Austin trash & bulky-item rules

Austin's old twice-yearly bulk/brush model is obsolete. Austin Resource Recovery now uses on-demand collection. Eligible curbside customers can schedule up to three collections for each service per calendar year for bulk items, brush, household hazardous waste, and clothing/textiles.

Scheduling is mandatory. Use the Austin Recycles app, the city's online schedule tools or Austin 3-1-1. Bulk items must be at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment date.

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 generally use a private hauler.

That makes service eligibility an address-level question. An Austin mailing address does not by itself prove that the household has access to the city's on-demand curbside program.

The current accepted bulk list includes appliances (doors removed), household carpet, doors, furniture, lawnmowers with gas/oil removed, nail-free lumber, pallets, passenger-car tires, railroad ties cut in half and rolled fencing.

Electronics are also part of the bulk set-out system: Austin tells residents to separate metal items and rigid plastics into a pile that includes appliances and electronics. The city's list is not exhaustive, so use the Austin Recycles app or “What Do I Do With?” tool for unusual items.

Passenger-car tires must have rims removed and are limited to eight per household. Truck and tractor tires are not collected through this service.

Bulk collection is not a general renovation-debris service. The city excludes construction/demolition carpet, sheet glass, tile and other construction or remodeling debris. It also excludes brush, hazardous materials, household trash, mirrors, mounted tires, boats, motorcycles and trailers.

Nail-free household lumber is accepted, which is why residents should check the item-specific tool rather than assuming every building-related material has the same rule.

Austin has an unusually convenient option: eligible curbside customers can book on-demand household hazardous waste collection from home. Accepted categories include paint/thinners, pesticides, cleaning products, automotive fluids, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pool chemicals and small propane cylinders.

HHW must not be placed at the curb. Keep it in an accessible, protected area away from rain, direct sun and ignition sources. Individual containers larger than 5 gallons cannot be collected, and the total material limit is 30 gallons per scheduled collection.

The Recycle and Reuse Center gives residents another route for electronics, appliances and HHW. Its accepted electronics/appliance list includes TVs, computers, printers, air conditioners, microwaves, stoves, washers, dryers and water heaters.

Brush is separate from bulk. Small branches no longer than 5 feet and no thicker than 3 inches can go with weekly compost collection, including manageable piles beside the green cart. Larger brush can be booked for on-demand collection up to three times a year, and Austin/Travis County residents have a separate yard-trimmings/large-brush drop-off option.

For Austin, start with the local authority links below. Recheck them before a special trip or unusual set-out because programs, prices and facility hours can change.

• On-Demand CollectionsThree-per-service annual limit, accepted bulk items, electronics, tires and HHW 5-gal/30-gal limits.
• Residential ServicesWho receives ARR curbside service and current collection frequencies.
• Recycle and Reuse CenterElectronics, appliance and HHW drop-off routes.
• Curbside Composting5-ft/3-in small-branch threshold and weekly compost set-out rules.
• Yard Trimmings & Large Brush Drop-OffBrush drop-off eligibility and relationship to on-demand brush service.