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Houston Heavy Trash Pickup
Houston heavy trash pickup is the every-other-month curbside collection for the big items your weekly garbage cart cannot hold, from tree limbs to old furniture. It runs on an assigned schedule, takes both tree waste and junk waste in the same run, and has clear limits. Knowing the rules is the difference between a pile that gets hauled and one crews pass by.
Houston heavy trash at a glance
- Collected every other month, up to six times a year, on your assigned day.
- One pickup takes both tree waste and junk waste.
- Volume limit is about 8 cubic yards per set-out.
- Set out by 7 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 6 p.m. the Friday before.
Who gets heavy trash service
Heavy trash is for occupied homes that receive City of Houston curbside collection. Multi-unit buildings with more than eight units are not eligible. If you already get a weekly city garbage cart, you are very likely on the heavy trash schedule too, with an assigned collection day.
Find your heavy trash day
Your day is assigned by address, so it can differ from a neighbor a block away. Look it up with the City of Houston Solid Waste Management address tool or the HTX Collects app, which returns your garbage day, recycling week, and heavy trash day together. Add it to a calendar, because holidays can shift the week.
Tree waste vs junk waste
The city splits heavy trash into two kinds of material, and both are collected on the same day.
- Tree waste is clean wood only: tree limbs, branches, and stumps, with each piece no more than 8 inches across or 10 feet long. Keep it free of dirt, roots, and building material. Bagged grass and leaves are collected under the weekly yard waste program, not heavy trash.
- Junk waste is bulky items that are not clean wood: furniture, carpet (bundled), mattresses and box springs, toilets, bicycles and toys, and appliances such as stoves, washers, dryers, and water heaters. Refrigerators and freezers are taken only with a certified technician's tag showing the refrigerant was removed.
Limits and what is not collected
The volume cap is about 8 cubic yards per set-out, roughly a minivan. Up to 4 cubic yards of resident-generated building material may be collected, but shingles, brick, plaster, and concrete are excluded. The city does not take contractor debris, construction or demolition material, dirt, sod, or soil at the curb. Household hazardous waste and electronics are also excluded and go to an Environmental Service Center instead. If accepted and unaccepted items are mixed in one pile, crews can refuse the whole pile, so keep the banned items separate.
Tires
You may place up to four passenger tires at the curb with your heavy trash. Crews separate tires from the rest of the pile, and it can take up to a week after the main collection for the tires to be picked up.
How to set it out
Place material at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the Friday before your collection day, and have it out by 7 a.m. on the day itself. Set items just behind the curb line in front of your home, never in the street or on the sidewalk. Keep the pile clear of low wires, signs, mailboxes, water meters, and fire hydrants so the grapple truck can reach it. Very large cleanouts over the 8 cubic yard limit may take more than one cycle.
Confirm the current rules and look up your day on the official City of Houston Heavy Trash Collection page, and take hazardous waste and electronics to an Environmental Service Center. For weekly garbage and recycling, see our Houston trash and recycling guide.
Frequently asked questions
How often is heavy trash picked up in Houston?
Eligible homes on City curbside service get heavy trash collection every other month, up to six times a year, on an assigned day. A single pickup takes both tree waste and junk waste together.
How much heavy trash can I put out?
Up to about 8 cubic yards per set-out, roughly the size of a minivan. Up to 4 cubic yards of resident-generated building material is allowed, but shingles, brick, plaster, and concrete are not.
Does Houston pick up mattresses and appliances?
Yes. Mattresses, box springs, furniture, and appliances go out as junk waste on your heavy trash day. Refrigerators and freezers are only taken with a certified technician's tag showing the refrigerant was removed.