Is trash pickup running on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
Trash Pickup · Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Varies
Probably — most cities run normal routes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, though a fair number observe it, so it's worth a look at your city's sanitation page.
MLK Day splits cities. Sanitation is one of the services most keep running on the January federal holiday, so a normal route is the common case — but plenty of city crews take the day, and private haulers make their own call. There's no regional rule to lean on here.
Where it is observed, the effect is the standard one: nothing Monday, and every day from Monday on shifts one later through the end of the week. A single line on your city's sanitation page settles it faster than anything else.
| Holiday | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 19, 2026 | Varies Most cities run normal routes on MLK Day; some observe it — check your hauler. |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 18, 2027 | Varies Most cities run normal routes on MLK Day; some observe it — check your hauler. |
What else on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Closed No — banks are closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Closed No — there's no mail delivery on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| The Stock Market | Closed No — the stock market is closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| UPS | Closed No — UPS doesn't pick up or deliver on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| FedEx | Varies Yes — FedEx delivers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but pickups run on a modified schedule. |
| Federal Offices | Closed No — federal offices are closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. |
| Schools | Closed Almost certainly not — nearly every district closes for MLK Day. |
Questions people ask
Do private haulers observe MLK Day?
Some do, some don't. National companies like Waste Management and Republic Services publish their own holiday lists, and those lists often differ from the city's — if a company bills you directly, its list is the one that applies to your cart.
Checked against your city or hauler's holiday schedule, verified August 2026. When a schedule for a new year has not been published yet, this page says so — it never guesses.