Junk removal costs in Knoxville

Tearing out an old bathroom yourself? Around Knoxville, the county's drop-off centers will take the pieces. Knox County Solid Waste runs seven convenience centers for county residents bringing their own household waste. Do-it-yourself demolition debris goes into separate brown compactors there, and it ends up at a construction and demolition landfill, not with the trash.

The accepted list reads like a remodel: drywall, doors, windows, tile, plaster, insulation, sinks and toilets, plus couches, mattresses and tables. Bag the dusty stuff, wear gloves for the glass, and cut carpet into small pieces. Nothing longer than 5 feet goes in, because it has to fit the compactor.

The daily limit is one load the size of a 5-by-8-foot pickup bed, and operators turn away anything bigger. Heavy material stays out completely: block, brick, dirt, gravel, sand and shingles. So does waste from a contractor's paid job or from a rental property. Those loads get sent to disposal sites that charge.

A few items need another stop. Each household can drop off four car or light-truck tires a year. A fridge, freezer or window air conditioner can't go to a center at all; it goes to the household hazardous waste facility on Elm Street, which the City of Knoxville runs.

Think before you toss, too. Once something's in a bin, it belongs to the county, and Tennessee law makes scavenging at the centers illegal, so you can't fish it back out.