A sofa and a pile of branches take different collection routes for Hillsborough County residential solid-waste customers. Schedule bulky-item pickup before putting the item at the curb. Yard and untreated wood waste instead have a regular collection day and size limits. These County instructions do not establish service for every address within the county. Bulky pickup Yard collection
Choose the route by material
| What you have | County route and important limit |
|---|---|
| Sofa, mattress or other listed bulky household item | Call 813-272-5680 to schedule before setout; confirm the item count and charge |
| Branches, grass clippings or untreated wood | Use the assigned yard-waste day and preparation limits below |
| Painted, varnished or treated wood | Not accepted as yard/wood waste; ask the County for the applicable disposal route |
| A load hauled by a landscaping or tree-trimming business | Commercial disposal rules apply; the business cannot use a resident’s folio allowance |
The distinction comes from the County’s bulky-item list and yard/wood rules. Mixed renovation debris is not automatically eligible because one component appears on a list. Describe the whole load when asking for instructions.
Bulky pickup: count the units, not just the pile
The published schedule lists $30 per item for examples including mattresses, furniture and residential microwaves, and $50 per item for refrigerators, washing machines and hot-water heaters. Some entries define an item by size or grouping: carpet is priced per 10-by-10-foot unit, fence per eight-foot section, and a sectional sofa may contain at most two pieces per item. A television under 50 inches appears in the $30 group; one 50 inches or larger is in the $50 group. Item prices and definitions
Tell the scheduler the dimensions, number of pieces and any relevant preparation. The list specifies, for example, grills without tanks, lawn mowers without oil or gas, and disassembled swing sets. Confirm a safe preparation or alternative disposal route when needed; this guide is not an instruction to disconnect equipment or drain hazardous fluids yourself. For an unlisted item, ask for its classification and price rather than borrowing the nearest example’s charge.
Yard waste: seasonal volume is only one limit
The normal weekly maximum is two cubic yards. In February, March and April, the County allows three cubic yards of stacked material or eighteen 30-gallon containers. The larger seasonal allowance does not apply year-round. Setout limits
Other requirements still apply:
- Each container must weigh no more than 50 pounds.
- Limbs must be less than four feet long and six inches in diameter.
- Material must be bundled, neatly stacked or contained, within six feet of the curb.
- Wood must be free of paint, glue, preservatives and other treatments.
The County describes two cubic yards as approximately twelve 30-gallon containers. Treat that as its setout guidance, not an exact unit conversion or permission to exceed weight or branch-size limits. Check the County schedule tool linked from the yard-waste page for the address’s collection day.
When the load exceeds curbside limits
The County lists its Northwest and South County solid-waste facilities for yard/wood disposal, Monday–Saturday, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Its residential instructions require a state-issued photo ID with a Hillsborough residential address and a printed or digital current property-tax bill showing solid-waste assessments. The annual residential yard/wood self-haul allowance is up to two tons, after which standard fees apply. Self-haul rules
That annual weight allowance is not the weekly curbside volume allowance. Commercial businesses, including multifamily residential units and landscaping/tree-trimming providers, cannot deliver yard waste using residential folio accounts; standard commercial fees apply. Arrange the disposal responsibility with a hired provider rather than promising use of your residential allowance.
For an uncertain load, contact 813-272-5680 or SolidWaste@HCFL.gov. The yard-waste page lists customer-service hours as Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Confirm the destination before transporting excluded or mixed material.
How this comparison was made
LSL compared both County pages in full on September 21, 2026 and organized their material, unit-price, seasonal and producer distinctions. The listed charges are County source figures, not a market-price survey or quote for a particular load. No collection was scheduled and no account, disposal receipt or completed pickup was verified. This guide was moved from Landscaping to Guides because it covers household bulky collection as well as yard waste.