Nashville launches a new trash and recycling pickup schedule starting February 2, 2026: what changes

A citywide schedule change begins this week

Nashville’s residential trash and recycling collection is moving to a new operating schedule beginning the week of February 2, 2026, as Metro’s Waste Services transitions to redesigned routes and a four-day collection pattern running Tuesday through Friday. The department says the change is intended to improve reliability, modernize routing, and simplify how holiday weeks affect curbside service.

What residents should expect to stay the same

Weekly trash pickup continues. Recycling remains every other week, and trash and recycling are still collected on the same day for each address. However, many households will have a new service day and, in some cases, a different recycling week assignment.

• Trash: collected weekly.
• Recycling: collected every other week.
• Collection window: carts should be set out by 6 a.m.; collection occurs between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Cart placement: carts should be placed with clearance and brought back by 7 p.m.

What is changing: a four-day Tuesday–Friday system

The new program shifts routine collections away from Mondays and concentrates standard curbside service from Tuesday through Friday. Metro says the redesign includes optimized routing and onboard technology intended to confirm service in real time and improve route accuracy.

Households are advised to confirm their updated day before placing carts at the curb, as many addresses will no longer be served on their previous weekday.

Holiday weeks: fewer disruptions, a different rule

Metro is also changing how holiday weeks work. Under the new approach, when a Metro holiday falls on a Monday, the rest of the week’s collections do not shift. When a holiday falls Tuesday through Friday, only that day’s routes move earlier to Monday of the same week; other days remain unchanged.

• If the holiday is Monday: no changes to the week’s collection days.
• If the holiday is Tuesday–Friday: that holiday’s routes are collected on Monday of the same week.

How to find your collection day

Metro is directing residents to use the city’s schedule look-up tool and the Nashville waste and recycling calendar features to confirm their new day and recycling week. The department also planned postcard mailers and cart stickers to help residents identify updated service information.

Context: winter-storm recovery overlapped with the transition

The schedule change arrived immediately after a winter-storm disruption that triggered makeup routes in late January and early February. Metro Waste Services scheduled a final recovery push on February 2, 2026, with remaining missed routes intended to roll into the new schedule afterward. Residents whose service was missed during storm recovery were told that uncollected trash would be handled on the address’s new scheduled day as the updated system begins.