Trash and recycling pickup in Horizon West: schedule, holidays

Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Facts on this page come from Orange County Utilities’ residential curbside collection page, its holiday schedule and its collection FAQs.

Horizon West is unincorporated, so trash pickup comes from Orange County, not a city. The Orange County Utilities Solid Waste Management Division runs the curbside program, and garbage, recycling, yard waste and large items are each picked up once a week. Call the Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 with any question.

Who to call

• Missed pickup or service problem: Solid Waste Hotline, 407-836-6601, or Solid.Waste@ocfl.net with your name, street address and the problem
• Broken or missing cart: the county’s cart repair and replacement form
• Find your days: Orange County’s collection schedule lookup
• Is it recyclable? The county’s What Goes Where tool
• Emergencies: 911

What day is my pickup?

Orange County moved every customer to a new schedule on Dec. 29, 2025, when its new hauling contracts began. Each home now has two pickup days:

• Garbage and large items on one day.
• Recycling and yard waste together on another day.

Look up both days by address in the county’s collection schedule. The county said it split the days to keep the wrong items out of recycling loads and to give cul-de-sacs more room at the curb.

The county’s rules for setting out carts:

• Carts go within 3 feet of the curb, no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 6 a.m. on collection day. Crews have until 8 p.m. to finish a route.
• Leave 3 feet between each cart and the mailbox, parked cars and low branches, so the truck’s arm can reach.
• Handles face the house; lid arrows face the street. Keep lids closed.
• Bags left beside the cart are not collected. Everything goes inside.
• Bring empty carts in the same day.

A missed pickup reported before 11 a.m. is usually collected the same day. After 11 a.m. it moves to the next business day; a report after 11 a.m. Friday is handled Monday.

Holiday schedule

Only two holidays change pickup, the county’s holiday collection page says. On every other holiday, trucks run as usual.

The Orange County Landfill and the transfer stations are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Recycling: “Think 5”

Recyclables go loose, empty and dry in the blue-lid cart. Since May 2026 the county also takes paper cups and clear plastic to-go cups, its announcement says. The five groups:

1. Plastic: bottles, jugs, tubs and clear to-go cups (no straws or lids).
2. Metal cans: tin, aluminum and steel.
3. Glass: bottles and jars.
4. Cardboard: flattened boxes.
5. Paper: newspapers, junk mail, magazines, paper bags, cereal and shoe boxes, paper cups and milk or juice cartons.

No plastic bags, wrap or film in the recycling cart. Put shopping bags in the garbage cart or take them to a store drop-off bin.

Garbage, yard waste and large items

Garbage goes in the green-lid cart, bagged and tied. The standard cart holds 95 gallons; a smaller 65-gallon cart is available on request. Keep hot ashes, paint, tires, fluorescent bulbs, medical waste, yard waste and rechargeable batteries out of it. Lithium-ion batteries can start truck fires.

Yard waste goes out on your recycling day, in your own bags or cans:

• Up to 3 cubic yards a week, about the size of three stoves.
• Cans and bags of 50 gallons or less, each under 60 pounds when full.
• Limbs and palm fronds cut to 3 feet or less and tied in bundles under 60 pounds.
• Live Christmas trees go out as yard waste; cut trees taller than 6 feet in half.
• Burning yard waste is prohibited in Orange County.

Large items such as furniture, mattresses, appliances, TVs and up to four passenger car tires go out on your garbage day, up to 3 cubic yards a week. Refrigerators, freezers and other Freon appliances, auto parts and anything that fits in the cart are not collected as large items. Ask the hotline, 407-836-6601, if you are not sure.

Paint, chemicals, batteries and electronics

Orange County takes household hazardous waste and electronics free from residents, its household hazardous waste page says.

• Community collection event: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at East River High School, 650 E. River Falcons Way, Orlando.
• Orange County Landfill: 5901 Young Pine Road, Orlando, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
• Porter Transfer Station: 1326 Good Homes Road, Orlando, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Paint and chemicals are limited to 25 gallons a vehicle. Propane tanks up to 20 pounds are accepted at the transfer station; tanks up to 100 pounds at the landfill. No ammunition, fireworks, explosives, prescription drugs or tires at these drop-offs.

What it costs

Curbside collection is billed on your Orange County property tax bill, the county says. Newly built homes get their first bill from Orange County Utilities. See our guide to Orange County property taxes for due dates and discounts.

What this means for you

• Look up both of your pickup days; they changed at the end of 2025.
• Plan for Thanksgiving week, when Thursday and Friday routes each slide a day.
• Keep batteries out of every cart, and take them to a free drop-off instead.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Horizon West?

Each address has two pickup days: one for garbage and large items, and one for recycling and yard waste. Look up your days in Orange County’s online collection schedule, and have carts at the curb by 6 a.m.

Does Horizon West trash pickup change on holidays?

Only Thanksgiving and Christmas move collection. In Thanksgiving week, Thursday pickups move to Friday and Friday pickups to Saturday. In Christmas week, Friday pickups move to Saturday.

How do I get rid of furniture or a mattress in Horizon West?

Put it at the curb on your garbage day as a large item, up to three cubic yards a week. Refrigerators, freezers and other Freon appliances are not collected at the curb.

Who do I call about a missed pickup in Horizon West?

Call the Orange County Solid Waste Hotline at 407-836-6601 or email Solid.Waste@ocfl.net. Reports made before 11 a.m. are usually collected the same day.

How do I pay for trash pickup in Horizon West?

Curbside collection is billed on the Orange County property tax bill. Owners of newly built homes get their first bill from Orange County Utilities.