Beyond Just Rubbish Removal: Greener Large-Scale Disposal in Austin

When you have a large pile of junk to get rid of, your primary focus is likely getting the junk off your property so you can get to the next item on your to-do list. Still, you always want to make sure you’re doing the right thing for the environment and the community. Getting rid of large-volume waste, beyond just rubbish removal, requires some planning in Austin. Unlike other areas where municipal services provide more frequent collection services for large items, bulk collection week in Austin happens only twice a year.

Clearing out the basement to make use of livable space or emptying the garage to bring the cars in for the winter aren’t the only reasons why you might need to think about your bulk disposal options. There’s more to consider than just rubbish removal, too. The waste management solution you choose will have an impact on not only your project, but also the environment and potentially the local community. Whether you’re in the middle of a full hoarding mitigation project or just working to clear out some unwanted items before a big move, understanding your large-scale disposal options in and around Austin is essential.

It’s Not Just Rubbish Removal: Why Austin Bulk Disposal Choices Matter

With a Zero Waste by 2040 goal and an array of initiatives to help reach it, Austin is working to tackle waste problems proactively. Austin Resource Recovery offers curbside recycling and household waste collection to residential customers throughout the city, but bulk collection services are a different story. Before you drag your unwanted sofa or unwanted household goods up to the curb, it’s important to understand how these programs work and where your goods will end up when it’s all said and done.

Bulk collection weeks are scheduled by Austin Resource Recovery twice each calendar year. For projects with only self-imposed deadlines or the rare times when your schedule aligns with the city’s schedule, this timing may be manageable. In most cases, however, scheduling presents the first of many challenges. You also need to make sure you have the muscle on hand to drag all those over-sized items down to the street. Once the items are at the curb you need to sort the items into three separate piles. These piles must be distinct, but also away from any walls, fences, parked vehicles, mailboxes, utility boxes, or other structures.

Metal items and appliances should be grouped together. Non-metal items make up another pile and passenger vehicle tires should be removed from rims and grouped separately. Metal items, appliances, and tires are taken to the appropriate recycling facilities and processed accordingly. All non-metal items which are not tires, however, will be taken to the nearest landfill. Non-metal items include furniture and household goods in usable condition, despite the Zero Waste goal. If you’re invested in keeping your environmental impact small, this solution may not be acceptable.

Items you no longer need or want but which are still usable can and should be donated or reused. Donating keeps bulky items out of the local landfill and keeps them in the community benefitting those in need. Unfortunately, pickup services are relatively rare among donation centers where resources are notoriously scarce. In many cases, the only way to get items to the center is to transport them yourself.

If you’re in the middle of a large project, taking the item to a donation center means time, effort, and manual labor you may not be able to spare from the more pressing issues at hand. If you don’t have a large enough vehicle, it may also mean incurring the cost of truck rental, insurance, and administrative fees.

Often, the more economical and more efficient choice is to work with a private hauler who prioritizes greener, more ethical disposal.

Making Green Bulk Disposal Easier and More Efficient

Whether you’re closing the estate of a loved one or just trying to clear out the basement, there are so many aspects of your project only you can manage. Taking time away from those things to handle disposal not only wreaks havoc on your schedule but also makes the process more stressful and upsetting than necessary.

At Jiffy Junk, we understand that your time is important. We also know just how vital it is to protect the planet for future generations. We’ve built our business around providing the very best in white-glove, full-service junk removal with a focus on environmental responsibility.

When our highly trained and experienced removal technicians come to your home or place of business to remove trash, castoff items, and unwanted furniture, we carefully sort everything we collect. Items in usable condition are transported to local donation centers, while everything else is disposed of using the most sustainable methods available. We do everything in our power to minimize our own landfill impact, passing along a smaller footprint to each of our customers along the way.

A lack of waste management planning can derail a project and make meeting deadlines a struggle, but we can help. From one-time pickup for a single piece of unwanted furniture to an ongoing collection for the largest jobs, we’ve got you covered. White-glove service means we do all the heavy lifting even if it means uninstalling appliances and tearing out carpeting for disposal. There’s no need to wrestle an old refrigerator down to the curb or worry about gathering assistance to haul furniture to the donation center. You’re free to focus on all the other parts of your project that only you can manage, while we take care of the waste.

Don’t let a towering waste pile and an ever-growing to-do list get you down, we’re here to help. Call Jiffy Junk today to learn more about how we’re helping the people of Austin work toward a Zero Waste goal by minimizing landfill impact and filling in the gaps left by twice-yearly bulk collection. Together, we can turn even the largest and most overwhelming projects into something easily managed.