We propose an efficient tag collection algorithm utilizing empty time slots in active RFID systems. In the proposed tag collection algorithm, the reader recognizes the existence of empty time slots via carrier sensing, and utilizes the redundant empty time slots to transmit sleep commands to the tags collected, resulting in performance improvement for tag collection. The simulation results show that the proposed tag collection algorithm can reduce the average tag collection time by 12.28%, 12.30%, and 13.31%, for the framed slotted aloha with the fixed 128 time slots and 256 time slots, and the dynamic framed slotted aloha anticollision protocols, respectively.