Tampa Landfill, Dump & Recycling — Hours, Fees & What They Take
In Tampa, where you take your junk depends on who collects your trash. City of Tampa residents with an active solid waste account can drop off furniture, mattresses, appliances and yard waste free at the City's McKay Bay Scale House, and get one free curbside S.W.E.E.P. pickup a year. Hillsborough County customers, including New Tampa, get 10 cubic yards a year of free bulky-waste drop-off at five County centers. The County centers' bulky allowance isn't open to City residents. Here's who uses what.
If you're a City of Tampa customer
McKay Bay Scale House
City Drop-Off
City of Tampa Solid Waste
114 South 34th Street, Tampa, FL 33605 Directions ↗
Free for City of Tampa residents with an active solid waste account
Accepts: Furniture, Mattresses, Appliances, Yard waste, plus a self-service recycling drop-off
The City's McKay Bay Waste Management Resource Facility. The recycling drop-off is self-service: recyclables loose, not bagged, and inside the container.
S.W.E.E.P. curbside pickup: City customers in single-family homes and buildings of four units or less get one prescheduled S.W.E.E.P. collection a year at no extra cost, up to 10 cubic yards. Pile everything together at the curb by 8 p.m. on your Sunday S.W.E.E.P. date, and no earlier than five days before. Look up your date on the City's S.W.E.E.P. page. It takes appliances, furniture, mattresses, grills, toilets, carpet, taped flat glass, up to 4 passenger tires, railroad ties cut to 4 feet, and tree limbs and stumps. It doesn't take building materials, electronics, hazardous waste, boats or regular yard waste.
Missed your date or need it sooner? A special pickup is $18.12 per cubic yard. Call (813) 274-8811 or use Tampa Connect.
New Tampa is different. New Tampa is served by Hillsborough County Solid Waste, not the City, so no S.W.E.E.P. there. Use the County centers below.
If you're a Hillsborough County customer
County Solid Waste customers get 10 cubic yards a year of free drop-off for bulky waste and appliances (a loaded pickup bed is about 2 cubic yards), plus 12 tires a year, at any of five Community Collection Centers. The allowance resets October 1. Bring a photo ID and a copy of your current property tax bill, and wear closed-toe shoes. Everything is hand-unloaded and sorted by type, with no dump trailers. Vehicles plus trailers can be up to 23 ft long at Wimauma and Alderman's Ford, and 35 ft at the others. Call (813) 272-5680 to check how much allowance you have left.
Accepts: Non-burnable solid waste (such as broken furniture), Scrap metal & appliances, Tires
Won't take: Construction & demolition debris (including concrete and asphalt), Yard and wood waste, Liquid waste, Hazardous waste
Where County customers go once the 10-cubic-yard allowance is used up, and for tires past 12 a year, at standard commercial disposal fees. No hand unloading after 4:30 p.m. The roads inside are unpaved and get muddy after rain.
Batteries, paint and electronics can go to any of the five County centers above, for any Hillsborough County resident with a photo ID, City of Tampa residents included. Household hazardous waste is collected on set Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
1st Saturday — Sheldon Road HHW Collection Center, 9805 Sheldon Road, Tampa
2nd Saturday — South County Solid Waste Facility, 13000 US Highway 41, Gibsonton
Clearing a whole house, a rental, or a remodel? The free allowance won't cover a big C&D load. Two ways people handle the big stuff here:
Haul it yourself — cheapest by a long way if you have a vehicle and can lift it. The gate rates above are the whole cost.
Junk-removal crew — a crew does the loading and hauls it away — check whether the price you are quoted is for curbside or in-home collection. Usually the better call for heavy furniture, appliances, or a cleanout on a deadline.
Not sure which is cheaper for your load? Check an upfront junk-removal price and weigh it against the gate fee — no obligation either way.
Is it free for Tampa residents to dump bulky items?
Yes, within limits. City of Tampa customers with an active solid waste account can drop off furniture, mattresses, appliances and yard waste free at the McKay Bay Scale House, 114 South 34th Street, and get one free S.W.E.E.P. curbside pickup a year. Hillsborough County customers, including New Tampa, get 10 cubic yards a year free at the County's Community Collection Centers.
Can City of Tampa residents use the Hillsborough County Community Collection Centers?
For batteries, paint and electronics, yes, with a photo ID. But the free bulky-waste and tire allowance is only for County Solid Waste customers. City residents use McKay Bay and S.W.E.E.P. instead.
What are the Community Collection Center hours?
All five are open Monday–Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Alderman's Ford (Plant City), Hillsborough Heights (Seffner), Northwest County (Tampa), South County (Gibsonton) and Wimauma.
What are the McKay Bay Scale House hours?
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; closed Sunday. 114 South 34th Street, Tampa.
How do I get rid of a large or heavy load in Tampa?
Use your free allowance first: McKay Bay or S.W.E.E.P. if you're a City customer, a County center if you're a County customer. After that, the City charges $18.12 a cubic yard for a special pickup, and County customers pay commercial fees at the Southeast County Landfill. Or get a junk-removal crew to carry it out and haul it. If you'd rather not do the lifting, check an upfront junk-removal price.
