Austin Bulk Trash & Garbage Pickup 2026 – Large Items

Austin Resource Recovery serves residential curbside customers, including many single-family homes and properties up to fourplexes. Trash is collected weekly, compost is collected weekly on the same day as trash, recycling is collected every other week, and brush, bulk, household hazardous waste, and clothing or textiles can be scheduled on demand up to three times per service each calendar year.

How to Find Your Austin Garbage and Bulk Pickup Day

Austin uses a personalized My Schedule calendar rather than a simple citywide chart. That tool shows your weekly trash day, weekly compost day, every-other-week recycling day, and lets you book bulk, brush, or household hazardous waste appointments.

1. Open My Schedule. Use the official Austin schedule tool.
2. Enter your address. This creates a personalized curbside calendar for your home.
3. Check weekly and bi-weekly service. Trash is weekly, compost is weekly on the same day, and recycling is every other week.
4. Use the on-demand button. My Schedule also lets you schedule collections for bulk, brush, and household hazardous waste.
5. Save reminders. Austin lets you print your schedule and sign up for text, email, or phone reminders.

Austin Trash, Recycling, Compost, Brush and Bulk Schedule

Austin’s regular curbside services and large-item services follow different patterns. Keeping those separate avoids the most common missed pickups.

Austin’s bulk system is for large items too big for the trash cart. Brush is a separate collection type, and household trash does not count as bulk pickup. If your material is really just extra trash, it belongs in the regular trash system instead of the bulk appointment queue.

What Counts as Bulk Trash in Austin

Austin says bulk collection is for items too large for your trash cart. The city provides a list of accepted and non-accepted materials, and that list matters because bulk crews will not take everything left at the curb.

Common accepted bulk items include: appliances with doors removed, household carpet, doors, furniture, lawn mowers with gas and oil removed, nail-free lumber, pallets, rolled fencing, railroad ties cut in half, and passenger car tires with rims removed, up to eight tires per household.

Common non-accepted bulk items include: household trash, brush, cardboard boxes, mirrors, sheet glass, tile, construction or remodeling debris, tires still mounted on rims, boats, trailers, motorcycles, and automotive bodies or chassis.

Austin Set-Out Rules for Large Items and Carts

Austin has strict curbside rules for both regular collection and on-demand large-item appointments. Most “missed” pickups actually come from placement problems.

• Place carts at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your regular collection day.
• Keep carts at least 5 feet apart and away from cars, mailboxes, trees, walls, and overhead lines.
• Place bulk items at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
• Keep bulk items 5 feet away from carts, fences, fire hydrants, parked cars, utility boxes, and other obstacles.
• Do not bag or box bulk items. Austin says bags may be treated as extra trash and can trigger extra trash fees.

How to Schedule Austin Large Item Pickup

Austin Resource Recovery now uses on-demand appointments for bulk pickup. You can schedule through the Austin Recycles app, online, or by calling Austin 3-1-1.

1. Make sure you are an Austin curbside customer. On-demand collection is for residential curbside customers, including many single-family homes and up to fourplexes.
2. Schedule the appointment. Use the Austin Recycles app, My Schedule, or call 512-974-2000.
3. Select the correct items. Austin’s booking system shows which materials can be collected.
4. Prepare the items properly. Remove doors from appliances, remove rims from passenger tires, and separate your materials into the required piles.
5. Place everything out by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment day and leave it accessible until crews arrive.

Austin currently allows customers to schedule up to three collections for each on-demand service each calendar year. That includes bulk, brush, and household hazardous waste service types, so it makes sense to group large items together whenever possible.

Austin 2026 Holiday Collection Rules

Austin does not slide curbside service for every holiday. The city’s official schedule says only Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day cause collection slide days, while holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day do not affect curbside pickup.

If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Austin says your collection day will not slide. The safest check is still your personalized My Schedule calendar.

What to Do If Austin Missed Your Bulk Pickup

Austin notes that different trucks may collect different piles at different times on the same day. That is especially common with on-demand large-item service.

1. Wait until after 4:00 p.m. Austin says items may be collected at different times throughout the day.
2. Make sure the appointment really existed. Bulk items are not collected without an appointment.
3. Check placement rules. Confirm the items were out by 5:30 a.m., separated correctly, and kept clear of obstacles.
4. Report the miss quickly. Austin asks customers to contact 3-1-1 after 4 p.m. on the missed day and within 2 business days.
5. Use Austin 3-1-1. Call 512-974-2000 or use the Austin Recycles app.

Austin Drop-Off Options for Items Not Accepted at the Curb

If an item is not accepted through curbside bulk pickup, Austin has official alternatives. The right drop-off location depends on whether the material is brush, hazardous waste, electronics, or other hard-to-recycle items.

Frequently Asked Questions About Austin Bulk Trash Pickup

Official Austin Bulk Trash Resources

Reminder: Austin large-item service now works best when you first check My Schedule, then book the appointment, then separate materials correctly, and then place everything out by 5:30 a.m. on the confirmed date.