Waste Collection Carts
Effective July 2019, 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 green 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 recycling, trash, or green-wheeled cart. The Resource Recovery Division (RRD) may verify through the tax assessor’s file, that the resident has recently purchased the house for which carts are being requested. All wheeled recycling and trash 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 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 separate yard trim carts/cans should be marked Yard. Residents are reminded that food scraps are ONLY accepted in the green-wheeled cart. It is recommended that residents write their home address on each cart.
About County-Issued Carts
All recycling carts and bins are the property of Prince George's County Government (except for an additional cart purchased by the resident).
- Cart serial numbers are registered to specific addresses.
- The blue recycling carts allow for larger quantities of recyclables to be placed in one container.
- Carts keep the contents dry.
- Carts are easy to wheel out to the curb.
- Place the cart with the lift bar facing the street.
- Do not overfill or overload the cart so the lid does not close.
- Be sure to tilt the cart to engage the wheels when moving it; do not drag the cart.
- Residents may continue to use the yellow recycling bin to recycle.
- To report a damaged cart or bin, call 301-952-7630.
- The County will confiscate carts found to be defaced or used for trash collection and will not be replaced.
Requesting a Cart
The Prince George's County Government wants to keep our neighborhoods clean and conserve our landfill capacity for future generations. You are encouraged to recycle your cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic containers, and paper. To request a recycling container, call 3-1-1. Requests are limited.
Excluded Municipalities
The Department of the Environment does not collect materials or supply carts/bins for municipalities that have opted out of selected County waste programs. Residents living in the following excluded municipalities should contact their Town/City Hall for recycling services:
- Berwyn Heights
- Bowie
- Brentwood
- Cheverly
- College Park
- Colmar Manor
- District Heights
- Edmonston
- Glenarden
- Greenbelt
- Laurel
- Morningside
- Mount Rainier
- New Carrollton
- North Brentwood
- Seat Pleasant
- Takoma Park
- University Park
What do I do with my old curbside trash can?
This does not apply to County-issued containers.
- Repurpose your old non-county-issued trash can by using it as an extra trash container, labeled with the word "trash; a recycling container, labeled with "recycle" or a large "X"; or a yard trim container, labeled with "yard trim/compost."
- To dispose of your old personally owned container(s), set the container upside down on your trash collection day with a note clearly and legibly stating, “Take with Trash.” The trash hauler will collect the old container(s) and dispose of them as trash.
Contact PGC311.com for more questions on County-issued carts.