Trash: Bulk Collections

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Each residential property receiving Montgomery County-provided trash collection is entitled to 5 bulk collections per calendar year for certain types of miscellaneous and/or bulky household trash.

Bulk collections must be scheduled in advance with the County by the owner or resident.

• The collection will then be made on your trash collection day.
• All items must be placed at your curb by 7:00 a.m. on the day of collection.
• Collections are made between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

The Freecycle Network is a way to promote reuse by giving unwanted items to others. There are several Freecycle communities in Montgomery County.

What trash quantity requires a bulk collection?

Our rule-of-thumb is "Does the item or amount of material fit into a trash can or bag?" If not, please request a bulk trash collection for it.

To schedule a bulk trash collection

Do you have County-provided trash service?

• Check whether you have County-provided trash collection service with our Collection Day Lookup tool. Or, call Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556).

1. Make an itemized list of all of the items you want us to collect.
   
   
2. Request your bulk trash collection online or by calling Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 3‑1‑1 (out-of-County: 240‑777‑0311, TTY: 240‑773‑3556).
   • We must receive your request by 11:00 a.m. on the business day before your recycling collection day.
   • Any requests received after 11:00 a.m. will be scheduled for the following week.
   
   
   
3. Set your bulk trash items at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day. Be sure to prepare large items requiring breakdown or disassembly.

Do you have "private subscription" trash service?

"Private subscription" means that you (or your homeowners/community association) hold the contract for your service directly. Please contact your collection company or homeowners/community association for more information.

To cancel a bulk trash collection

To cancel a bulk trash collection, call Montgomery County's
Customer Service Center at 3‑1‑1 (out-of-County: 240‑777‑0311, TTY: 240‑773‑3556).

You must cancel by by 11:00 a.m. the business day before your collection day.

Acceptable materials include:

Appliances, metal fencing, sinks, tubs, and other large metal items are accepted in our curbside scrap metal recycling program.

You must break down or disassemble large items like basketball hoops and poles, gazebos, hot tubs, pianos, sheds, and swingsets. Our rule-of-thumb is that one side of your item must be less than 4 feet wide, so that it fits into the collection truck.

• furniture
• rugs (please roll and tie)
• box springs
• mattresses
• trash cans
• large toys
• nonmetal (plastic and porcelein) sinks and bath tubs -- no concrete items
• nonmetal laundry trays
• nonmetal shower stalls
• nonmetal toilets

Unacceptable materials include:

The following materials cannot be collected curbside by the County at any time:

• poisons, acids, caustics, gasoline, oil and other flammable substances, explosives, ammunition, television picture tubes, or other hazardous or dangerous materials (though many of these items may be taken to the County's Household Hazardous Waste Collections
• human or animal fecal or uriniferous matter, infectious wastes, dead animals
  • Please call Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 3-1-1 (out-of-County: 240-777-0311, TTY: 240-773-3556) for additional information.
• materials resulting from building remodeling, repair, or construction, including: bricks, blocks, cabinets, concrete in any form, doors, lumber, non-metal fencing, windows (including storm doors and storm windows and screens), shingles, gutters, plaster, plasterboard,
  • information about home remodeling debris
  • metal items can be recycled
• paint
• soil, rocks, sod, tree trunks, limbs, or stumps resulting from tree removal;
• parts of motor vehicles;
• sheds and large dog houses.

So it's an unacceptable item.  Now what?!

Trash not acceptable for residential collection may be disposed by a resident at the County's Solid Waste Processing Center and Transfer Station, 16101 Frederick Road, Derwood, MD.

• No disposal charge is made for trash under 500 pounds delivered in privately-owned and operated vehicles, station wagons, and trailers with a capacity of under 500 pounds.
   Complete fee schedule


• Tree stumps more than 3 feet in diameter and large parts of motor vehicles cannot be disposed at the Transfer Station.