what happens for Friday customers, so check it before you rely on a day.

San Francisco is the exception in our table. Recology San Francisco, the city’s hauler, says its 2026 holiday schedules have been updated and that on Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 26, “Drivers will service as normal.”

What do Austin and Columbus say for Thanksgiving week?

Neither city printed Thanksgiving 2026 dates on the pages we read. Austin’s standing rule is that if your collection day falls on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, or after the holiday in the same week, it “slides to one day later.” Austin sets your exact day by address in its My Schedule tool.

Columbus had not posted a Thanksgiving notice. Its 2026 holiday rule, from the city’s Oct. 8, 2026 bulletin on Indigenous Peoples Day, is “If your collection day falls on or after the holiday, your trash pickup will be delayed by one day.” That is the rule for another holiday, so wait for the Thanksgiving notice.

What did Seattle and New York City do in 2025?

Neither city had posted its 2026 Thanksgiving schedule when we checked. These are last year’s notices, and they do not say what happens in 2026.

• Seattle, 2025: Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) said that if a regular collection day falls on one of the holidays, service is delayed by one day: Thursday customers were collected on Friday and Friday customers on Saturday, and Monday to Wednesday collections saw no changes (post dated Nov. 21, 2025).
• New York City, 2025: the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) said there would be no trash, curbside composting or recycling collection on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025 (notice dated Nov. 20, 2025).

Which cities have no 2026 Thanksgiving schedule yet?

Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, San Jose and Indianapolis had no 2026 schedule on the city’s page when we checked on Nov. 3, 2026. We will not guess their rules; check the city’s solid waste page, such as LA Sanitation, as the holiday gets closer.

Where else does Thanksgiving week change?

If the trash day moves, other services may too. Our Thanksgiving 2026 store guide covers what is open on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving by state lists which states observe Friday, Nov. 27, and the Thanksgiving 2026 planner has the countdown. For the date itself, see when is Thanksgiving.

Schedules can change, so confirm your address on the city’s page before you set out your cart.