Trash & Recycling Schedules

ReCollect, Recycle Coach, Apple / Google Calendar reminders — when does the truck come, and what goes where.

The "is this week recycling or yard waste" question, plus the "can this go in curbside or do I drive it to the transfer station" lookup. For broader recurring-task automation see Recurring Tasks & Household Automation; for the family calendar this lives on see Family Calendars; for smart-home occupancy / "remind me when I get home from work" see Presence & mmWave.

Municipal app providers

★ ReCollect / Recyclist — paid (B2B; cities buy it for residents); free for residents. The most-used "what day, what bin, with reminders + sorting lookup" in North America. White-labeled by hundreds of municipalities ("[YourCity] Trash Day", "Waste Wizard", etc.). Check if your city has one — if so, it's the answer.
★ Recycle Coach — paid (B2B); free for residents. Similar; popular in mid-sized US cities + Canada.
iWaste — niche; smaller coverage.
Curbtender, Republic Services My Account, WM Trash Pickup — hauler-specific apps; useful if you're on a private hauler.

DIY / fallback

★ Apple Reminders or Google Tasks recurring — free; "every Monday 7pm: take out trash; alternate week: also recycling." Works perfectly when your municipal app is bad or doesn't exist.
★ Apple Calendar / Google Calendar — free; recurring all-day event "Trash Day" or "Recycling Day"; bonus: subscribe to your municipality's published .ics if available.
Home Assistant + waste-collection HACS integrations — the "remind me on the kitchen display the night before" answer. Many municipalities have community HA integrations; ReCollect data is also scrapable.

What goes where (recycling lookups)

★ iRecycle / Earth911 — free; search "what to do with [item]" by zip code; finds drop-off locations for batteries, electronics, paint, etc. The 2026 default for non-curbside.
Waste Wizard (inside ReCollect) — sorting lookup for your specific city.
Local municipal website — the authoritative source; many have "what goes in which bin" guides.
r/recycling, local subreddits — community knowledge.

Specialty waste

Battery recycling — Call2Recycle, Best Buy battery drop-off; find via Earth911.
Electronics (e-waste) — Best Buy free recycling, Staples, manufacturer mail-in (Apple, Dell, etc.).
Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, oil) — your city's HHW collection days; never curbside.
Bulky items (mattresses, furniture) — most cities require scheduling a pickup; some have free pickup days.
Compost — if your city collects yard waste / food scraps; some have curbside compost (SF, Seattle, Portland).
Donation alternatives to recycling — see Storage & Decluttering for selling / donating instead of trashing.

Smart-home integration

Home Assistant + a HACS waste-collection card — the kitchen-tablet "tomorrow is recycling" answer. Many cities supported via community integrations.
Voice assistants — "Hey Siri / Alexa / Google, when's trash day?" via your HA dashboard or city skill.
Smart bin sensors (lid sensor + Aqara contact + automation) — cute, rarely useful; the schedule rarely changes.

License / pricing

ReCollect, Recycle Coach: paid (city-paid); free for residents.
iWaste, hauler-specific apps: free.
Apple Reminders / Tasks / Calendar: free.
Home Assistant + community waste integrations: OSS, free.
iRecycle, Earth911: free.

Pick this if…

Default schedule + sorting, your city has it: the municipal ReCollect / Recycle Coach app.
Default schedule, your city doesn't have an app: an Apple Calendar recurring event + a notification.
Want it on the kitchen tablet: Home Assistant + a waste card.
What-goes-where for an unusual item: Earth911.
Hazardous waste / bulky item: your city's website (most have a request form or HHW days).