On-demand Bulk, Brush and Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Schedule an appointment

You can schedule an appointment for your address through the Austin Recycles app, online or by calling 3-1-1 (512-974-2000).

The scheduling system will show you which items or materials can be collected, and you'll need to select all the items you'll be setting out. After booking your appointment, you'll receive an email confirmation with details of your reservation. You'll also get an email reminder ahead of your appointment reminding you to set your items out by 5:30 a.m. on the appointment date.

Appointments are required for collection — items will not be picked up without one. Download the Austin Recycles app to receive notifications and service reminders.

Bulk collection

Bulk collection is for items that are too large for your trash cart. 

Accepted bulk items:

• Doors
• Carpet
• Furniture
• Appliances (remove doors)
• Passenger car tires (remove rims; limit 8 tires per household)
• Lawn mowers (remove gas/oil)
• Railroad ties (cut in half)
• Pallets
• Rolled fencing
• Nail-free lumber

Items not accepted:

• Brush
• Household trash
• Cardboard boxes
• Hazardous materials
• Mirrors
• Automotive chassis and bodies
• Motorcycles
• Trailers
• Boats
• Tires that are still mounted on rims
• Sheet glass and other construction and remodeling debris

This is not a complete list of all accepted bulk items. To confirm if an item is accepted, download the Austin Recycles app or search for an item using the What Do I Do With tool.

Set-out guidelines

• Place bulk items at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
• Separate items into three piles:
  • Metal items and rigid plastics - Includes appliances (with doors removed), electronics and rigid plastics.
  • Non-metal items - Includes carpeting and nail-free lumber.
  • Passenger car tires - Rims must be removed. Limit of 8 tires per household. We cannot collect truck or tractor tires.
• Keep items 5 feet away from your carts, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box, fire hydrants and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines.
• Items will not be collected if they are in an alley, in front of a vacant lot, or in front of a business.
• Do not put items in bags, boxes or other containers. Bags will be treated as extra trash and may incur additional trash fees.

This collection is only for residential customers and homes in certain Limited Districts.

Brush collection

Brush collection is for large branches and tree limbs too large for your curbside composting cart. 

Set-out guidelines

• Branches and limbs should be between 5 and 15 feet in length. If longer than 15 feet, they must be cut down.
• Place large brush at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your appointment date.
• Stack the brush loosely in one row along the curb, no more than 15 feet across and no higher than 4 feet, with cut ends facing the street.
• Tree trunks more than 8 inches in diameter should be 3 feet long or less.
• Do not block the sidewalk or extend piles into the street.
• Keep items 5 feet away from your carts, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box, fire hydrants and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines.
• Items will not be collected if they are in an alley, in front of a vacant lot or in front of a business.

This collection is only for residential customers, homes in certain Limited Districts and Emergency Services Districts (ESD).

Small branches

Small branches are not part of brush collection and can be set out with your weekly composting collection. However, they must be less than 5 feet long and no thicker than 3 inches in diameter.

• Branches that cannot fit into your composting cart with the lid closed should be stacked into manageable bundles no heavier than 30 pounds.

Brush drop-off

If you have exceeded your 3 annual on-demand brush collection appointments, you can drop off brush at the Austin Water Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. This option is available for Austin and Travis County residents.

Household hazardous waste (HHW) collection

HHW collection is for leftover household products that may be dangerous or harmful. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers hazardous materials those that:

• can catch fire, react or explode under certain circumstances;
• are corrosive or toxic;
• contain hazardous ingredients and require special disposal.

Accepted HHW items:

• Aerosol cans
• Automotive fluids and oil filters
• Batteries (car and household)
• Cleaning products
• Cooking oil and grease
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Mercury (thermometers, etc.)
• Paint and paint thinners
• Pesticides and herbicides
• Pool chemicals
• Propane cylinders
  

Items not listed cannot be collected through this service. Please search for other safe disposal options.

Set-out guidelines

• When possible, place items in a recyclable container, like a cardboard box or tub. These containers will be collected and not returned.
• Containers must be sealed or closed and clearly labeled.
• Leaking containers should be bagged separately in sealable or zip-top bags to prevent reactions.
• Items should be placed in an area where collections staff can access them.
• Pets should be restrained.
• For safety reasons, individual containers larger than 5 gallons cannot be collected.
• There is a 30-gallon limit for the total amount of materials collected during each scheduled collection. If you have more than 30 gallons, please schedule another appointment, or drop them off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center (RRDOC). Appointments at RRDOC are required.
• Commercial or industrial materials cannot be collected.

This collection is only for residential customers.

How on-demand collections benefit our customers

On-demand services provide for more efficient and cost-effective waste collection for our customers. Having the ability to schedule collections at their convenience means customers will no longer need to wait six months between collections and can select collection dates that align with when they have materials to dispose of.

HHW collection encourages proper disposal and keeps dangerous materials out of our landfills. Before the on-demand service was introduced, customers had to make an appointment to drop off HHW at the City’s Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center . While the center will still be an option for all Austin and Travis County residents, on-demand service will make the process more convenient for ARR customers.