You pulled the permit, the contractor is booked, and the demo starts Monday. Nobody thinks about where the old bathroom goes until it is sitting in a pile on the driveway. In Tempe that pile is a bigger problem than in most Valley cities, for one reason: bulk trash only comes every other month.
I run HaulOtter out here and Tempe is the city where I get the most “I thought the city would take it” calls. Here is exactly what Tempe will and will not haul, what your other options actually cost, and how to plan the job so you are not living with a debris pile until October.
Tempe bulk trash: six pickups a year, and the rules are strict
Tempe residential solid waste customers get bulk trash and green organics collection every other month — six times a year, not monthly. Miss your week and the next one is eight weeks out.
The placement rules the city actually enforces:
- Items out by 6 a.m. Monday of your scheduled collection week, and no earlier than 10 days prior.
- 10 cubic yards maximum — the city describes it as the size of a small SUV.
- Trash and green organics must be two separate piles, placed four feet apart.
- Everything must sit four feet clear of any solid waste container, fire hydrant, gas meter, telephone or utility box — and never over a manhole cover.
- Curbside customers place on the property line, in the street or at the front edge of the driveway, without blocking the sidewalk. Alley customers place along the fence line without blocking the alley.
- Loose trash must be bagged.
Holidays do not shift your week. For delays, Tempe 311 is 480-350-4311.
The part that matters: Tempe takes almost no remodel debris
This is the list that surprises people. Tempe’s bulk trash program prohibits:
- Construction and remodeling debris — specifically drywall, plaster, scrap lumber, flooring, carpet and padding, and roofing materials
- Dirt, rocks, concrete, bricks, cement blocks, asphalt and landscape gravel
- Appliances with freon — refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, AC units
- Tires, car parts, railroad ties
- Glass or mirrors
- Paint, oil, cleaners and other household hazardous chemicals
- Unbagged animal waste and uncontained trash
Read that first bullet again. A bathroom gut is drywall, flooring, tile and a vanity — every single component is on the excluded list. Same for a kitchen remodel, a re-roof, or tearing out carpet before you move in.
What Tempe will take is genuinely household: furniture that cannot be donated, mattresses, bagged trash, small appliances without freon, washers and microwaves. That is it. If your pile is a remodel, the truck will drive past it.
The transfer station option — and its four catches
Tempe solid waste customers can drop up to 1,000 pounds, one trip per month, free at the Sky Harbor Regional Transfer Station, 2425 S. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034 (602-454-2050). It is a real benefit. It is also narrower than it sounds:
- You have to prove it is you. Bring your most recent Tempe utility bill (paper or on your phone) plus a driver license with a matching address.
- You cannot send anyone else. The city explicitly does not permit someone else to dispose of waste on your behalf — so your contractor, your brother-in-law, or a hauler cannot burn your free trip for you. Contractors, landscapers and businesses are not eligible at all.
- No soil or dirt. The transfer station will not take it. Dirt, concrete and inert material go to a materials yard like Johnson Stewart, for a fee.
- Safety gear is mandatory. Every resident needs a safety vest ($3 at the facility, credit card only). If you show up with a dump trailer you also need a hard hat ($10).
Go over 1,000 pounds and you pay the gate rate — and your free monthly trip counts as used.
1,000 pounds is less than you think
People hear “1,000 pounds” and assume a remodel fits. Rough real-world weights from jobs I have hauled:
- A half-inch sheet of drywall, 4×8: about 50 lb. Twenty sheets and you are done — that is one small room.
- Ceramic tile with backer board and thinset: roughly 6 to 7 lb per square foot. A 150 sq ft bathroom floor is close to 1,000 lb by itself.
- A cast iron tub: 250 to 350 lb before anything else goes in the truck.
- Carpet and pad from one bedroom: 80 to 120 lb, and it is bulky enough to eat your whole trailer.
A single bathroom gut is typically two to three transfer station trips — meaning two to three months if you are only using the free one. That is the honest math, and it is why most remodels end up calling somebody.
Move-in cleanouts and garage cleanouts
Tempe’s housing stock is mostly 1950s through 1980s, so “new homeowner” here usually means new-to-you. Two jobs come up constantly:
The move-in box wave. Flattened cardboard is technically recyclable, but 60 boxes will not fit in your bin and Tempe recycling is weekly, not bottomless. We take the whole pile in one stop.
The garage the last owner left behind. Old paint, half-used chemicals, a dead water heater, maybe tires. Note that we do not take paint, chemicals, asbestos, tires with rims or medical waste either — nobody licensed does curbside. Those go to Tempe’s Household Products Collection Center, which is free for residents and the right answer for that stuff. We will tell you which pile is which before you pay for anything.
August is monsoon debris season
Arizona’s monsoon runs through the end of September and we are in the thick of it. Downed palo verde and mesquite limbs are the number one call we get in August.
Worth knowing: Tempe does take green organics in bulk trash — tree limbs, branches, trunks and stumps up to 4 feet long and 19 inches in diameter, plus palm fronds and oleanders. But there are two catches. It has to be a separate pile four feet from the trash pile, and landscapers are prohibited from placing green organics for collection — only homeowners doing their own yard work. If a crew cleaned up your storm damage, that pile is not eligible, and it may sit until your next collection week regardless.
What we charge
Flat rate by volume, quoted before we load anything:
- Single item — from $95
- Quarter trailer (120 cu ft) — $289
- Half trailer (240 cu ft) — $389
- Three-quarter trailer (360 cu ft) — $479
- Full 16 ft trailer (480 cu ft, about 17.8 cubic yards) — $579
Heavy material — dirt, concrete, tile — and hot tubs get quoted on site, because weight not volume is the real cost on those. We are donation-first: anything usable goes to Goodwill or Habitat ReStore before it goes to a landfill.
Get it gone this week
Call or text (623) 263-5172, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Send a photo of the pile and you will get a flat price back, not a “starting at.” We cover Tempe and the whole Valley.
Tempe debris removal FAQ
Will Tempe bulk trash take my remodel debris?
No. Tempe specifically prohibits construction and remodeling debris including drywall, plaster, scrap lumber, flooring, carpet and padding, and roofing materials. It also excludes dirt, rocks, concrete, bricks, cement blocks, asphalt and landscape gravel. Bulk trash is limited to household items like furniture, mattresses, bagged trash and small appliances without freon.
How often is bulk trash pickup in Tempe?
Every other month — six collections per year. Items must be out by 6 a.m. Monday of your scheduled week and no earlier than 10 days before, with a 10 cubic yard limit. You can request a special pickup outside your schedule for a fee by calling Tempe 311 at 480-350-4311.
Can my contractor use my free Tempe transfer station trip?
No. Tempe does not permit customers to have someone else dispose of waste on their behalf, and contractors, landscapers and businesses are not eligible for the free residential disposal at all. You must bring your own load with your Tempe utility bill and a matching driver license, and the free allowance is 1,000 pounds once per month.