It’s easy to forget to take the trash out and miss trash day, even when you know your trash pickup schedule by heart. But if you have a lot of trash to dispose of, you might not be able to wait until your next trash pickup the following week to have your garbage hauled away.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly what to do if you missed trash day and tips to help you avoid missing garbage day again.
Missed trash pickup? You have options.
1. Call your service provider to see if they can come back that day
Find your service provider’s contact information and give them a call. Let them know you’ve missed garbage pickup and ask if they can come back to collect your trash. Your service provider could be a local city trash pickup or a specific waste service like Texas Disposal Systems.
Depending on the situation and your service provider’s regulations, an additional trash pickup may or may not come with a fee. But if your carts are full and you need trash pickup ASAP, then this is likely the most convenient option.
If you’re a Texas Disposal Systems customer and you forgot to take your trash out, contact our offices at (800) 375-8375 to see if an additional garbage pickup can be scheduled for your address.
2. Schedule a later pickup date
If you’ve missed the pickup services window altogether, that’s okay. You can still contact your service provider and ask to schedule an additional trash collection at a later date. Again, there might be a fee, but it’s an option you can utilize if you can’t wait until the following week.
3. Wait until next week
If you don’t have a lot of trash or are not in a rush to get your trash removed from your cart, you can simply wait until the next week’s collection day to have it picked up. Worried about the trash smelling bad? Add baking soda to your trash container and freeze any additional food waste you might have otherwise added to your trash to prevent the buildup of unpleasant smells.
If you need to dispose of large items and can’t wait for the next trash pickup, scheduling a separate pickup or taking your items to the dump are your best options. For example, Texas Disposal Systems offers a bulky item waste curbside pickup for large items and for disposing of tree branches and stumps. You can start by contacting the TDS Customer Care team at (800)-375-8375.
4. Take it to the local landfill
We understand that some neighborhoods are strict about leaving trash out. So if you’re wondering, “Where can I take my trash if I missed trash day?” then you should search for the nearest landfill. Just remember there are typically fees associated with dropping garbage off at a landfill. Whatever you choose to do, discarding your trash in a non-designated drop-off area or on the side of the road is not the way to go; it’s littering and causes land pollution.
Texas Disposal Systems’ landfill is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until sunset (whichever comes first) Monday through Saturday. Closed on Sundays. TDS also has transfer stations in various parts of Central Texas where you can take your trash. You can find specific locations and how much it costs to dispose of your trash at a TDS landfill or transfer station on our TDS Gate Rates page.
How to make sure you don’t miss garbage pickup again
1. Know your trash pickup schedule
This is especially relevant if you’ve just moved or are coming up on a holiday. If you’re unsure of your next pickup date, you can usually find this information on your service provider’s website or by contacting their waste management department.
For Central Texans with residential curbside service provided by Texas Disposal Systems, you can find your pickup day by searching your address in the TDS Waste Wizard app.
2. Put it on the calendar
One of the easiest ways to remember trash day is to mark it on a physical or online calendar. For those of you who use an online calendar synced to your phone, you can also set automatic reminders – either for the day of trash pickup, the day before, or both depending on your preferences.
Alternatively, you could set an alarm that repeats weekly the night before or the morning of your collection day.
Another option is to set up reminders through your local trash service. Some waste disposal companies offer automatic reminders sent to your phone via text or email. This way, you’ll never have to wonder what to do if you miss trash day again.
3. Make your garbage carts more conspicuous
If your trash carts aren’t in plain sight, it’s easier to forget about them. A simple solution is to place them in a spot where they stand out. For example, you can put them near the entryway of your house (or by the door to the garage) so the first person to leave for work in the morning can’t miss them. It can serve as a reminder to place the carts in the street for your weekly trash pickup.
4. Assign responsibility
Instead of leaving it up to anyone in your home to remember to take the trash out, assign it to someone as one of their weekly responsibilities. That way you never have to wonder if anyone placed the trash bins out in time. You can create a chores list with designated responsibilities and place it somewhere everyone can see it.
Can I be fined if I regularly miss trash pickup?
Repeatedly missed trash pickups on collection day may result in fines or penalties. You can usually find guidelines and regulations for trash disposal on your service provider’s website or by contacting them. Texas Disposal Systems does not charge a fine if you don’t leave your cart out. If you forget to put your cart out and would like to schedule another pickup outside of your scheduled day, there is an additional fee.
Never miss trash day again with TDS’s Waste Wizard
Now that you know what to do if you miss trash day and tips to remember to take your trash out, you’re one step closer to not having to worry about regularly missing garbage pickup.
Texas Disposal Systems is proud to provide reliable curbside trash pickup for Central Texans, including residents of Austin, San Antonio and more. We supply trash, recycling and compost collection services for your home and are also available for bulky pickup and other waste disposal services.
As a Texas Disposal Systems customer, you can set up collection reminders and service alerts and sync pickup days into a digital schedule via our Waste Wizard, a free app available on both the Apple Store and Google Play. The Waste Wizard contains information about collection day during the holidays, but you can also reference the TDS holiday trash pickup schedule online as well.
To experience the TDS difference and get started with residential curbside services, request a quote online or call our Customer Care team at (800)-375-8375 today.