Indianapolis Trash Schedule 2023 (Holidays, Bulk Pickup and Recycling)

ByMy Garbage Schedule Updated on

Indianapolis is the capital city of the Indiana state in the United States. Its government has created a very vast program which includes sweeping, trash collection from houses and buildings, collection of recyclable items and heavy waste.

Indianapolis Trash Schedule

If you are a part of this program or want to join it soon, this blog covers all the details about the Indianapolis trash collection program.

Indianapolis trash pickup timings

Trash collection here occurs five days a week on a regular basis. To find your garbage pickup days, click on the ‘Get Started’ button on the following website designed by the government https://www.indy.gov/activity/trash-pickup.

Trash collection starts after 7 am and so you have to place the containers I’m their respective places before 7 am. After all the trash has been collected in the evening, one can refill the cans and then place the containers for the next pickup.

In winters, the trash carts should be placed on the large snow stacks.

Public holidays to keep in mind

Some public holidays change the trash collection schedule a little. On the following holidays, no trash collection will take place. The schedule will shift to the next day after every public holiday mentioned below.

  • New Year’s Day – January 1 
  • Martin Luther King Jr Day – January 15
  • Memorial Day – May 29 
  • Independence Day – July 4
  • Labor Day – September 4
  • Thanksgiving Day – November 23
  • Christmas Day – December 25

Indianapolis garbage pickup

Garbage bags must weigh around 10 to 15 gallons and the items you can throw inside them include. 

Goods not to throw in trash cans

The mentioned goods are not acceptable to be thrown inside trash carts. If you place them in the carts, your garbage won’t be picked up.

  • Christmas tree
  • Household hazardous waste like paints
  • Electronic appliances which need to be recycled

Indianapolis recycling pickup

Recyclable items should be placed inside blue carts. There are a number of items which can be recycled and this results in less pollution. So, recycling all the items which can be done is a must. The things you can place inside blue containers include dry paper products like simple paper, newspapers, magazines and other such stuff.

Cardboards and related products, glass products and electronics can be recycled. Other recyclable items include aluminum cans, aluminum foil, and metal products. Note that moist papers like tissue wipes should not be sent for recycling.

What not to throw in the blue containers

Following items should not be sent for recycling.

  • Plastic bags should not be thrown in the recycling can, as one must take them to the landfill
  • Polystyrene foam or styrofoam 
  • Paints, varnishes, insecticides, pesticides and other such dangerous household items

Indianapolis Bulk Waste Pickup Schedule

Items too large to be placed inside the garbage carts are termed as bulk waste products. To find your bulk pickup day, click on the green ‘Get Started’ button shown on the top right of the government’s website https://www.indy.gov/activity/trash-pickup.

Bulk items include

  • Mattresses (Learn How to Get Rid of a Mattress)
  • Appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners but they should be free of refrigerants
  • Stove and water heater (without freons)
  • Bicycle and swing sets (with each part separated)
  • Television shell (with all electronic parts removed)
  • Yard waste more than 3 feet in length and diameter 
  • Small tree shrubs
  • Other household items
  • Furniture like chairs, couches, dressers, desks, and tables (Where can I Throw Away Furniture)

Household hazardous items

Items which can catch fire easily or which contain deadly chemicals are termed as household hazardous waste products.

These include furniture polish, smoke detectors, fireworks and other explosives, mercury, acids, brake fluid, photographic chemicals, medications, fertilizers, varnishes, wood stain, toner, lead, gas cylinders, batteries and cells, glues and adhesives, shoe polish, paints, pesticides and insecticides, swimming pool chemicals etc.

The right method to dispose of such materials is to tightly pack them in boxes and these things should be present in their original containers. The department should be notified first about a pickup of dangerous waste. The best method to get rid of such things is to take them to a landfill or waste disposal facility and then dispose of them properly. 

Drop-off locations

Drop-off locations are the areas where one can get rid of all the useless stuff like household hazardous waste and electronic appliances which need to be disposed of. 

To know more about the drop-off locations in Indianapolis and waste products you can bring there, contact the Department of Public Works through their number 317.327.4000. The office is open from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday. A little list of things you can dispose of at the facility includes

  • Bathroom cleaners
  • Brake fluid
  • Carpet cleaners
  • Chlorine bleach
  • Gasoline
  • Glue
  • Herbicides
  • Insecticides
  • Lead acid batteries
  • Adhesives
  • Aerosol cans
  • Air fresheners
  • Nail polish & nail polish remover
  • Used cooking oil
  • Used motor oil
  • Stain removers
  • Thermostats
  • Thermometers
  • LED bulbs
  • Lighter fluid
  • Paints and varnishes

Indianapolis residents, take notes!

  • You guys should have the following things in mind.
    Make sure to keep your trash cans away from the large ice blocks in winters and keep the bins at a four feet distance from each other.
  • Trash cans under normal weather conditions should have a distance of three feet between them and almost ten feet from any vehicle, tree or other blockage. They should be placed in areas which do not affect traffic flow.
  • Addresses should be mentioned on each container clearly so that the workers can see them from afar.
  • One should not throw garbage on the streets as it is declared unlawful by the government.