The City’s Solid Waste and Recycling division offers customers up to two appointments per year to have certain kinds of household junk picked up at their home for free.
The pickup service lasts from February to October when people can put junk in piles on the street. Piles should be no larger than 9 feet long by 4 feet wide and 4 feet tall.
Here are three things you should know about setting up an appointment:
Setting up an appointment is easy
Customers can call the City at 3-1-1 or 916-264-5011 to schedule an appointment. They can also use the 3-1-1 mobile phone app or visit Sac311.org to make a pickup request. Most appointments are scheduled within two to three weeks.
Lots of types of junk are eligible
Customers can request a pickup for most items that can’t be placed into a waste bin, including furniture, mattresses and carpeting.
Yard waste can also be picked up, though it should be kept separate from other items. Any branches must be cut to three feet in length and no more than four inches in diameter. Always fill your yard waste bin before placing debris on the street for collection.
Hazardous waste such as batteries and pesticides are not accepted during a regular junk pickup but can be dropped off at the Household Hazardous Waste facility (8492 Fruitridge Road).
Extra appointments can be made for a small fee
If you already have used your two free appointments for the year or need to arrange for a pickup November through January, you can call the City at 916-808-5454 and have a special service pickup scheduled for a minimum price of about $29.
During “leaf season,” residents from November to January can put leaf piles on their street, which the City picks up according to a collection calendar.
Both the household junk pickup and leaf collection services use crews that drive a machine known as “the Claw” that scoops up waste and debris which is put in a rear-loading truck within the City’s 93 residential collection zones.