What Is Considered Bulk Trash in Austin, Texas?

Getting rid of more than just average household waste can be difficult, especially when you’re navigating waste management as part of a larger project. Knowing what is considered bulk trash is almost as important as knowing what Austin Resource Recovery won’t accept on bulk collection days when you plan to rely on municipal services. Sometimes, though, city waste management efforts simply aren’t enough. Find out what the city considers bulk waste and what you can do when existing municipal services aren’t up to the challenge. Try these services offered by Jiffy Junk.

Understanding What Is Considered Bulk Trash

On the surface, determining what is considered bulk trash seems relatively simple. If it won’t fit into a weekly pickup bin, it must be bulk waste, right? Actually, it’s not always so cut and dry.

These items qualify for Austin Resource Recovery’s twice-per-year bulk collection program:

• Lumber without nails
• Rolled fencing
• Pallets
• Railroad ties (must be cut in half for collection)
• Lawnmowers with oil and gasoline removed
• Car tires (passenger car tires only, with rims removed. Each household is limited to eight tires per pickup.)
• Appliances with doors removed
• Furniture
• Carpet 
• Doors

What about the things you can’t place out for collection? These include, but are not limited to:

• Sheet glass
• Construction and remodeling debris
• Household trash
• Cardboard 
• Hazardous materials
• Mirrors
• Automotive bodies and chassis
• Motorcycles
• Trailers
• Boats 
• Tires still mounted on rims
• Brush and landscaping waste

Once you determine which items you can dispose of through ARR bulk pickup programs, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with applicable rules and regulations. All items must be separated into three piles: 

1. Metal items– Appliances with the doors removed and other metal items are taken to the appropriate recycling center.
2. Tires– Austin Resource Recover bulk collection will collect up to eight passenger car tires with the rims removed twice each year. They’re taken to a tire recycling facility, though truck and tractor tires are not accepted for bulk item pickup.
3. Non-metal items– If it’s not made of metal and it’s not a car tire, it should be sorted into a “non-metal items” pile for pickup. This includes lumber with any nails removed, carpeting and similar items. These are not recycled; instead, they’re sent directly to a landfill.

Austin Resource Recovery stipulates that all bulk items should be separated and placed at the curb by 6:30 a.m. on the very first day of the scheduled collection week. All items should be placed at least five feet from trash carts, water meters, telephone connection boxes, parked cars, mailboxes, fences and walls. Items also cannot be placed under low-hanging power lines or tree limbs. Since all three types of bulk waste item are collected throughout the special collection week by separate trucks, they may be removed at different times during the collection week. It’s also important to note you cannot place any of these items in a container of any kind; bulk collection is for items too large to be containerized, so anything that can fit into a container will be subject to extra trash fees levied by Austin Resource Recovery.

Why Municipal Bulk Item Removal May Not Be Ideal

By the time you invest time and energy into figuring out what is considered bulk trash, then working to comply with all guidelines within a relatively narrow timeframe, you may find yourself in a less-than-ideal situation. Austin Resource Recovery’s bulk waste management plan essentially requires residents to complete large projects around the home during their twice-yearly pickup windows. Unfortunately, life isn’t always so predictable. Whether you’re working to reclaim space in your home, cleaning out the garage or simply getting rid of old furniture, you’re required to do so during these two narrow windows if you want municipal support for bulk waste management. When you’re on a tight deadline that doesn’t happen to coincide with the two pickup weeks per year, you’re essentially left with no waste management support from the city. Fortunately, there are greener and more convenient options available year-round.

Managing Bulk Item Disposal on Your Terms

Sometimes life just won’t wait for the two windows of opportunity you have through Austin Resource Recovery each year for bulk disposal. Whether you’re cleaning out a rental property to get it ready for the market as soon as possible, managing the estate of a departed loved one or trying to take back areas of your home cluttered with items you no longer want or need, there are times when you need disposal on your own terms. 

At Jiffy Junk, we understand that life throws us all curveballs from time to time, so we work hard to provide the very best in white-glove, full-service disposal any time of year. Because we also believe in doing what’s right for the planet, we divert everything we can from a landfill to minimize our environmental impact. Austin Resource Recovery works hard to reach a Zero Waste goal, but there are items they simply don’t yet have the infrastructure to manage properly.

Our trained and experienced removal techs will come to your home or place of business to remove anything you no longer need or want, separating it to ensure all recyclable items are handled appropriately. Items in usable condition are donated to local donation centers, keeping them out of a landfill while also ensuring they benefit the community at large. There’s no need to wrestle with heavy items to get them down to the curb or to break out the tape measure to ensure there’s five feet of clearance from all nearby items for each of your three piles. 

When you work with Jiffy Junk, you’re able to reap the benefits of quick, easy and convenient disposal without adding to landfill burdens or your carbon footprint. Since we remove items from where they sit, you also aren’t responsible for all the manual labor. Contact us today and find out how you can get rid of everything you no longer want in your space with a single phone call.