Hours, fees and pickup rules change, especially after storms and at the start of a new fiscal year. Every line below links to the official page it came from. Confirm with New Orleans or Orleans Parish before you load the truck.
Who picks up trash in New Orleans
- The City of New Orleans provides once weekly curbside trash collection to eligible residents and small businesses.[1]
- The Department of Sanitation runs garbage collection, disposal, recycling and street cleaning for the city.[2]
- City collection covers homes with four units or less under one roof plus small businesses.[1]
- Hotels, bars, restaurants and buildings with five or more units are not served by the city and must hire a private hauler.[1]
- The city uses contracted haulers by service area; a December 2023 city announcement named IV Waste for Service Area 1, Richard's Disposal for Service Area 4, and IV Waste and Waste Pro for Service Areas 2 and 3.[6]
- The same December 2023 announcement says Richard's Disposal serves Algiers area neighborhoods in Service Area 4.[6]
- To register for a trash cart or report a missed pickup, call 311 at 504 539 3266 or use nola311.org.[1]
- Each eligible home gets one free 96 gallon trash cart, and residents can ask 311 for a free second cart.[1]
Bulk trash pickup in New Orleans
- Residents must call 311 to request bulky waste collection.[1]
- Bulky waste means items too big or heavy for the cart, such as white goods, sofas, mattresses, appliances and furniture.[1]
- Carpet qualifies if it is rolled, tied and cut into lengths under 4 feet.[1]
- A bulky pickup can also include up to 6 bags of yard waste, up to 6 bundles of branches cut under 4 feet, and up to 4 tires.[1]
- Do not put bulky items out more than 24 hours before your scheduled collection day or you can be fined.[1]
- Small businesses are not eligible for city bulky waste pickup and must hire a private vendor.[1]
- Yard waste bags and bundles must each weigh 50 pounds or less and go next to the cart on your collection day.[1]
- In the French Quarter, bulky waste is collected only from eligible homes on Wednesdays by appointment through 311 (page last updated October 2022).[7]
New Orleans trash pickup schedule
- Find your collection days by typing your address into the search box on the city schedule page.[3]
- Collection is suspended outside the French Quarter and Downtown Development District on New Year's Day, Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.[3]
- On those holidays, affected pickups shift forward one day, so Thursday pickups move to Friday and Friday pickups move to Saturday.[3]
- In the French Quarter and Downtown Development District, trash is collected seven days a week between 4:00am and 8:00am.[3]
- French Quarter and DDD properties may not leave containers or bags on the public right of way between 9:00am and 3:30pm.[3]
- Trash must be in lidded containers or tied thick plastic bags, and cardboard boxes cannot be used as trash containers.[1]
- If your pickup is missed, report it to 311 and leave the cart at the curb so it can be collected the next day.[1]
Landfills and transfer stations near New Orleans
Recycling
City Recycling Drop-Off Center (Elysian Fields)
Run by: The Recycling Drop-Off Center is run by the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation.[4]
Address: The center is at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave.[4]
Hours: It is open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.[4]
Accepted
- It takes #1 and #2 plastics, paper, cardboard, boxboard and small aluminum and steel cans.[4]
- It takes e-waste such as computers, monitors, printers, game consoles and stereos.[4]
- It takes household batteries and incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs.[4]
- Limits apply: up to 4 televisions, 50 pounds of glass and 5 tires.[4]
Not accepted
- Styrofoam, containers with food and grease stained items like pizza boxes are not accepted.[4]
- Composting materials are not being accepted.[4]
Rules
- Only Orleans Parish residents may use it; businesses and organizations are excluded.[4]
- Do not bring recyclables in plastic bags.[4]
- This is a recycling site, not a dump: the Elysian Fields Transfer Station at the same address was opened to residents only temporarily after Hurricane Ida in 2021 and closed on Oct. 2 of that year.[8]
- Even during that 2021 opening it took only bagged household garbage, not construction debris, appliances, electronics or tires.[8]
Hazardous waste disposal in New Orleans
- Do not put household hazardous waste in your regular trash.[1]
- The Department of Sanitation holds an annual Household Hazardous Waste Materials Collection Day.[1]
- The drop-off page listed April 11, 2026 as the upcoming HHW day, so check for the next date before you go.[4]
- HHW day is for Orleans Parish residents only; businesses are excluded.[4]
- At the April 2024 HHW day, held 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave., residents had to show a valid driver's license or motor vehicle inspection sticker as proof of residency.[5]
- Items taken at the 2024 event included garden chemicals, pesticides, cleaners, paint, paint thinner, aerosols, pool shock, antifreeze, motor oil and gasoline.[5]
- Tanks, fire extinguishers, explosives, ammunition, medicines, medical waste and asbestos were not accepted at the 2024 event.[5]
- Medicines are not accepted at the City HHW day and should go to prescription drug take back events.[1]
- E-waste, batteries and light bulbs can go to the Saturday Recycling Drop-Off Center year round.[4]
- The city also lists free used cooking oil drop days, up to five gallons in a sealed container, on November 28 and December 5, 2026.[4]
Check with the city first
- New Orleans does not list a landfill or transfer station that residents can drive household junk to, so large cleanouts usually mean a 311 bulky pickup or a private hauler. Call 311 if you need a disposal site for construction debris.
- The household hazardous waste day happens about once a year and the date moves, so check the Recycling Drop-Off page before loading up the car.
- The hauler for your street depends on your service area and contracts change, so confirm your pickup day with the address search or 311.
- After hurricanes the city often runs special debris rules and temporary sites, so follow city storm notices instead of normal schedules.
We left these out because we could not read them on an official page when we checked:
- Landfill for New Orleans residents
- Elysian Fields Transfer Station public hours today
- 2026 or 2027 HHW collection day details
- Bulky waste pickup fee or item count limit