Junk removal costs in Houston

One wrong item can leave a whole Houston heavy trash pile at the curb. If allowed and banned items are mixed in one pile, the crew can refuse all of it. A can of paint or an old TV tucked behind the couch is enough. Electronics and household chemicals go to one of the city's Environmental Service Centers instead.

Heavy trash comes every other month, up to six times a year, so it pays to line a cleanout up with your month. Look up your day with the city's service lookup or the HTX App. The pile can go out from 6 p.m. the Friday before until 7 a.m. on pickup day, just behind the curb and clear of meters, hydrants and mailboxes. Buildings with more than eight units don't get city heavy trash at all.

The city takes up to 8 cubic yards per set-out, which it says is about the size of a minivan. Furniture, carpet, mattresses, toilets, and washers, dryers and water heaters all qualify. You can even add up to 4 cubic yards of building material from your own project, as long as it isn't shingles, brick, plaster or concrete. Debris from a contractor's job is the contractor's to haul. A fridge or freezer goes only with a certified technician's tag showing the refrigerant is out.