Trash and recycling pickup in Duluth: schedule, holidays, bulk

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Duluth’s Solid Waste and Recycling page and the pages linked below.

The city of Duluth contracts with Republic Services for household trash and recycling pickup. Every home gets a trash cart and a recycling cart, picked up once a week on the same day. Your carts need to be at the curb by 7 a.m.; crews can come as early as 7:30 a.m. and as late as 7:30 p.m. Do not put carts out before 3 p.m. the day before.

Who to call

• Missed pickup, carts, bulk and yard waste: Republic Services, 678-963-2873, or email Republic’s Duluth team
• Not resolved by Republic: Duluth City Hall, 770-476-3434
• Dumpsters, glass drop-off, dumpster cards: Duluth Public Works, 2450 Main St., 770-476-2454
• Dead animal in the road: 770-513-5700, the number on the city’s solid waste page

Your pickup day

Duluth moved from a three-day to a five-day weekly schedule on April 29, 2024, when Republic switched the city from purple bags to carts. Each area of the city has one day, Monday through Friday, shown on the city’s color-coded service map, which is posted on the Trash Service FAQ page. Trash goes in the cart in ordinary kitchen bags; you no longer need the purple bags.

There is no separate trash bill. The city says the cart service is paid for through its property tax millage rate, and Republic does not bill households. Recycling is free and optional; trash service is not. If you cannot roll a cart to the curb, the city has a non-curbside pickup request form that needs a doctor’s sign-off; email it to Republic.

Holidays

The city’s solid waste page lists six holidays that delay service by one day:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

The next two this year are Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, and Christmas, Friday, Dec. 25. The Public Works dumpsters close on the city’s 2026 holiday list, which also includes the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

What goes in the recycling cart

From the city’s Recycling Services page:

• Yes: newspapers, mail, magazines, cardboard (broken down), cereal and other food boxes, milk, juice and soup cartons, aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles and jugs.
• No: glass, plastic grocery bags, aerosol cans, batteries, paint cans, foam containers, propane tanks, hoses and cables, electronics, chemicals, food waste and wood.

Glass

Curbside recycling does not take glass. City residents and businesses can bring bottles and jars of any color to the glass container at the Public Works Complex, 2450 Main St., during dumpster hours only, with proof of address. Light bulbs, mirrors, dishes and TV or monitor glass are not accepted. A glass-only visit does not use a punch on your dumpster card.

Bulk pickup and yard waste

Both are paid extras booked through Republic at 678-963-2873. According to the city’s Trash Service FAQ:

Pay Republic before you put bulk items out. Republic does not take auto parts, tires or building and remodeling material. Bulk and yard waste are separate services.

The Public Works dumpsters

The city runs free drop-off dumpsters for residents living inside city limits at the Public Works Complex, 2450 Main St., reached from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard or Rogers Bridge Road. Details are on the Dumpster Information page.

• Hours: 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Closed on city holidays.
• Dumpster card required. Get one each year at the Public Works office, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or through the city’s online form, with a utility bill or similar statement as proof of address. A driver’s license is not accepted. The first card covers 12 trips; the second and third cost $25 each and later cards $50.
• Accepted: cardboard, appliances, grills, mowers, broken furniture, electronics, motor oil in containers, batteries, tree limbs, grass and leaves. Yard waste must be in brown paper lawn bags or emptied from a container.
• Not accepted: household garbage, mattresses and box springs, tires, wood of any kind, carpet and padding, roofing, remodeling debris, paint and stain, gravel and concrete, propane tanks, gasoline and acids.

Apartment and condominium residents whose community has its own dumpsters, and people in unincorporated Duluth, cannot get a card.

Items the city will not take

The city points residents to the Richland Creek Landfill in Buford, 770-271-3575, for wood, carpet, shingles, remodeling debris and other items it refuses. The landfill charges a fee. Ask tire stores to take old tires when you buy new ones; state law keeps tires out of landfills.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Duluth, Georgia? Each part of the city has one weekly pickup day, Monday through Friday, shown on the city’s color-coded service map. Trash and recycling go out on the same day, at the curb by 7 a.m.

Does Duluth trash pickup change on holidays? Yes. The city says New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day delay service by one day.

How do I schedule bulk pickup in Duluth? Call Republic Services at 678-963-2873 or email cityofduluth@republicservices.com and pay before you put anything out. It costs $65 a request, for up to two items a week.

Can I put glass in my Duluth recycling cart? No. Glass goes to the Public Works Complex at 2450 Main St. during dumpster hours, 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

What this means for you

• Carts at the curb by 7 a.m., and not before 3 p.m. the day before.
• Holiday weeks run a day late after six holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Glass and big loads go to Public Works on Main Street; get this year’s dumpster card first.
• Call Republic first for a missed pickup, then City Hall.

More city services: who to call at City Hall and property taxes.