Residential Recycling

The Sustainable Waste Management Division (SWMD) 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 Solid 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 environmentally friendly. 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 sent to 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
• All material collected is transported and sorted at the Materials Recycling Facility.
• Residents may report a missed trash, yard trim, recycling, or bulky trash collection on the day of collection starting at noon by submitting a service request via PGC311.com or calling 3-1-1 for assistance.
• View the Inclement Weather Policy for information on delays or suspensions due to road or weather-related conditions.

Waste Collection Services 

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.

Beginning July 1, residents can place up to four (4) items of acceptable curbside bulky trash instead of the previous two (2) items on their regular collection day. To accommodate this new curbside collection service, some residents will experience a change in their current trash and recycling collection day. 

Residents impacted will receive a direct mailer and a door hanger from their hauler with their new waste collection date. Residents can also use our online address tool to verify their collection date.

Curbside Appliances/White Goods Collection

Residents can schedule an appointment for the curbside collection of appliances or white goods.  You can make appointments online or by contacting PGC311.

Curbside Electronics Recycling and Scrap Metal Collection

Residents who receive County trash and recycling collection services can schedule curbside electronics recycling and scrap metal collection by appointment only. This service will be available on the third Monday of every month, and appointments can be made online by contacting PGC311. 

Collection Tips

• Verify or know your correct day of collection service. Use our online address tool to determine whether you receive County-collected waste collection services, or contact PGC311 for more information.
• Set your carts out the night before or by the set pickup time. Collections begin as early as 6 a.m. and can continue until 8 p.m.
• Place only acceptable items in the cart and at the curb. Do not bag your recyclables. Keep them loose in the wheeled cart.
• Compost your food scraps and yard trim.
• Secure recycling and trash bins and wheeled carts to prevent litter and container damage. Place a heavy object on the lid to keep items from blowing out.
• 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, consider waiting until your next collection to place it at the curb.
• Turn your container parallel to the curb with the wind directed at the back of the bin. Place the cart at the curbside for collection with the arrow on the lid and the lift bar facing the street.
• 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.
• When placing the cart at the curb, nothing should be in front of or immediately beside the cart
• 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.
• Report a missed collection or register a complaint about your residential recycling collection by noon on the day of collection by submitting a service request online at PGC311.com or calling PGC311.

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 households 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 Sustainable Waste Management Division (SWMD) 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 stores, big-box stores, and other retail outlets. Residents who replace a County-issued cart or purchase additional carts should mark the trash cart with the word "Trash," the recycling cart with "Recycle" or a large X, and the yard trim cart/can with "Yard/Organic." It is recommended that residents write their home address on each cart.

Per Prince George’s County Code Section 21-113 (d) (1), residents must remove their trash and recycling carts or receptacles from the curb on the scheduled collection day after the service is completed.

If a Service Request is filed with PGC311 regarding carts or receptacles left at the curb after collection, the County Inspector will issue a notice for their removal and proper storage. If these containers remain at the curb within 48 hours of the notice, the County will retrieve the carts, and they will not be replaced. Residents whose carts are taken will be responsible for buying their own trash and recycling receptacles.

Carts or receptacles should not be used to reserve or block parking spaces. Landlords are responsible for informing their tenants of these requirements.

Holiday Schedule

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

For more information on collection services, please contact PGC311.