Prince George’s County launches summer heat safety plan for workers, services
Trash and recycling pickups start at 5 a.m. through Oct. 3, and Prince George’s is pairing the early schedule with heat safeguards for crews and residents.
Prince George’s County moved its summer trash and recycling pickup to 5 a.m., giving crews earlier starts as temperatures rise and forcing households to put carts out the night before. The schedule runs from June 29 through Oct. 3, and the county says the change is meant to protect workers while keeping service steady for more than 180,000 residents and about 180,000 homes.
Residents can place trash and recycling at the curb after 6 p.m. the day before collection, then remove containers from the curb on pickup day. That timing matters across neighborhoods from Largo to Greenbelt, where missed collections can quickly spill into complaints, overflow, and extra calls to county service lines. The county’s Department of the Environment and Sustainable Waste Management Division are using the early start as part of a summer heat safety push for the people who load, haul, and process the county’s waste.
The county has done this before. In 2024, Prince George’s County also advanced waste collection hours during excessive heat, asking residents to have carts out by 5 a.m. from July 15 through Sept. 30. County officials said that first week was difficult because route consolidation and holiday delays complicated the transition, but they also said missed pickups would be serviced promptly through PGC311. This year’s plan follows the same logic: reduce worker exposure during the hottest part of the day and keep daily service moving before heat builds.
The county’s move also lines up with Maryland’s heat stress standard, COMAR 09.12.32, which took effect Sept. 30, 2024. The rule applies to workplaces where the heat index reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and requires a written prevention and management plan. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health says the standard covers indoor and outdoor workplaces and addresses risks including heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps and accidents, which makes the county’s early collection schedule more than a seasonal inconvenience.
State data show why local heat planning has become harder to ignore. Maryland’s 2025 heat-season surveillance report recorded 1,674 heat-related emergency department and urgent care visits, 1,645 heat-related EMS calls, and 34 heat-related deaths. Prince George’s County was among the counties with the highest heat-related ED and UC visit counts, putting added pressure on county crews and public services during summer peaks.
County leaders have also leaned on NASA research to sharpen that response. In 2025, NASA said it worked with Prince George’s County to use satellite data to map surface temperatures and identify heat islands, giving planners a way to target the neighborhoods most exposed to extreme heat. For county workers and the residents who depend on them, the new summer schedule is now part of a larger effort to keep services running when the pavement is hottest.
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