The city's free bulk collection is a great deal when your stuff qualifies. Here's how it actually works, and what to do when it doesn't.
How the program works
Memphis runs curbside bulk collection twice per month on your regular collection day, either the first and third or second and fourth week of the month, depending on your zone. Check your collection calendar to confirm your bulk weeks. City solid-waste customers can also self-haul a truckload of non-hazardous waste to the landfill monthly at no charge with a current MLGW bill and photo ID, and the city operates weekend convenience centers for drop-offs.
Generally taken
- Furniture and household bulk items
- Bundled limbs and yard debris
- Carpet, cut and rolled per city guidelines
- General oversized household junk
Where people get burned
- Appliances and electronics are commonly restricted
- Rules change: verify current guidelines before you drag everything out
- Miss your bulk week and you're waiting roughly two weeks for the next one
- Suburbs like Germantown and Collierville run tighter rules than Memphis proper
The program handles what's beside the bin. It doesn't handle the bin itself, or anything that needs to be gone before your next scheduled week.
When to call a hauler instead
Use the free program when your items qualify and your week lines up. It's the right call, and we'd never talk you out of free. Call us when the pile contains restricted items, when it needs to be gone today, when it's still inside the house, or when it's simply more than a curb pile: garage cleanouts, estates, rental turnovers. That's the lane we built Get It Gone 901 for, and quotes are one texted photo away.