City guide · Oklahoma

Tulsa Trash Pickup Schedule

Two things set the Tulsa trash pickup schedule apart. Its single-sort recycling accepts glass, which most cities on this site do not. And its bulky waste fee doubled on October 1, 2026, which is worth knowing before you book. Here's how the week runs, the unusually precise cart timing rules, and the three holidays that stop collection.

How often is trash picked up in Tulsa?

Collection runs Monday through Friday, with your day set by your neighbourhood route. Refuse, recycling and yard waste are all tied to that same day, and scheduled bulky pickups land on it too.

Because bulky is collected on your normal day rather than a separate visit, booking one doesn't add a truck to your street - it just adds a stop to the round already coming.

Recycling takes glass

Tulsa runs single-sort recycling: paper, cardboard, cans, glass and plastic bottles all go in the same cart. Glass is the notable inclusion - plenty of cities covered on this site specifically exclude it from curbside because it contaminates the paper stream.

The one firm rule is that everything goes in loose, never bagged. Bagged recyclables are a common reason a cart gets tagged and left, because the sorting line can't open bags. Recycling is also included in every service plan rate, so there's no opt-in step or add-on fee.

Find your exact pickup day

Your day depends on your neighbourhood route rather than a citywide pattern:

Check your schedule on cityoftulsa.org →

Tulsa 311 handles the same questions - via tulsa311.com, by calling 311, or by emailing Tulsa311@cityoftulsa.org. That's also where missed collections and cart problems go.

Cart placement rules

Tulsa's timing rule is more specific than most cities on this site - it defines a window rather than just a deadline.

• Carts curbside from 5 p.m. the day before collection
• In place no later than 6 a.m. on collection day
• Lids fully shut
• Three feet of clearance from obstructions
• Recyclables loose in the cart, never in bags

Tulsa Trash Holiday Schedule

Only three holidays stop collection in Tulsa. Most of the federal calendar runs on the regular schedule, including MLK Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The New Year's pattern is the clearest illustration of how Tulsa handles a closure: the affected days push forward, so Thursday customers move to Friday and Friday customers move to Saturday rather than waiting a full week.

What goes in each cart

Bulky waste & the 2026 fee change

Bulky waste in Tulsa is a paid, pre-booked service. The fee changed significantly this year, so a price you remember from earlier in 2026 is no longer current.

Eight cubic yards is a substantial volume - roughly a small truckload - so for a single sofa or mattress the charge covers far more than you'll use. If you have a larger clear-out coming, consolidating it into one booking is considerably better value than several separate ones.

Apartments & multifamily buildings

The cart service and service-plan rates above cover residential customers on city collection. Apartment complexes in Tulsa are generally served by shared containers arranged by the property, so collection frequency and billing sit with the building. Renters should check with their property manager rather than booking against a residential route.

Reporting illegal dumping

Illegal dumping, missed collections and cart problems all route through Tulsa 311 - online at tulsa311.com, by phone on 311, or by email to Tulsa311@cityoftulsa.org. It's the same channel used to book bulky pickups, so one contact point covers nearly everything.

If your cart was skipped, check first whether it was tagged for bagged recyclables or insufficient clearance - both are common causes that look like a missed route but aren't.

Frequently asked questions

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