Located in Maryland, Howard County is the home of 350,000 residents. As per our survey, many of the residents are still confused about the Howard County trash days. 

So, it’s high time to go through Howard County’s trash schedule for swift service. In this article, we’ll guide you about trash pickup, recycling, and holiday schedules. 

1. Howard County Trash Pick Up 2024

The residential trash is collected weekly from the curbside. Garbage pickup in Howard County begins at 6 am. Here is how to find your collection day:

  • Navigate to the County’s official website (click here)
  • Type your address in the search bar 
  • Your weekly trash schedule will be displayed

Keep in mind that the collection begins at 6 am on your assigned day. So, don’t forget to roll out carts on the curb for swift service without any delay.

Report Missed Trash Collection

If the carts are not emptied by 7 pm of your collection day, call 311 or 410 -313 -6444 and report a missed trash pickup. The Howard County public works department will arrange a special pickup within 24 hours.

Howard County Trash Pickup Rules

  • Residents need to buy their own carts as the city doesn’t provide any trash carts.
  • Containers must be made of metal or tough plastic.
  • Up to 4 carts, bags, or bundles will be collected as residential refuse per week.
  • It is the responsibility of the resident to clean the cart or any spillover debris. 
  • Hazardous waste or dead animals will not be collected.

2. Howard County Recycling Schedule

Recyclables are collected every week in the county’s issued blue containers. No yard waste or compost is collected as recyclables.

Howard-County-Recycling-Schedule

To find your next recycling collection day, click here

  • Only one container will be picked up for free.
  • The recyclables will be collected only in the city’s issued cart(s).

Acceptable items mixed with unacceptable items will not be collected, and a ticket will be issued to the resident. 

Accepted Items For Howard County Recycling

Paper (including newspapers, junk mail, egg cartons, and office paper), Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs, jars, trays, metal cans, glass, and flattened cardboard.

Unaccepted Items

Acrylic plastic, single-use utensils, food-stained cardboard, napkins, paper towels, tissues, thermal paper, plastic clamshells, containers, Styrofoam, tanglers, and textile or yard debris.

3. Howard County Yard Waste Schedule

Yard waste is collected from April to Mid-January. Christmas trees are also collected as yard waste for the first two weeks of January. To find your next collection day, click here.

  • The weight of yard waste must be under 40 lbs.
  • Yard trims in plastic bags will not be collected.
  • Tie branches or twigs using twine.
  • Trim’s bundles must not exceed 4’ in length and 18’’ in diameter.

Dirt, sod, or construction debris are not collected along with yard waste. Moreover, only use reusable open-top containers or paper bags.

Accepted Yard Waste Items

Bamboo, brush, weed, grass, hedge clipping, leaves, seed pods, small limbs, and branches less than 4’’ in diameter. 

Unaccepted Items

Japanese stilt grass, bushes, logs, stumps, soil, dirt or mulch, and Yard trims mixed with regular refuse or yard waste placed in a plastic bag.

4. Howard County Bulk Pickup 2024

All residents of Howard County are allowed to place a maximum of 4 large items per weekly pickup.

Howard-County-Bulk-Pickup

Items that are too hefty or to be lifted by two workers will be tagged and left for the resident’s disposal. 

  • No fee is charged for large item pickup.
  • Place your items at least 2 feet away from trash containers.
  • Don’t block roads, allies, or fire hydrants while placing the items on the curb.

For scrap metal appliances, residents need to schedule a special pickup by calling 410 – 313 -6444. Moreover, residents need to remove doors and must drain oil or gas from refrigerators or lawnmowers.

Accepted Items For Bulk Pickup

Mattresses, box springs, sofas, broken furniture, outdoor furniture, and small appliances are collected on special request.

Unacceptable Items

Aquarium tanks, carpets or rugs, medical waste, stumps, logs, pallets, chairs with electric plugs, construction debris, toys, tires, moon bounces, and drum containers.

5. Got Large Items That City Doesn’t Pickup? You Need To Hire a Private Junk Hauler!

The county’s bulk pickup program comes with many restrictions. That’s why, most of the time, you need to hire a private junk hauler to get rid of all your large items. Usually, a hauler can charge $500 to $650 for a full truckload of 430 cubic yards.

Here’s the list of the top 7 junk haulers in Howard County:

Company NameContact Info
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling240 -472 -0684
Spartan Junk Removal443 -312 -9020
Junk Unlimited Junk Removal301 -408 -8295
Junk King Columbia443 -960 -7068
Yellow Dumpster Service410 -796 -7951
First On Scene Hauling443 -878 -4878
Addison & Sons Hauling443 – 766 -6166

Before you rent a dumpster or hire a private hauler, we strongly suggest getting the free cost estimator. Moreover, don’t forget to get the list of accepted items, as some haulers don’t accept construction debris.

6. Howard County Trash Collection Holiday Schedule 2024

Trash pickup in Howard County, MD, is delayed and pushed to the next day on holidays. There will be pick up on the following days:

HolidayDate
Memorial DayMonday, May 27
Independence DayThursday, July 4
Labor DayMonday, September 2
Thanksgiving DayThursday, November 28
Christmas DayWednesday, December 25
New Year Day Wednesday, January 1

The Monday collection of Christmas trash pickup will be pushed to Tuesday, Tuesday trash will be collected on Wednesday, and so on.

7. Important Contacts

Howard County trash collection phone number: Call 311 or 410 -313 -6444 for bulky pickup

For the Latest Updates: Follow Howard County on Twitter for all the news and the latest update about the trash schedule. 

Wrapping It Up!

Residential trash is collected weekly from the curbside. Up to 4 large items per collection are allowed as bulk pickup. Recyclables are also collected weekly, while the yard waste is only picked up from April to mid-January. 

For refrigerators or appliances with refrigerants, residents need to request a special pickup and must remove the doors themselves. For any query or reporting delayed pickup, call  410 -313 -6444.

References:

Author

Jimmy Carter specializes in providing up-to-date information on trash schedules for cities and states across the USA. With a passion for community service and sustainability, Jimmy is committed to helping people reduce their environmental impact and keep their neighborhoods clean.

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