WHAT IS BULKY WASTE?
Bulky wastes are items such as furniture, tires,
appliances, old personal trash cans, and other approved household items that are too large
to fit in your empty garbage cart.
WHAT IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PICKUP AS BULKY WASTE?
• ADDITIONAL BAGS OF GARBAGE that will not fit in the garbage cart are not Bulky Waste and are not eligible for pick up. Please see our curbside garbage page for ways to manage any excess garbage.
• CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, AND DEMOLITION WASTE is not eligible for pick up as Bulky Waste because it is land-filled separately from household garbage. Construction, renovation, and demolition waste can include--but is not limited to--doors, windows, toilets, kitchen/bathroom cabinets, flooring, lumber/miscellaneous wood, etc. These materials may be taken to the
Solid Waste Facility for disposal.
• CARDBOARD BOXES are not approved bulky waste. Please break down cardboard boxes, cut them if necessary, and place them in your recycling cart (or trash cart if you do not have a recycling cart). You can also recycle cardboard
boxes for free at any of the 13 City, County, or UT recycling drop-off centers.
• VERY BULKY AND/OR VERY HEAVY ITEMS may not be eligible for bulky waste pick up. These items can include but are not limited to pianos, auto parts, basketball goals with bases attached, exercise machines,
items that are over six feet long, or items that are too
heavy to be picked up by two sanitation workers.
• BRUSH/YARD WASTE MIXED WITH TRASH OR OTHER ITEMS is not eligible for bulky pick up. Please set brush on its own and follow all guidelines here for brush pick up.
• APPLIANCES CONTAINING REFRIGERANT (refrigerators, freezers, etc.) are not eligible for pickup unless certified personnel have properly drained the coolant and tagged the item to indicate that it has been professionally drained. Residents may instead transport these
appliances to the Solid Waste Facility, where qualified staff will drain the appliance and safely dispose of the coolant.
• GAS-POWERED EQUIPMENT (lawn mowers, weed-eaters, heaters, gas grills, etc.) is not eligible for pickup unless it has been drained of all liquids or tanks have been removed (gasoline, oil, propane, etc.).
• CARPET is not eligible for pick up unless it is rolled, tied, and has been cut down to six feet or less in length.
• TIRES are not eligible for pick up unless they have been removed from their rims.
GUIDELINES: HOW TO SET OUT BULKY WASTE TO ENSURE PICK UP
• Residents may set out up to FIVE BULKY ITEMS PER WEEK.
If more than five bulky items are set out at once, none of the items
will be collected and it may result in a Codes Enforcement Violation.
• To ensure prompt bulky waste pickup, please place a "bulky alert" by calling 311 before you set the bulky out.
• Bulky items should be set at the street curb where your trash cart is placed (residents enrolled in the Backdoor Service program must set bulky items at the curb). If set out on the same day as your trash or recycling collection please leave at least 3 feet between your items and your cart so that the automatic arm of the truck can safely wrap around your cart to be emptied.
• Bulky waste is not typically picked up by the regular trash truck;
please allow up to two business days after you place a "bulky alert" for the bulky truck to return for your bulky items.
| Bad Bulky Set Out |
• Too many items
• Trash, recyclables, & other ineligible materials are mixed in
|
 |
| Good Bulky Set Out |
• No more than 5 bulky items at once
• Items are not blocking street or sidewalk and have at least 3 feet of space between them and the trash cart |
 |
REPORTING MISSED BULKY WASTE PICKUP
If your bulky items meet the guidelines above, were set out at the street where your City-issued trash cart is normally placed, and were not collected within the next two business days after placing a "bulky alert", please report by
calling 311 or by using the "Report Missed Pickup" button above.
For fastest service, please do not email to report. Consider
downloading the "My Knoxville App" to report bulky waste misses or any other City-related issue.