Austin, TX bulk trash pickup: schedule, booking and rules

Who can use City of Austin bulk trash pickup?

Austin Resource Recovery provides residential curbside service to single-family homes and multifamily properties with four units or fewer. Properties with five or more units must use a private hauler. Confirm the provider at your address before treating the city’s bulk program as part of your building’s services. Residential service eligibility.

The on-demand page says bulk collection is for residential customers and homes in certain Limited Districts. District eligibility can vary by service. If an HOA or property manager handles your waste contract, ask whether your address qualifies before moving items outside. On-demand eligibility and service rules.

This is an appointment service. Austin lets customers choose available collection dates instead of relying on an assumed twice-yearly neighborhood bulk week. Items without an appointment will not be picked up. An address search and confirmation from the city are the way to establish your own date. Schedule an on-demand collection.

How do I find the trash pickup schedule in Austin?

Use the city’s My Schedule service for your address, or the Austin Recycles app. The city links to these tools for collection calendars, reminders and on-demand booking. This guide cannot identify a home’s next collection date without the city’s address-specific result. Official schedule and booking page.

For bulk pickup, select a service and appointment date, then specify the number and type of items. The city uses those details to send suitable vehicles and route material to the right facilities. Save the confirmation email and check its reservation details before preparing your pile. How on-demand appointments work.

You cannot edit an appointment after scheduling. If the date no longer works, cancel and book again. Use the same channel you booked through, or the cancellation link in the confirmation email; call Austin 3-1-1 if you have trouble. Do not assume a cancellation guarantees the same replacement slot. Change or cancel instructions.

How to book Austin bulk trash pickup step by step

1. Check your address is an Austin Resource Recovery residential customer address. Ask your property manager or Austin 3-1-1 if you are unsure.
2. Sort the material into bulk, brush, household hazardous waste or another service. These have different preparation and collection rules.
3. Open My Schedule, use Austin Recycles, or call Austin 3-1-1 (512-974-2000). Select an available bulk collection appointment.
4. List every item and its quantity. Include appliances, electronics and passenger tires accurately; check unusual items through the city’s item-search tool.
5. Save the confirmation and read the reminder. Remove prohibited material, prepare appliances and equipment, and plan the three required piles.
6. Put bulk items at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on the confirmed date, with the clearances the city requires.

For a move-out, work backward from the date you need the items gone. Check actual availability before carrying furniture to the curb or arranging helpers. If a recipient takes a usable item first, contact the city about the request so the booking still describes what you will set out.

What does bulk trash pickup in Austin accept?

The city’s list is not exhaustive. Use the Austin Recycles app or the What Do I Do With tool linked from its on-demand page to check a particular item. Bulk acceptance does not mean an object belongs in a trash or recycling cart. Official accepted and excluded bulk items.

Appliances appear on the accepted list, and the city says it recycles appliances, electronics, metals and rigid plastics collected through bulk service. Confirm preparation for your exact refrigerator or air conditioner with Austin Resource Recovery through Austin 3-1-1 (512-974-2000) before booking. Use the city’s appliance listing and directions for your item. Appliance collection guidance.

Austin bulk pickup set-out rules

Have items at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date. Keep them 5 feet from carts, mailboxes, fences or walls, water meters, utility connection boxes, fire hydrants and parked vehicles. Do not place them under low tree limbs or power lines. Published bulk set-out requirements.

• Metal and rigid plastic pile: appliances with doors removed, electronics and rigid plastics.
• Non-metal pile: items such as carpeting and nail-free lumber.
• Passenger tire pile: rims removed, with no more than eight tires per household.

The city will not collect bulk items from alleys or from in front of vacant lots or businesses. Do not put the load into bags, boxes or containers. Bags can be treated as extra trash and incur extra charges. Keep ordinary trash separate from booked bulk material. Placement restrictions.

Before putting bulk items outside early, ask Austin Resource Recovery through Austin 3-1-1 (512-974-2000) for your appointment’s permitted set-out window. Have them ready by the verified 5:30 a.m. deadline. Official booking and set-out instructions.

Annual limits and Austin bulk collection fees

Customers can schedule up to three collections for each on-demand service each calendar year. The bulk allowance is separate from the brush and household hazardous waste allowances; those are different service categories. Keep track of the type of booking you make. Annual service allowances.

The residential rates page says bulk collection is paid through the bundled solid waste base fee, along with other listed curbside services. Eligible bulk service is included in the residential bill. Residential rates and base fee.

The 2026 administrative rules provide for paid bulk collections beyond the three annual appointments, with fees based on estimated debris weight. The approved May 21 council minutes confirm adoption. Ask Austin Resource Recovery through 3-1-1 for availability and a current quote.

List every item in the scheduling tool and ask Austin Resource Recovery through 3-1-1 about restrictions for a large load or a notice about early set-out. No universal pile allowance or fixed fine is assumed. Official item-checking and booking instructions.

Drop-off charges are separate. The Recycle and Reuse Center is generally free for Austin and Travis County residents except tires, which cost $6 each to drop off. Check the center’s page before deciding whether curbside collection or drop-off fits your material. Center eligibility and fees.

What if Austin leaves booked bulk items behind?

Different trucks may collect different parts of the load at different times. If all booked items have not been collected by 4 p.m., contact Austin Resource Recovery through Austin 3-1-1 or its linked email option. Report after 4 p.m. on the scheduled day and within two business days. Missed on-demand collection instructions.

Have your address, confirmation details and remaining item list ready. Explain whether access was clear and the three piles were separated. If bags, unlisted items or excluded material remain, ask the city which route applies instead of assuming every object qualifies for a return collection.

If you discover an appointment mistake before pickup, use the cancellation process and book again as directed. For material dumped near your home that you did not schedule, ask Austin 3-1-1 for the correct reporting route. Keep that report distinct from a missed service request for your own booked load.

Hazardous waste disposal in Austin and recycling alternatives

The Recycle and Reuse Center requires appointments for visits. Austin and Travis County residents can use it for many listed recyclables and household hazardous products. It accepts electronics and several appliance types, but explicitly lists furniture and mattresses as not accepted. Check before transporting anything bulky.

The center’s list also includes recyclable lawn furniture, while its general furniture exclusion remains. Check your exact material with the city’s item tool if the description seems ambiguous. It is not a general public dump for non-recyclable trash, toilets or construction leftovers. Full center acceptance list.

Household hazardous waste has a separate on-demand service. The city lists paint, cleaning products, batteries, automotive fluids and other qualifying products. Collection is limited to 30 gallons total per appointment, with individual containers no larger than 5 gallons. Do not place these products in your bulk pile. Separate household hazardous waste service.

For hazardous-waste collection, use the city’s accessible-location instructions and keep material away from rain, direct sunlight and heat sources. The city specifically says not to set HHW at the curb. Drop-off at the center is another appointment option, with its own container and acceptance rules. Hazardous-waste preparation.

For reusable furniture, the city recommends local exchanges, rehoming with people you know or donation to reuse stores. Confirm condition requirements and transport before canceling a bulk booking. Brush has its own collection and Hornsby Bend drop-off route; the Recycle and Reuse Center does not accept brush or yard trimmings. Reuse advice; Brush drop-off referral.