We often receive calls from customers seeking free junk removal in Knoxville. So, we compiled the following information for the various resources available to City and County residents.
Whether you’re cleaning out an attic, garage, basement, or shed, purchasing new furniture, or remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, you might end up with more debris than your trash hauler will accept. This includes mattresses, sofas, cabinets, desks, demo debris, construction debris, and other items that are big or bulky.
Is there free junk removal in Knoxville? If you live in the City of Knoxville, the answer is yes, there is a free curbside pickup program for residents. However, the answer is no if you live in unincorporated Knox County or the Town of Farragut–but don’t despair, because there are some very helpful resources.
We’ll take a look at the junk removal situation for City and County residents, beginning with the former.
Free Bulky Waste Collection for City of Knoxville Residents
The City of Knoxville provides free curbside collection of some bulky waste. Eligible materials include furniture, appliances, old personal trash cans, and other approved household items too large to fit in your empty garbage cart.
- Gas-powered equipment such as lawnmowers, weed-eaters, heaters, and gas grills must be drained of all gasoline, oil, propane, and other fuels or engine fluids.
- Tires must be removed from their wheels/rims.
- Carpet must be rolled, tied, and cut down to six feet or less in length.
- Set brush and yard waste on its own–do not mix with trash or other items and follow brush collection guidelines.
What is Ineligible for City of Knoxville Bulky Waste Pickup?
The following items are not accepted for pickup as bulky waste:
- Additional bags of garbage
- Construction, renovation, and demolition waste, including but not limited to doors, windows, toilets, kitchen/bathroom cabinets, flooring, and lumber/miscellaneous wood
- Extremely bulky or heavy items, including but not limited to pianos, auto parts, basketball goals with bases attached, exercise machines, items that are over six feet long, or items that are too heavy to be picked up by two sanitation workers
- Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and other appliances containing refrigerant
- Cardboard (break down or cut to fit into recycling cart, or deliver to Recycling Drop-off Center)
City of Knoxville Bulky Waste Collection Guidelines
Residents may set out up to five bulky items per week for free junk removal in Knoxville. If you set out more than five bulky items at once, none of the material will be picked up and you will be subject to a Codes Enforcement Violation.
Set out bulky items next to your trash cart by 7 AM on your trash service day. Residents enrolled in the Backdoor Service program must set bulky items at the curb. Be aware that bulky waste collection requires a separate truck and crew from household waste. The City says it could take up to two business days for bulky waste collection, but it could take a month or longer.
To ensure that your bulky waste is picked up, call 311 or (865) 522-8161 ext. 2 to place an alert before you set the bulky waste out on your usual trash day. This is especially recommended for the retrieval of tires, water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, and mattresses.
Where City of Knoxville Residents can take Ineligible Material for Bulky Waste Pickup
Take your ineligible bulky waste items (except cardboard) to the City of Knoxville Solid Waste Transfer Station.
The first non-holiday Saturday of every month is Free for City Residents Day. Otherwise, the Transfer Station fee is $70 per ton, and you are required to pay with a credit or debit card.
Be prepared to wait in line, and don’t forget that you are responsible for unloading all bulky waste items.
Junk Galaxy Alternative
For City of Knoxville residents who cannot transport large or bulky items to the Solid Waste Transfer Station, Junk Galaxy offers a turnkey fee-based alternative. As a full-service junk removal provider, Junk Galaxy sends a truck to your home or business, and our expert employees load the material for transport to a donation center or landfill, depending on the condition.
City of Knoxville Solid Waste Transfer Station Location
1033 Elm Street
Knoxville, TN 37921
(865) 215-6710
City of Knoxville Solid Waste Transfer Station Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 7 AM – 3:45 PM
Wednesday: 7 AM – 11:45 AM
Saturday: 8 AM – 11:45 AM
Sunday: Closed
What About Free Junk Removal in Unincorporated Knox County?
Unfortunately, there is no bulky waste collection program for residents of unincorporated Knox County or the Town of Farragut. However, the Knox County Solid Waste Department does have a free drop-off program for residential municipal solid waste that is open to all County residents, (including the City of Knoxville).
Resources for Residents of Unincorporated Knox County and Town of Farragut
There are seven Knox County Convenience Centers that accept residential municipal solid waste free of charge.
The Convenience Centers are only for Knox County residents to drop off residential waste and recycling. Waste from businesses, rental properties, contractors, or other commercial enterprises is forbidden and will be directed to a landfill for paid disposal.
What is Residential Municipal Solid Waste?
Residential waste is defined as municipal solid waste generated and delivered by members of the same household. This includes bagged trash, household items, small amounts of demolition and construction waste from do-it-yourself home improvement projects, or debris from cleaning out garages and outbuildings.
What Does the Convenience Center Accept?
Items accepted include mattresses and box springs, carpet (must be cut into small pieces, couches, doors, drywall, furniture, glass, insulation (bagged), mirrors, plaster (bagged), sinks, sheetrock, tables, tile (bagged), toilets, windows, miscellaneous non-hazardous material, and recyclables.
Ineligible items include refrigerators, freezers, greenwaste, block, brick, dirt, gravel, railroad ties, boards over five feet in length, sand, shingles, stone, and household hazardous waste.
Convenience Center Drop-Off Guidelines
Knox County has specific guidelines for how much waste a resident can deliver to its Convenience Centers each day, as well as where the material must be placed, and what items are ineligible.
Customers must unload all material into designated receptacles. The daily limit for Convenience Center drop-off of non-recyclable household waste is one standard 5’x8’ pickup load or trailer load, neither of which can have material piled higher than its sides.
Convenience Center staff will turn away residents with heaping loads and very large trailers. In that event, the only option is paid disposal at a landfill or transfer station.
Over the Convenience Center Limit?
Residents who need to dispose of large quantities of material that exceed the daily Convenience Center limit have options.
First, if it is not an urgent situation, Knox County residents can continue to drop off one load of large or bulky items per day, as needed. Otherwise, the City of Knoxville Solid Waste Transfer Station is an option. The fee for this service is $70 per ton, which is prorated. Customers are required to pay with a credit or debit card.
There is quite a bit of commercial traffic at this facility throughout the day, which often results in long wait times. While the staff is quite friendly, customers are responsible for unloading all disposal items.
There are also several landfills throughout Greater Knoxville, most of which feature rugged terrain and heavy commercial traffic.
Full-Service Junk Removal from Junk Galaxy
Junk Galaxy offers a turnkey fee-based solution for Knox County residents who do not have the ability to transport large or bulky items to a donation center or landfill. As a full-service junk removal provider, Junk Galaxy sends a junk removal truck to your home and our expert employees load the material for transport to a donation center or landfill, depending on the condition.
Convenience Center Hours
Monday – Friday: 8 AM to 6 PM
Saturday: 7 AM to 3 PM
Sunday: Closed
Convenience Center Locations
Carter
8815 Asheville Hwy
(Just east off of Asheville Highway and the Andrew Johnson Highway Split)
Dutchtown
10618 Dutchtown Road
(Easy access from Lovell Rd or Pellissippi Parkway)
Halls
3608 Neal Drive
(A few hundred yards past Kmart)
John Sevier
1950 W. Governor John Sevier Highway
(at Twin Creek Rd area between Alcoa Highway and Chapman Highway)
Karns
6930 Karns Crossing Lane
(near Rocky Tops a half mile east of Ingles)
Powell
7311 Morton View Lane
(Just east of the railroad tracks off of West Beaver Creek Road in Powell)
Tazewell Pike / Gibbs
7201 Tazewell Pike
(Just south of Emory Road)
Knox County Convenience Center 2022 Holiday Schedule
Drop-off centers will be closed on specific holidays. For more information, call (865) 215-5865.
- Saturday, January 1, 2022 – New Year Holiday
- Monday, January 17, 2022 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, February 21, 2022 – Presidents’ Day
- Friday, April 15, 2022 – Spring Holiday
- Monday, May 30, 2022 – Memorial Day
- Monday, June 20, 2022 – Emancipation Day (observed)
- Monday, July 4, 2022 – Independence Day
- Monday, September 5, 2022 – Labor Day
- Friday, November 11, 2022 – Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 24, 2022 – Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, November 25, 2022 – Thanksgiving Holiday
- Friday, December 23, 2022 – Christmas Holiday
- Saturday, December 24, 2022 – Christmas Holiday
- Friday, December 30, 2022 – New Year Holiday
- Saturday, December 31, 2023 – New Year Holiday
Knoxville Junk Removal Experts
Schedule a free quote, junk removal pick-up, or property cleanout service!
We hope this answers all your questions about free junk removal in Knoxville, TN!