Austin bulk item collection lets City of Austin curbside customers set out large items like furniture and appliances for free pickup by appointment. It is a great option for some jobs, but it has rules, limits and items it will not take. This guide explains how the city service works and when hiring a junk removal crew makes more sense.

How Austin Bulk Item Collection Works

According to Austin Resource Recovery, the on-demand bulk collection service is available to residential curbside customers, including single-family homes and buildings up to fourplexes.

• Appointments are required. Book through the Austin Recycles app, online or by calling 3-1-1.
• Up to three collections per year for each service address.
• Set items out by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
• Sort items into three piles: metal and rigid plastics, non-metal items such as carpet and nail-free lumber, and passenger car tires.
• Keep a 5-foot clearance from carts, mailboxes, fences, water meters, fire hydrants and parked cars.

What Bulk Collection Accepts and What It Does Not

Accepted

Appliances (with doors removed), household carpet, doors, furniture, lawn mowers (with gas and oil removed), nail-free lumber, pallets, rolled fencing and up to 8 passenger car tires without rims.

Not Accepted

Brush, cardboard boxes, hazardous materials, household trash, mirrors, sheet glass, remodeling debris, tile, construction carpet, tires on rims, boats, trailers and vehicle parts. Mattresses are not on the accepted list, so check the city’s “What Do I Do With” tool or the Austin Recycles app before you set one out.

When the City Service Is a Good Fit

• You live in a home served by City of Austin curbside collection
• You have a few large items, like a sofa or an old washer
• You can move everything to the curb yourself
• You can wait for an available appointment date
• You still have collections left for the year

When Hiring Junk Removal Makes More Sense

• The items are inside. Bulk collection only picks up from the curb. A junk removal crew lifts items from anywhere in the home.
• You have items the city does not take, such as remodeling debris, mattresses, mirrors or boxes of household junk.
• You are on a deadline, like a move-out, a home sale or a tenant turnover.
• You live in an apartment, a business or outside the city service area.
• You already used your three appointments for the year.

In those cases, junk removal handles everything in one visit, and a dumpster rental works well for multi-day cleanouts.

Tips to Get the Most From Bulk Collection

• Book early, especially in spring and before the holidays.
• Do not bag or box bulk items; that can lead to extra trash fees.
• Donate furniture in good condition first. The city notes that furniture collected through bulk pickup currently has no reuse or recycling option.
• Take paint, chemicals and batteries to a household hazardous waste drop-off instead.

Austin Bulk Item Collection FAQs

Is Austin bulk item collection free?

The service is part of Austin Resource Recovery residential curbside service. Bagging or boxing bulk items may lead to extra trash fees, so check the city’s guidelines before you set items out.

How many times a year can I schedule bulk collection?

Each service address can schedule up to three bulk collections per calendar year.

Will the city pick up a mattress?

Mattresses are not on the city’s list of accepted bulk items. Check the city’s “What Do I Do With” tool, or read our guide on how to get rid of a mattress in Austin.

Need It Gone Faster?

When the city schedule, the rules or the heavy lifting do not work for you, Bulls of Texas can help. Request a free estimate for junk removal or a dumpster rental in Austin and nearby communities.