Baltimore DPW closes on Juneteenth, shifts trash pickup to Saturday

Trash, recycling and street sweeping all shifted in Baltimore as the Department of Public Works closed its offices and sanitation yards for Juneteenth, pushing missed curbside collection to Saturday, June 20. The one-day change meant residents had to follow the holiday schedule closely or risk leaving bins out on the wrong day.

DPW said there was no trash or recycling collection on Friday, June 19, and street sweeping was suspended as well. The Northwest Transfer Station, Quarantine Road Landfill, Northwest Residential Drop-off Center, Eastern Residential Drop-off Center and Reedbird Recycling Drop-off Center were all closed for the holiday. The department also reminded residents that summer hours were already in effect for residential drop-off centers and that sanitation collection begins earlier during hot weather to protect workers.

For anyone whose pickup was missed, the city pointed residents to Baltimore City 311, which stayed open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year. DPW said 311 could handle service requests and water and sewer emergencies, making it the backup route when a holiday interrupts normal sanitation service. With the makeup collection day set for Saturday, the city did not announce separate neighborhood-by-neighborhood delays; the adjustment was citywide.

Baltimore lists Juneteenth as an official city holiday, and city offices are closed for business on 11 annual holidays under the administrative manual. City holiday rules say that when a holiday falls on Saturday it is observed the preceding Friday, and when it falls on Sunday it is observed the following Monday. That framework has made the Juneteenth sanitation shift a familiar part of Baltimore’s calendar in recent years, with similar DPW notices in 2024 and 2025.

Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, telling enslaved people there they were free. The National Archives describes it as the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, and it became a federal holiday in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed legislation. For Baltimore households planning weekend cleanup or observances, the practical takeaway was simple: put bins out on Saturday, not Friday, and use 311 if the city missed a route.