Who qualifies
The bulky waste program is for residential utility customers of the City of Tulsa. If you pay a city water/trash bill at a Tulsa address, you qualify. If you're in a city near Tulsa (Broken Arrow, Owasso, Bixby, Jenks, Sand Springs, Sapulpa) you don't qualify for the Tulsa city program — your city has its own residential sanitation rules.
Apartments and multi-family buildings typically aren't eligible because trash service is provided through a contracted hauler, not city service. Check with your landlord or property manager.
Three ways to schedule
The city offers three channels for booking a bulky waste pickup, all of which connect to the same 311 system:
- Online at tulsa311.com — fastest for most people. Log in with your utility account info, pick "bulky waste pickup," choose a date.
- Phone: dial 311 (from inside city limits) or call the city's direct 311 line. There's an automated IVR system available during regular business hours.
- Email: [email protected]. Slowest channel, but works if the others are down. Include your service address and what you're putting out.
Lead time and pickup day
You must schedule at least 3 days before your regular trash collection day. So if your trash day is Friday, you have until Tuesday to schedule a bulky waste pickup for that Friday. Pickup happens the same day as your regular trash/recycling/yard waste collection.
There's no separate "bulky waste pickup day" — it just gets added to your normal weekly collection.
What's accepted
The accepted items list covers most of what people think of as "bulky waste":
- Large appliances — stoves, washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners, hot water tanks (must be empty)
- Furniture — sofas, mattresses, dressers, tables, chairs, recliners
- Up to 4 pieces of electronics — computers, monitors, televisions (no more than 4 per pickup)
- Glass — must be contained in a box with the lid taped shut on both sides
What's NOT accepted
A few categories the bulky waste truck won't take. If you have these, you'll need a different option:
- Construction or remodeling debris — drywall, lumber, flooring tear-out, fixtures from a bathroom or kitchen remodel
- Hazardous waste — paint, motor oil, batteries, pesticides, propane tanks (use the city's Household Pollutant Collection Facility instead)
- Tires (the city has a separate tire collection program)
- Yard waste in unusually large quantities (that goes in your separate greenwaste bin)
- Anything larger than 8 cubic yards in total volume — the per-pickup volume cap
- Asbestos-containing materials
Staging your items
Put bulky items at the same spot as your regular trash cart, by 5 AM on collection day. Refrigerators and freezers must be empty with the doors removed or taped shut to prevent kids from getting trapped inside. Mattresses and box springs are typically bagged in plastic mattress bags if you have them (the city doesn't require it but the crew appreciates it).
Don't mix bulky items with regular trash bags — separate piles. Glass must be in a taped box. Electronics should be set aside as a separate group.
Cancellation rule (important)
If you scheduled a pickup and don't need it after all, you must call 311 to cancel before noon the day before your scheduled pickup. If you don't cancel in time, you get charged the $10 fee anyway — the truck logs the route regardless of whether anything was actually out.
When the city service is the right call
Tulsa's bulky waste pickup is the right choice when: you have a few days of lead time, your items fit within the 8-cubic-yard volume cap, you can stage everything yourself at the curb by 5 AM, your items are all on the accepted list, and you're fine with same-day-as-regular-pickup timing.
When you need a different option
The city service isn't the right call when: you need next-day or same-day pickup (3-day minimum lead time), your items exceed 8 cubic yards, you have construction debris (drywall, lumber, tile, fixtures) the city won't take, you have a hot tub or other oversized item the city doesn't handle, you don't live in Tulsa proper (Broken Arrow, Owasso, etc.), you have items inside the house that need to be carried out (the city crew only picks up from the curb), or you're dealing with an estate, hoarder situation, or whole-house cleanout.
For any of those, professional junk removal is the right tool. We can usually be at your address same- or next-day across the Tulsa metro, and we carry items out from wherever they are — basement, attic, third floor, behind a fence. Call (918) 359-4022 for a free phone quote.