Residential Recycling

The Resource Recovery Division provides curbside recycling collection for over 180,000 County residents and citizens. As a county homeowner, you pay a fee for recycling and other waste management programs through the Sold Waste Charge on your property tax bill. Recycling is your opportunity to keep Prince George's County a clean and healthy place to live. It's easy, saves energy, and is good for the environment. Placing your recycling bin and/or cart at the curb once a week on your regularly scheduled collection day can help reduce the amount of trash disposed at the landfill. Just follow these tips:

• All recyclable items are placed in the same container
• Recyclables are collected without the need to sort or separate
• Equipment at the Materials Recycling Facility sorts the materials (view video of the facility)
• A box or any receptacle (other than the County-issued trash can) marked with an "X" or the word "Recycling" may be used as a recycling collection container
• Corrugated cardboard boxes will be collected with their contents

New Waste Collection Services Take Effect July 1, 2024

Some residents will experience a new collection day. To verify your waste collection service day, you can use our online address tool to determine whether you receive County-collected waste collection services or contact PGC311 for more information.

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Collections

• Verify or know your correct day of collection service.
• Set your carts out early or by the set pickup time.
• Collections begin as early as *5 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m.
• Place only acceptable items in the cart and at the curb. 
• Do not bag your recyclables.
• Compost your food scraps and yard trim.
• Secure recycling and trash bins and wheeled carts to prevent litter and container damage.
• Place lighter materials at the bottom of your wheeled cart and heavier items on top to prevent the lighter items from blowing out.
• If your wheeled cart is only half-full, wait until your following collection to place it at the curb.
• Place a heavy object on the lid to keep items from blowing out.
• Turn your container parallel to the curb with the wind directed at the back of the bin.
• Bag all your trash before placing it in the wheeled container. This is especially important for small, lightweight items.
• Compact the trash – if you have loose items, place bagged trash on top of them to prevent them from blowing out of the cart.
• Be sure your lid can close. Trash and recycling items are more susceptible to blowing out of the cart when the lid is not completely shut.
• Bring your cart in as soon as possible after collection to reduce the risk of your cart blowing down the street.
• If you are home, keep an eye on neighborhood carts. Secure them if it looks like the cart or items from it are blowing away.
• Once collections are completed, check around your area to see if any materials may have inadvertently been left behind and toss them in the appropriate waste receptacle for the next collection cycle.
• Place the recycling container or cart at the curb by *5 a.m.
• Place the cart at the curbside for collection with the arrow on the lid and the lift bar facing the street.
• When placing the cart at the curb, nothing should be in front of or immediately beside the cart
• To report a missed collection or register a complaint about your residential recycling collection, please submit a service request by dialing PGC 311.
• All material collected is transported and sorted at the Materials Recycling Facility.
• View the Inclement Weather Policy for information on delays or suspensions due to the road or weather-related conditions.
• Use our online address tool to determine whether you receive County-collected waste collection services, or contact PGC311 for more information.

*Due to excessive heat temperatures, a new adjusted waste collection start time will operate from July 15 through September 30. Residents are advised to have their carts at the curb by 5 a.m.*

Trash, Recycling, and Organics (Food Scraps Composting/Yard Trim) Collection Carts

Effective immediately, the following policy is in effect for households receiving County-contracted Waste Collection Services.

The County will issue ONE recycling wheeled cart, ONE trash wheeled cart, and ONE organics wheeled cart to household residences that receive County-contracted collection services. Residents moving into a new home should contact PGC311 to request delivery of each type of cart. New residents who move into an existing house where the previous owner may have taken the carts should call PGC311 to request a collection cart. The Resource Recovery Division (RRD) will require verification through the tax assessor’s file that the resident purchased the property/house within the past 12 months. This policy will be strictly enforced. All wheeled collection carts are the property of Prince George’s County and should remain at the address to which it was delivered.

The County does not replace stolen collection carts. New or replacement wheeled carts are available from hardware, big box, and other retail stores. Residents who replace a County-issued cart or purchase additional carts should mark those trash carts with the word Trash; recycling carts with Recycle or a large X; and yard trim carts/cans with Yard/Organic. It is recommended that residents write their home address on each cart.

 

Collections for Senior Citizens & the Disabled

The county provides on-premise collection of recyclables for senior citizens over 65 years of age and for disabled persons. To qualify, no one living in the home can be under 65 years of age or be physically able to carry the collection containers to the curb. If you want to arrange on-premise collection, please call 311.

 

Holiday Schedule

View a complete holiday schedule for trash, recycling, and yard trim/food scrap collection. 

If you want more information on collection services, contact PGC311.                

 

Holiday Lights Recycling Program

DoE is pleased to offer residents a place to recycle Christmas lights from December 26th to the first week in February. During facility operating hours, residents can take old and broken lights to the Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site in the Brown Station Road Landfill and the Brown Station Road Convenience Center in Upper Marlboro.

Residents can also check with local hardware stores to recycle string lights. The lights are shredded into tiny bits, and the bits are sorted into various components that make up the lights, such as copper, glass, and PVC. The individual components are then recycled.