The holiday season brings family gatherings, big meals, and extra guests. But it also brings an unexpected challenge for many homeowners and Airbnb hosts: missed trash pickups. With more trash generated in December than any other month, even one missed pickup can leave your bins overflowing for days.
Here are the top five holiday hosting mistakes that often lead to missed trash collection—and how to avoid them.
1. Forgetting Pickup Day During a Busy Schedule
Between cooking, cleaning, shopping, hosting, and traveling, trash day is easy to forget. Many homeowners simply get overwhelmed.
If your bins don’t make it to the curb on time, the truck won’t stop—and you’re stuck with a week’s worth of trash.
Tip: Set a weekly phone reminder or let a roll-out service handle it for you.
2. Not Accounting for Holiday Schedule Changes
During the holiday season, trash pickup schedules may shift due to:
- Christmas
- New Year’s
- Weather delays
- Staffing changes
Many people assume their usual pickup day remains the same, only to discover the truck came earlier or skipped a day entirely.
Tip: Check your city or service provider’s holiday schedule in advance.
3. Leaving Trash for Guests to Handle
Guests rarely know when or how trash pickup works in your neighborhood. Airbnb guests in particular often:
- Forget to bring bins to the curb
- Put them out too late
- Place them in the wrong spot
- Leave trash bags beside the bin
This results in missed pickups, overflow, and animal activity.
Tip: Never rely on guests to manage trash during busy holiday stays.
4. Overfilling Bins Before Pickup Day
Holiday gatherings mean extra:
- Food waste
- Packaging
- Gift wrapping
- Shipping boxes
When bins are overstuffed, lids don’t close properly. Many waste companies refuse to collect overfilled cans or loose bags left on the ground. And winter winds can blow open lids or knock cans over, causing a mess and preventing collection.
Tip: Break down boxes and schedule overflow removal if needed.
5. Placing Bins Incorrectly at the Curb
During December, high winds, snow, and icy driveways make proper placement even more important. Bins that are:
- Too close to cars
- Blocked by snow
- Placed sideways
- Set too far from the street
may be skipped because the truck arm can’t pick them up. One simple mistake can cause an entire week of overflow.
Tip: Ensure bins face the street with enough clearance on all sides.
How to Avoid Missed Pickups Entirely
With the holidays being the busiest trash month of the year, the easiest solution is to remove the responsibility from your to-do list.
A professional roll-out and roll-in service ensures:
- Bins are placed correctly
- Pickup days aren’t forgotten
- Holiday schedule changes are tracked
- Overflow bags are handled
- Airbnb turnover trash is managed
Your home stays clean, presentable, and ready for guests.
Keep Your Property Stress-Free This Holiday Season
Don’t let a missed trash pickup ruin the busiest time of the year.
Avoid these mistakes, stay ahead of holiday waste, and keep your home or rental running smoothly.