Residents of Tampa should take note of the revised garbage collection schedule during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. The City of Tampa has officially announced changes to its solid waste collection services, affecting both residential and commercial pickups.
City offices will be closed on December 24 and December 25 for Christmas, as well as on January 1, 2026 for New Year’s Day. As a result, residential trash collection normally scheduled for these holidays will shift to the following day. Specifically, collections on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will take place on December 26 and January 2, respectively. The Friday collection will also be delayed by one day, moving to Saturday.
For local businesses, the holiday schedule mirrors that of residential services with minor adjustments. Collections on Christmas Eve, set for December 24, 2025, will proceed as usual. However, those scheduled for Christmas Day will be postponed to the next day, creating a similar one-day delay extending through to Saturday, December 27. The same pattern will apply during the New Year’s week, with collections on January 1 moving to January 2, 2026.
In addition, the McKay Bay Transfer Station and Scale House will close for the holiday from December 24 to December 25. The facility will also close early on New Year’s Eve, so residents planning larger drop-offs should adjust accordingly. Normal operating hours will resume on Friday, January 2, 2026.
Following the festive celebrations, Tampa residents can take advantage of the curbside Christmas Tree Collection Service starting on January 2, 2026. This service will be provided at no charge, but residents are requested to remove all decorations from their trees, cut them into manageable four-foot sections, and place them curbside on the regular yard waste collection day.
Residents in New Tampa should be aware that a different collection schedule, managed by the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management, will apply. For specific information regarding holiday collections in that area, residents are encouraged to contact Hillsborough County at (813) 272-5680.
The City of Tampa’s adjustments reflect a commitment to maintaining efficient services during the holiday season while accommodating residents’ needs.
