Bartow, FL · bulk pickup rules
Bulk Trash Pickup Rules in Bartow, FL
Bartow's Solid Waste Department collects garbage, yard waste, junk, furniture, tires, appliances and electrical items from the right-of-way once a week, all on the same day, for over 5,600 households. There's no separate bulk day to book: set it at the curb on your neighborhood's collection day. Every line below was read from cityofbartow.net on 2026-09-19.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Davenport & Polk County
Bartow keeps it simple. Everything the city hauls, including a cleaned-out garage, gets collected on the one day a week your neighborhood is scheduled. Refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and dishwashers ride the same truck day.
The city posts definitions for what it calls junk, garden waste and garbage, plus a list of things that will get your cart skipped. Those are the rows below, in the city's words.
Every rule on this page was read from the authority's own page and carries its source and the date it was checked, most recently . Anything the authority doesn't state is left out rather than guessed. Rules change; the sources are linked at the bottom.
Who collects junk and appliances in Bartow
| Rule | What the authority says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | City of Bartow Solid Waste Department (SWD), which collects garbage, recyclables, yard waste, junk, furniture, tires, appliances, electrical items and dead domestic animals from the city right-of-ways. | City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Schedule | Once per week. Garbage, yard waste, junk, appliances and recyclables are all collected on the same day. Your neighborhood's day is in the Residential Refuse Collection Day Directory. | City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection (2026-09-19); City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Phone | Solid Waste: 863-534-0181, 2060 E Highway 60, Bartow, FL 33830. | City of Bartow: Solid Waste (2026-09-19) |
| Monthly charge | The Schedule of Rates page (effective October 1, 2025) lists curbside garbage collection at $22.70 per dwelling unit per month; the Residential Refuse Collection page states the charge as $23.72 on the utility bill. | City of Bartow: Bartow Solid Waste Rates (2026-09-19); City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection (2026-09-19) |
What counts as junk, yard waste and appliances
| Rule | What the authority says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Junk | Non-recyclable boxes, plastics and containers, unwanted personal garbage cans, metal, toys, furniture, carpet, clothes, books, tools, grills, and similar waste that ordinarily accumulates around a home. | City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Appliances | Refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and dishwashers are collected on your neighborhood's waste collection day. | City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Garden or yard waste | All accumulations of grass, leaves, fallen fruit, tree or shrubbery cuttings, or any other material horticultural in nature and incidental to the care of landscaping. | City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Cleaning out a garage, shed or bedroom | Put the items at the curb on your collection day. Bag smaller non-recyclable items, and place bags and large bulky items at the curb with your yard waste. | City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Televisions | Small TVs go inside the green roll-out cart. Large TVs go at the curb. | City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection (2026-09-19) |
What the cart and the curb won't take
| Rule | What the authority says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cart won't be emptied if it holds | Acids, concrete, gasoline, hot ashes, medical wastes, oil, paints, rocks, sand, soil, solvents or yard waste. | City of Bartow: Garbage Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Construction debris | SWD provides roll-off containers for construction and demolition debris removal. | City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Household hazardous waste | Paint, fuels, motor oil, car fluids, insecticides and rechargeable batteries go to the Polk County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, Friday 8AM-12pm and Saturday 7:30am-12:30PM, 10 Environmental Loop South, Winter Haven. Alkaline batteries made after 1993 can go in the green cart. | City of Bartow: Household Hazardous Waste (2026-09-19) |
Curb placement and fines in Bartow
| Rule | What the authority says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cart out by | At the curb or street, not on the sidewalk, before 7 am on your scheduled collection day. | City of Bartow: Garbage Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Spacing | Carts 4 feet apart and 4 feet from fences, mailboxes, utility poles, hydrants and parked cars. Obstructed carts will not be emptied. | City of Bartow: Garbage Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Bring it back in | A $5 fine is added to your utility account if the cart isn't removed from the curb by dark on the day after collection. | City of Bartow: Garbage Collection (2026-09-19); City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection (2026-09-19) |
| Extra cart | $6.87 per cart per month. Bags placed outside the cart will not be collected. | City of Bartow: Garbage Collection (2026-09-19); City of Bartow: Bartow Solid Waste Rates (2026-09-19) |
The honest comparison
When a hauler beats Bartow's weekly pickup
Bartow's once-a-week, everything-on-one-day service is about as good as city pickup gets. If your stuff is already outside and it's not construction debris, put it out and let the city truck take it. Rob won't argue with that.
The gap is what's still in the house. The city collects from the right-of-way, so the sectional in the back bedroom, the chest freezer in the garage and the shed full of paint cans are yours to move. Big Rob's gets to Bartow next day, brings the crew inside, and takes the whole lot in one trip, with the refrigerator going to the scrap yard where the refrigerant is recovered. Flat pricing: From $125 for one item, then $225, $350, $525 or $700 by trailer load, everything included. 119 Google reviews, 5.0 stars.
Junk Removal in Bartow · Polk County landfills and drop-offs · How pricing works
Questions
Bartow questions
What day is bulk trash pickup in Bartow, FL?
The same day as your garbage. Bartow collects garbage, yard waste, junk, appliances and recycling once a week on one day per neighborhood; look yours up in the city's Residential Refuse Collection Day Directory or call Solid Waste at 863-534-0181.
Does Bartow pick up refrigerators and other appliances?
Yes. The city says refrigerators, stoves, microwaves and dishwashers are collected on your neighborhood's waste collection day. Put them at the curb, not the sidewalk.
What won't Bartow take at the curb?
The cart won't be emptied if it holds acids, concrete, gasoline, hot ashes, medical waste, oil, paint, rocks, sand, soil, solvents or yard waste. Construction and demolition debris goes in a city roll-off, and household hazardous waste goes to the Polk County facility in Winter Haven.
Sources
- City of Bartow: Solid Waste · verified
- City of Bartow: Residential Refuse Collection · verified
- City of Bartow: Yard Waste, Junk, Bulk Waste & Appliances Collection · verified
- City of Bartow: Garbage Collection · verified
- City of Bartow: Bartow Solid Waste Rates · verified
- City of Bartow: Household Hazardous Waste · verified
Left out on purpose
- Size, weight or quantity limits for junk, furniture or yard waste: the city posts definitions and no limits.
- Yard waste bundling, bagging or branch-length rules: not stated on the city's pages.
- Whether Freon appliances need anything done before pickup: the city lists refrigerators with no conditions.
- Any per-pickup fee for junk or appliances: the rates page lists the monthly collection charge and cart fees only.
- Your neighborhood's collection day: it's in a PDF directory that was not read here.
- Which of the two posted monthly charges ($22.70 or $23.72) is current: both are quoted above as the city posts them.
Rather not wait on Bartow?
Call before noon and it's usually gone today. Or text a photo of the pile and Rob sends back a flat quote.
5.0 · 119 Google reviews · Bartow, FL