Arlington Bulk Trash Pickup vs. Private Junk Removal: What the City Takes and What It Doesn't
Arlington's weekly bulky-item collection is a good service with firm edges. Most of the frustration with it comes from finding those edges only when an Oops Tag turns up on the pile.
Call (682) 226-7611
The short answer
In Arlington, TX, weekly bulky-item pickup takes household items, appliances, fencing and carpet up to 2 cubic yards, each piece under 50 pounds, set out by 7 a.m. It does not take construction debris, tires, batteries, liquids or hazardous waste. Bigger loads need a paid Republic Services collection; heavy, upstairs or apartment items suit a junk removal crew.
- Weekly limit
- 2 cubic yards, which the city likens to a washer and dryer
- Per item
- Under 50 pounds per item or bundle, as the city page states
- Set-out
- Out before 7 a.m. on your regular collection day
- Over the limit
- Paid special collection through Republic Services, 817-317-2000
How Arlington's weekly bulky-item collection works
Bulky waste goes out on the same day as your trash and recycling, once a week. The city defines it as appliances, fencing, carpet and the ordinary household things too big for a cart, and it takes as much as two cubic yards of it per home per week. The yardstick the city gives for two cubic yards is a washer and a dryer, which is worth picturing before you drag furniture out: the allowance is measured in the space a pile occupies, not in how many pieces are in it.
Two rules sit on top of the volume. Each item or bundle must weigh less than 50 pounds, and nothing counts unless it is out by 7 a.m. on collection day; a 2024 city guide published for the cart rollout allows setting things out as early as 7 p.m. the night before. Carpet has to be cut under four feet, rolled and bundled. Fence panels have to be cut into four-by-six-foot sections with any exposed nails and staples pulled.
Some material is never bulky waste, whatever its size: liquids, batteries, tires, auto parts, construction debris and anything that counts as household hazardous waste. An appliance that contains Freon also needs a certificate showing the refrigerant was properly removed before it can go out.
What happens when the pile is over two cubic yards
The collection crew does not have to take the overflow. Republic Services marks what it leaves with an Oops Tag, and the city's page is plain about the next step: anything over two cubic yards has to come off the curb within 24 hours, or the city has it removed and adds a fee to your next water bill.
The planned route for a bigger load is a special collection, scheduled for a fee by phoning Republic Services on 817-317-2000. The city's Rates & Fees page charges excess bulk by the cubic yard up to five cubic yards and by the hour above that, and anything over 15 cubic yards needs a rented roll-off container instead. That is the structure listed on the city's page as of November 2026; the rates themselves can change, so read the current figures there before you decide.
If the only problem is a cubic yard or two of extra, that is the honest answer to the whole question. The per-yard rate on the city's page is well below this branch's job minimum, and nobody needs to hire a crew to carry a pile that is already at the curb.
City pickup, special collection, landfill or crew: four routes compared
City details as listed on the City of Arlington's pages in November 2026. Crew prices come from the Junk Koala price book and exclude sales tax.
| Route | How it works, who it suits, and the catch |
|---|---|
| Weekly city bulk collection | Part of residential curbside service: two cubic yards a week at most, no piece or bundle of 50 pounds or more, set out before 7 a.m. Suits a household that can carry things to the curb and wait for its day. The catch: you do all the lifting, and anything over the rules can be tagged and left. |
| Paid special collection | Booked by phone with Republic Services (817-317-2000) for loads over the weekly limit. Charged per cubic yard up to 5 cubic yards and hourly above that; over 15 cubic yards needs a roll-off. The catch: the whole load still has to reach the curb first. |
| Landfill self-haul | Arlington Landfill, 800 Mosier Valley Road, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Arlington homeowners get three free visits a year in a car, pickup or trailer up to 16 feet. The catch: contractors, landlords and renters are charged the standard rate, and you still need a vehicle and a second pair of hands. |
| Junk removal crew | Carried out from inside, from any floor, with no set-out day. The minimum job is $129; a quarter of the truck is $249 and all of it $699. The catch: it costs more than any city route, so it earns its price on labor, not on disposal. |
Where the city route stops working
Weight is the first wall. The 50-pound rule appears on the same page that lists appliances as bulky waste and measures the weekly allowance in washers and dryers, and the page does not say how those fit together. Plenty of household pieces weigh more than 50 pounds: a full-size washer, a sleeper sofa, a solid-wood dresser. If yours does, confirm with the city or Republic Services before you set it out instead of assuming it will be taken.
Then there is the carry. Collection happens at the curb, so everything has to get there first, which is the hard part when the piece is upstairs or there is one adult in the house. Apartment residents usually sit outside the program: the city treats owners of multifamily properties as commercial trash customers, so what happens to a resident's sofa depends on the property's own arrangement. Ask the leasing office before anything goes near the dumpster.
Timing is the last one. A fixed weekly day suits a planned clear-out, not a closing date or a lease handover two days away, and holiday weeks shift routes; the city's page lists Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 collections moving a day later.
- Items or bundles of 50 pounds or more
- Anything still upstairs or indoors
- More than 2 cubic yards in one week
- Apartment complexes with their own trash service
- Deadlines that miss your collection day
When paying a crew is the sensible call
A crew is worth paying when the job is mostly lifting. The Junk Koala price book lists a washer at $99 plus $35 heavy-item handling and a couch at $129; stairs add $25 a flight where there is no elevator. Those figures are before sales tax, and the online booking discount knocks off another $20.
Refrigerators and freezers are a specific case. The city wants a certificate showing the Freon is out before it will collect one. This branch does not recover refrigerant itself; it takes those units to a facility that does, so there is no curbside certificate to arrange.
Mixed loads tip the same way. Two cubic yards of furniture, the boxes from the garage and an old treadmill add up to a special collection, a landfill run and an afternoon of carrying, or one booked window. Which is better depends on whether your time and your back are worth more than the difference. For a small pile you can carry yourself, the city wins.
One gap is worth flagging. None of the city's current collection pages mention mattresses either way, so check with the city or Republic Services before setting one out.
Over the limit, or still up the stairs?
Send a photo of the pile, or of the room it is still in, and a written price comes back before you choose between the curb and a crew.
FAQ
Related questions
- Can I put a couch out for Arlington bulk trash pickup?
- Yes, if it fits the rules: it counts toward the 2-cubic-yard weekly limit, and the city's page says each item must weigh under 50 pounds. Sleeper sofas and large sectional pieces often weigh more than that, so confirm with the city or Republic Services before setting one out, or book a pickup from inside.
- What happens if I put out more than 2 cubic yards of bulk trash in Arlington?
- The excess may be left with an Oops Tag. It then has to come off the curb within 24 hours; if it does not, the city removes it and adds a fee to your next water bill. Calling Republic Services on 817-317-2000 to book a paid special collection before the extra goes out avoids that.
- What time does bulk trash need to be out in Arlington?
- By 7 a.m. on the morning of your collection day. A city guide from 2024 permits setting things out from 7 p.m. the previous night, which makes the evening before the practical window.
- Does Arlington bulk pickup take mattresses?
- The city's current collection pages do not say. Mattresses are neither listed as accepted nor as prohibited, so check with the city or Republic Services before putting one out. A booked pickup sidesteps the question.
- Is a junk removal company cheaper than Arlington's special collection?
- No, not for a small overflow that is already at the curb. The city's per-cubic-yard rate sits well below Junk Koala's $129 job minimum. A crew makes sense when the work is carrying from inside, stairs or heavy pieces, or when you cannot wait for a collection day.
Sources
- City of Arlington, TX - Residential Curbside Collections — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Garbage & Recycling Rates & Fees — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Your Guide to the Trash Cart Rollout (January 2024) — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Commercial & Multi-Family Collections — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Arlington Landfill — checked
Ready when you are
You point. We haul. That is the whole arrangement.
Choose a window from the live Arlington calendar, or send a few photographs and get the number first. Homes or businesses, one item or a whole property.
Or call (682) 226-7611
The Arlington branch
Junk Koala Arlington
1140 W Pioneer Pkwy, Ste 1144E
Arlington, TX 76013