About
The County provides weekly curbside recycling collection services to residences that pay a yearly trash and recycling fee on their property tax bill. No plastic bags are acceptable in curbside recycling.
Recycling Containers
Howard County provides residents with one free recycling container for curbside collection services. Containers are assigned to each address and must remain at the home, even if the resident moves. Residents may put their street name and number on the container which will help it stay where it belongs. Repairs and replacements can be made for cracked and broken containers. Additional containers may also be purchased.
Rules & Restrictions
- Recycling is collected once a week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pickup time may vary. Items must be placed out after 6 p.m. the day before collection or before 6 a.m. the day of collection.
- Single-family homeowners must set items to be collected within five (5) feet of the nearest public road fronting their home. Place material away from mailboxes on the opposite side of the driveway, if possible.
- Residents of townhome communities without garages are required to "group" items in designated areas accessible to the collectors such as the curb end of grass islands or at the end of parking areas. Do not block mailboxes or fire hydrants.
- Recycling may be set out in a County-provided recycling container, a personal reusable container or cardboard box. No plastic bags. Recycling must be free of trash and yard trim.
- After your items are collected, we recommend removing empty recycling carts or bins from your curb (or grouping area) on your scheduled collection day to mitigate safety and aesthetic concerns.
- The clean-up of recycling, especially in grouping areas, that is spilled and/or spread by animals or wind is the responsibility of the residents.
Please note: Howard County does NOT rely on the plastics numbering system to determine whether an item is recyclable in our curbside program. If you are unsure of an item, please refer to our detailed of acceptable material in our curbside program. If you do not see a particular material listed, please email us a description and/or photo of the item and we will answer any questions that you have.
No need to sort! All recyclables can be mixed together in your container.
- Paper-- newspaper, office paper, junk mail, milk & egg cartons
- Plastic-- bottles, tubs, jugs, jars, most #5 plastic containers & large plastic items (playhouses, laundry baskets, buckets without metal components, etc.)
- Metal cans-- aluminum, steel cans and EMPTY aerosol cans
- Aluminum foil & bakeware
- Glass-- any color bottles or jars
- Cardboard-- clean and flattened (remove plastic liners, waxed paper and Styrofoam packaging material) and less than 6' in width
For even more information, download our detailed list. Not sure about an item? Contact us!
- Acrylic plastic
- Chip bags & wrappers
- Disposable "single-use" cups, plates, bowls, utensils (paper or plastic)
- Food-stained cardboard or paper
- Napkins, paper towels, tissues, thermal paper receipts
- #1 Plastic clamshell packaging (from food, toys, electronics, batteries, etc.)
- Plastic bags or plastic-bagged material*
- Plastic film, wrap, bubble wrap, or air bags*
- Shredded paper
- Styrofoam*
- "Tanglers"-- hangers, wires, hoses, cords*
- Textiles or clothing*
- Window glass, ceramics, mirrors
*These may be recycled through a mail-in or drop-off program. Search items our Know Before You Throw page for details.
FAQs
Recycling is collected once a week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pickup time may vary. Items must be placed out after 6 p.m. the day before collection or before 6 a.m. the day of collection. Contact us or use our online tool to check your collection days.
Residents putting out items for donation (Purple Heart, Freecycle, etc.) should be sure to clearly mark those items and keep them close to the house to avoid accidental recycling collection.
Unfortunately, once items are in the back of the recycling truck, it's very difficult to retrieve them. Please take extra precautions to guarantee that items of value do not accidentally get placed with your recycling.
Yes. Contact us to exchange your container for a different size. Please leave your bin/cart out and available until the exchange is made. If you live in a townhome community, please leave your bin/cart by your house for exchange and not in a grouping area. Residents do not need to be home for the swap.
There are typically County-sponsored document shredding events in the spring and fall. Visit our Document Shredding page for upcoming dates.
Please take your bags/film is to a participating grocery or retail store. Most local grocery stores, and retail stores, such as IKEA, Wal-Mart and Target, have collection containers for plastic bags and film. This option ensures that the items stay clean and dry and can be recycled.
Why shouldn't I put bags in my curbside bin?
Loose bags, and even bundled bags, get wrapped around recycling equipment and jam the screens at the processor. Plastic bags do A LOT of damage to the curbside recycling processor equipment. TIP: Reduce the amount of plastic bags you have by using reusable bags.
Do the grocery and retail stores actually recycle the plastic bags?
Yes! Many collection locations are contracted with companies that specialize in recycling plastic bags and film to make plastic 'wood' decking. Their processing equipment is specifically designed for plastic bags and film, which helps to ensure that the bags stay clean and dry.
What items are included in plastic bags and film?
- Grocery/retail bags
- Mattress/furniture covers
- Newspaper bags
- Bread bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Plastic wrap from toilet paper rolls, napkins, paper towels, bottles of water, etc.
- Produce bags
- Frozen vegetable bags
- Food storage bags (please be sure these are empty and lightly rinsed if needed)
- Bubble wrap
- Air filled bags for packaging
- Any other clean, dry bags/film
Not sure if your bag or film can be recycled in your bag-of-bags? Do the stretch test! If you can stretch the plastic film/bag pretty easily, it can be recycled at your local store. If the plastic is crinkly or does not easily stretch, it should go in the trash. The plastic wrap from DVD cases is a good example of crinkly, non-stretchable plastic that should be trashed.
Collections slide for certain County holidays. Visit our Holiday & Inclement Weather page for details. Sign up for our e-newsletter for slide schedule reminders.
While the County makes every effort to provide uninterrupted scheduled curbside trash, recycling, yard trim and food scraps collection services, these collections may at times experience service delays or cancellations due to severe inclement weather. When inclement weather is in the forecast, the Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Environmental Services monitors the weather and road conditions to determine if it is safe for crews to operate and if collections need to be delayed or cancelled. The safety of county residents and collection crews is the Bureau’s number one priority when making this determination. For more information, visit our website.
For hard-to-recycle items like mattresses, electronics, plastic bags, etc. please visit our Know Before You Throw page for recycling and disposal assistance.