Marion County Trash Collection
General Information

In Marion County, there are two types of trash collection: Automated Pickup or Hand Collection. Trash is collected five days a week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. On your collection day, be sure to place your trash at the curb or in the alley before 7 a.m. to ensure proper pickup. Click here to find out when trash is collected at your home. If you have questions or concerns about your weekly trash or heavy trash collection, please contact the Mayor's Action Center online or call (317) 327-4622.

Holidays Without Trash Collection   *  New Year's Day   *  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day   *  Memorial Day   *  Independence Day   *  Labor Day   *  Thanksgiving   *  Christmas

There are several holidays where trash will not be collected. On these days, trash collection will operate on a slide schedule, meaning normal collection days will 'slide' to one day later if the resident's normal collection day falls on or after the holiday. For example, if a holiday lands on a Wednesday, Wednesday's collection will move to Thursday, Thursday's collection to Friday and Friday's collection to Saturday.

If trash pickup will be delayed due to a holiday or severe weather, please look for media announcements, visit the DPW newsroom or contact the Mayor's Action Center online or call (317) 327-4622.

Acceptable and Unacceptable Trash

The following items are accepted for collection: *  Bagged household garbage, including food waste     and cloth. *  Shrubbery cuttings. Tie small limbs and twigs in     bundles no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet. For those     with automated pickup, the bundle should be     placed in the cart. For those with hand collection,     the bundle counts as one bag of trash. *  Boxes. Empty boxes, flatten and tie into bundles.     For those with automated pickup, bundles should     be placed in the cart. For those with hand     collection, the bundle counts as one bag of trash.

*  Vehicle tires without rims. For those with automated pickup, the tire should be
    placed in the cart. For those with hand collection, the tire counts as one bag of
    trash. Tires with rims count as one item of heavy trash.
*  Heavy trash will not be picked up if it is considered unacceptable for regular
    pickup. Please click here to learn about the specifications for heavy trash.

For environmental, safety and health reasons, the following items will not be collected:
*  Loose trash. Place ALL trash into bags.
*  Used motor oil and paint. Take these items to your local ToxDrop site.
*  Debris from construction or demolition, including discarded building materials such
    as drywall, roofing, brick, stone, roofing material and wood. Some materials may be
    recyclable or reusable. Otherwise, make arrangements to have the material taken
    to the landfill.
*  Trees, large tree limbs or tree stumps. 
*  Brush and vegetation created by building contractors, commercial tree or lawn
    services.
*  Sod, fill dirt and trash from a contractor's clearing work, including other materials
    that require special handling. 
*  Explosives. Call IMPD and ask for the bomb squad at 327-6502, and make
    arrangements for them to be picked up or brought in.
*  Tanks used for storing propane and other gases. 
*  Medical, pathological and biological waste.
*  Electronics and computer related equipment. eCycle! Electronic items such as
    computers, computer-related parts and cell phones may be dropped off at the
    city's regular ToxDrop locations. Other electronic items such as televisions and
    stereos should be taken to one of our special eScrap events. 
*  Ashes and sand. Make arrangements to have the material taken to the landfill.
*  Automotive parts such as engines, gas tanks, rear ends, springs, fenders and
    seats. Make arrangements with a private junk yard.
*  Farm equipment, marine vessels or any of their major parts. Make arrangements
    with a private junk yard.
*  Septic, human and animal waste (NOTE: minimal amounts, like diapers and kitty
    litter, are okay, provided they are securely bagged within the actual trash
    bag/container).

If legally unacceptable items are left for pickup, a DPW informational tag will notify you how you can meet the pickup requirements in both English and Spanish.

You can make a truly good impact toward a healthy environment in these two ways:
1. Many trash items can be recycled, such as glass, cans, newspapers and plastic. 
    Curbside recycling is offered to all Marion County residents for a nominal monthly
    fee.
2. You can take your recyclables to one of the 29 drop-off containers located around
    the county free of charge. Recycle Indianapolis!

Hazardous household waste are items like cleaners, paint, motor oil, gasoline, batteries, weed and insect poisons that are dangerous to our environment. These items can be dropped off at any of the city's free ToxDrop sites.

For more information, please select the type of collection currently available at your home: AUTOMATED PICKUP OR HAND COLLECTION.

Last Updated: 4/25/2008 |  Print This Page | Email to Friend