Bulk Trash Pickup or a Junk Hauler? Fort Worth, Keller, Burleson and Nearby Cities Compared

Refrigerators and freezers are the first divide. Keller takes them only when tagged to certify the refrigerant was removed, Burleson only with a sticker showing the Freon is out, North Richland Hills only once a certified technician has tagged them, and Haltom City only with a technician’s certificate that the CFCs were removed. Fort Worth’s curbside bulk excludes appliances holding coolant, although its Drop-Off Stations take refrigerators from account holders without the Freon removed, as long as the food is out.

Remodel debris is the second. Keller prohibits remodeling and construction debris from bulk. Burleson refuses remodel building material and carpet, along with brick, concrete, roofing and treated lumber. North Richland Hills excludes construction waste from a contractor, plus dirt, concrete, bricks and shingles. And Haltom City’s contract does not require its hauler to take construction or remodeling material at all.

Tires and chemicals are the third. Fort Worth, Keller, Burleson and North Richland Hills all keep tires out of curbside bulk. Household chemicals go to Fort Worth’s Environmental Collection Center for residents of Fort Worth, Burleson and Haltom City; Keller residents use CWD’s door-side collection, and North Richland Hills runs its own collection events.

Nothing in dollars, which is why it is worth using whenever it fits. What it costs is carrying and waiting. Every piece has to reach the curb by your own effort, and then sit there until the truck comes — through a rainy week, or a week when you would rather the neighbors did not see the sofa.

The limits compound it. Two cubic yards a week is generous for one room and slow for a garage: a clear-out too big for one collection becomes a series of them. Self-haul has the same shape in a different form. Fort Worth’s stations take 5 cubic yards a month, and Keller’s free transfer-station drop-off is in Dallas, one Saturday morning a month.