Philadelphia is situated in the southeastern part of Delaware County, in Pennsylvania, United States and is one of the largest cities in the country. The Philadelphia Street Department is in charge of trash management in Philly. They provide trash, recycling, and other waste collection services according to their appropriate schedule. As a responsible citizen, it’s your duty to maintain the city’s environment clean and healthy by following the rules and regulations provided by the city sanitation department.
Find Your Trash and Recycling Collection Day in Philly
Enter your address along with your street number into the search bar on the link provided. You will receive a trash and recycling pickup schedule for your area.
Philly Garbage Collection Time
Place your garbage trash cart outside by 7 AM on your collection schedule day in Philly, and if you are living in the center of the city, then place your cart outside by 8 AM on your collection day.
Place your carts outside in a way that its lid will face the front of the street. Place only a closed lid cart at the curbside for collection. Metal or other non-corrosive containers not exceeding 32 gallons in size. Large durable plastic bags that are leak-proof and sealed, capable of holding between 30 and 32 gallons.
Philly Recycling Collection Time
The city will provide recycling collection service once a week. Place your recycling material outside by 7 AM on your collection day. Do not put any liquid and food into recycling carts. Let first dry recyclable material then place it into recycling carts. Place only a closed lidded cart outside.
Acceptable recycling materials include papers, newspapers including brochures, catalogs, scrap paper bags, plastic which are labeled as 1, 2, and 5. Metal: Aluminium, tin cans, cartons, cardboard, glass bottles, and jars.
Report Missed Trash or Collection Pick Up
If it’s 7 PM and your trash hasn’t been picked up, it means your trash collection was missed. You can report the missed collection by calling 311 or using the online missed collection report form.
Once you report the missed collection, the city waste department will schedule another tour to pick up your trash. Before reporting the missed collection, make sure to set your trash and recycling outside correctly.
Drop Off Household Hazardous Waste
Household hazardous materials are those that can harm people; they may include toxic, corrosive, flammable, and reactive materials. If you have this type of trash material and want to dispose of it, the city will provide household hazardous collection events to safely dispose of all household hazardous materials.
Only residents of Philadelphia are eligible to participate in these events. This facility is not available for businesses with commercial household hazardous materials. Businesses must dispose of them through a private HHW collection service. Only certain kinds of materials are accepted at these events; do not bring any irrelevant materials along with HHW otherwise your trash will not be serviced.
Bring all household hazardous materials in their original containers; do not remove the labels. Ensure that all containers are tightly sealed. Wrap all breakable materials in the newspaper. When you bring your household hazardous trash, first put all materials into sturdy boxes and then place them in your vehicle.
2025 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event
In 2025, certain household hazardous waste disposal events are scheduled by the city. If you wish to participate in these events, set an alarm for the specified date and remember to bring your materials to the designated location between 9 AM and 3 PM on the scheduled day.
| Date | Area | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 5, 2025 | Northeast Philadelphia | 8401 State Rd., 19136 |
| Saturday, May 10, 2025 | West Philadelphia | 4800 Parkside Ave., 19131 |
| Saturday, June 14, 2025 | Northwest Philadelphia | 320 Domino Lane, 19128 |
| Thursday, July 10, 2025 | Northeast Philadelphia | 8401 State Rd., 19136 |
| Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 | North Philadelphia | 2121 W. York St., 19132 |
| Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025 | Southwest Philadelphia | 3033 S. 63rd St., 19153 |
| Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 | Port Richmond | 3901 N. Delaware Ave., 19137 |
Request Trash Pickup for Condo or Co-op
The city provides recycling and garbage pickup services for condos once a week. To avail of these services, you must complete an application. You can request service through a printable form or an online request form. Click on the following link to access the online request form for condo/co-op trash pickup.
https://www.phila.gov/services/trash-recycling-city-upkeep/request-trash-pickup-for-a-condo-or-co-op
Philadelphia Holidays Trash Schedule
If the city observes a specific holiday, it will shift your trash and recycling collection schedule by one day. If these holidays fall on a Friday, your trash will be collected on Saturday. However, if the holidays fall on the weekend, your trash collection will not be affected.
| Holidays | Date and Day | Change in Trash and Recycling Collection Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Wednesday, January 1, 2025 | Your collection will be delayed by one day, and trash will get collected on January 2, 2025, Thursday. |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 20, 2025 | Your trash will be collected on January 21, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Presidents’ Day | Monday, February 17, 2025 | Trash and recycling material will be collected on February 18, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 18, 2025 | Your trash will be rescheduled on April 19, 2025, Saturday. |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 26, 2025 | Trash will be collected on May 27, 2025, Tuesday. |
| Juneteenth | Thursday, June 19, 2025 | Your trash will be collected on June 20 |
