College Station junk removal that keeps pace with the A&M calendar

City crews pick up garbage, brush and bulky items every week. Bulky means furniture, appliances without freon, and anything too big for the cart. It has to be at the curb in front of the house by 8 a.m., and brush can't share a pile with bulky items. Mix them and neither gets picked up.

Brush length is where it gets murky. The city's FAQ says limbs go in bundles no longer than 5 feet, while its printed waste guide says to cut them under 8 feet. The city's own pages differ, so check with the city before you stack a big pile.

Then there's the list the curb truck won't touch: soil, sod, concrete, rock, tires, auto parts, paint, contractor debris, and freon appliances that haven't been tagged by a technician. And apartments, businesses and homes outside city limits aren't on the city route at all. College Station sends them to private haulers. The city's guide lays all of this out in one place.

Texas A&M says a little over 11,000 students live on campus each year. With 74,407 enrolled, that leaves most students renting somewhere in town. Their leases, not the dorms, drive the big swings in junk.

The dorm dates still set the rhythm. Move-in fills the middle of August, residence halls generally close at 6 p.m. the Saturday after fall finals in December, and in May the housing contract says halls typically close on the day of the last commencement ceremony.

The Eagle once described August in Aggieland as full dumpsters and household items piling up at curbs for weeks. The city's answer is to donate what's usable before it hits the curb, and Residence Life runs a "Donate, Don't Dump" drive at spring move-out. The Texas A&M move-out guide walks through the dates and options.

You can. Twin Oaks Landfill sits on State Hwy 30 in Anderson, over in Grimes County. The city says College Station residents need an ID and a utility bill showing they pay for garbage service, or Twin Oaks staff can check the city's list. Small debris you made yourself goes at no extra charge with that ID and a recent bill. Tires, freon units and help unloading carry special fees.

Hours and current fees are posted on the Twin Oaks Landfill website, so look there before you load. Tarp and tie down anything loose for the drive. If that's more truck, tarp and Saturday than you've got, that's the trip ME3 Junk Solutions makes for you.

College Station will take a washer or a stove at the curb. A refrigerator, freezer or window unit is different. The city won't pick up a freon appliance until a certified technician has removed the refrigerant and tagged it, and it asks you to tape the doors shut.

If you'd rather skip arranging the technician, ME3 Junk Solutions can haul it as is. Refrigerant appliances go to Twin Oaks Landfill, which charges to handle the refrigerant, and that fee is built into your quote before anything's loaded. More on appliance removal.

The city doesn't collect commercial construction and demolition debris. A homeowner's small project can go in the cart or to Twin Oaks with ID and a utility bill, but a kitchen tear-out won't fit in either. Lumber, cabinets, flooring and drywall get loaded and hauled the same visit. See construction debris removal.

With almost two in three homes rented, a lot of College Station cleanouts are rentals between tenants. A duplex or a house left full by the last renter is a property cleanout: one item or the whole place, priced once before loading.