Anchorage, Alaska resident guide
Anchorage trash, recycling & bulk pickup
Find regular trash and recycling information alongside bulk item schedules, placement rules, accepted items, and holiday changes.
Official source links checked on August 27, 2026.
Regular household service
Trash and recycling service
Start here for the recurring household collections residents use most often.
Anchorage Solid Waste Services provides residential trash collection within its mandatory service area for single family dwellings using automated side loaders and roll carts. Crews start at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and carts should be out by 7:00 a.m. on collection day.
Anchorage Solid Waste Services provides curbside recycling in its service area; the recycling service is free and included in trash service. The official recycling page lists accepted curbside materials including aluminum cans, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, mixed paper, newspaper, office paper, plastic bottles (#1 PET and #2 HDPE bottles/jugs and caps), steel cans, and telephone directories. The page reviewed does not state a bin color or curbside recycling frequency.
Need it gone before the city service?
Get a LoadUp quote when the local date is too far away or an item is excluded.
Start here
How Anchorage service works
Call Anchorage Solid Waste Services Customer Service at (907) 343-6250 to schedule bulk item pickup. Official email for service questions is SWCS@anchorageak.gov.
Anchorage Solid Waste Services
Confirm the address is inside the SWS collection area
Municipal Solid Waste Services collects residential carts only inside its designated Anchorage service area. Eligible customers can add paid bulky-item collection on Saturdays by calling Customer Service for a price and appointment.
Call ahead; the price depends on the items and estimated volume.
Have the cart ready by 7 a.m. on the route day.
Curbside recycling is included for qualifying SWS customers.
Ask about the service area, bulky quote, route, or cart.
Common questions
Anchorage bulky pickup questions
Is Anchorage bulky pickup free?
No. SWS lists a pickup charge plus item or disposal charges based on the estimated load. Customer Service provides the current price while scheduling.
Does SWS serve every Anchorage residence?
No. The municipal utility has a defined mandatory service area. Email or call with the address if the cart provider is unclear.
Do holidays stop Anchorage trash collection?
SWS collects on holidays except Christmas and New Year's Day. Affected customers receive an alternate date, generally the following weekday or previous Saturday.
City rules at a glance
Local limits before placement
Bulk items pickup occurs on Saturdays. Additional charges apply. No item count or volume limit was found on official sources.
Place items at the curb following your city’s instructions and only near your scheduled collection day. For Anchorage, specific details may vary by neighborhood and can change, so confirm current rules on the official city page below or by contacting the city directly.
Item guidance
What may go in the bulk item pile
Accepted examples
Official sources confirm a bulky item pickup program exists, but the page reviewed does not list a specific accepted items inventory. The city’s disposal pages note that appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, and stoves can be brought to facilities for recycling, and metals like grills and lawn mowers are collected separately at the transfer station.
Not accepted
Bulky item specific exclusions were not listed on the bulky pickup page. For regular cart service, bulky items cannot be placed in the cart, and trash/recycling cannot be left next to the cart. Official disposal pages also exclude items such as hazardous waste at normal curbside service, and at the Girdwood transfer station commercial waste, refrigerators/washers/dryers and other CFC containing products, asbestos/demolition debris, asphalt, liquids/grease/cooking oils, medical waste, and empty drums over 30 gallons are not accepted.
Holiday collectionAnchorage holiday collection guidancePublished city guidance
Holiday schedules can change collection timing in Anchorage.
TrashDayFinder does not fill this section with assumed federal holiday dates. A specific delay or makeup date will appear after it is confirmed in published local guidance.
Sources used for this guide
Official supporting information
TrashDayFinder used these public sources to prepare the resident guidance above. They were checked on August 27, 2026 and are provided here as evidence.