Longview residents have several ways to get rid of junk, brush, and bulky items — and the cheapest option depends on what you're throwing out. For general trash and construction debris the closest landfill is Pine Hill Landfill (Republic Services) just south of town, where City sanitation customers get a discount. Yard waste and brush go free to the City Compost Site, and the City will pick up large items from the curb up to four times a year. Here's how each option works, including the fees most people don't find until they've already loaded the truck.
Longview bulky item pickup — 4 free a year
First: who bills you for trash? The City provides this to each residential sanitation address — so if a City of Longview sanitation charge isn't on your bill, the free collections aren't yours. Outside the city limits in Gregg County, ask whoever hauls your cart what they charge for bulky items.
If you are a City sanitation customer, you get up to four bulky item collections a calendar year. But nothing is collected automatically. You have to schedule each one — call Sanitation at (903) 237-1250 or use the City's CitySend app. A pile left at the curb with no request behind it just sits there.
The limit is 8 cubic yards per pick-up, which the City describes as about two small pickup-truck loads. Anything past that is collected for a nominal fee if you call and arrange it.
Free with your four collections:
- Furniture
- Lawn equipment — mowers, weed eaters
- Brush, but large branches only, 3 to 10 feet long
These cost extra even inside your four: mattresses and appliances carry a $20 collection fee — the City ties it directly to what the landfill now charges. Construction materials, carpet and demolition waste are also fee items.
Two rules that quietly get piles skipped. Items have to be placed parallel to the road, not perpendicular to it. And brush shorter than 3 feet isn't a bulky item at all — the City wants it bundled and set out with your regular garbage instead. Put out a heap of 2-foot cuttings as a bulky request and you have spent one of your four on something that didn't need it.
What the City will not take from the curb at any price: loose garbage, hazardous materials, dirt, rock or sand, glass, concrete, pallets, ceramic tile, sheet rock, roofing materials, fencing, and anything generated by contract or commercial work.
And the one that strands people: refrigerant. Refrigerators, freezers and air-conditioning units are on the City's do-not-collect list — and Pine Hill Landfill turns them away too unless the refrigerant has been certified-removed. So a Longview fridge has no obvious local answer. One route worth a phone call: the City of Tyler's Downtown Recycle Center (418 N. Bois D'Arc Ave) takes refrigerators and A/C units free and, per the City of Tyler, serves the East Texas region rather than Tyler residents only. That's about a 25-mile drive, so call (903) 531-1388 and confirm before you load it.
See how Longview stacks up in our guide to bulk trash pickup — four a year is generous for Texas, but Marshall, half an hour east, runs a free bulk pick-up every week.
Common questions
Does it cost anything to dump at a landfill?
Usually yes. Most Texas landfills charge by weight (a per-ton gate rate) or by the load, and many cities give residents a discount or a set number of free drop-offs if you can show a current utility bill. Small transfer and collection stations sometimes take household trash for free. Exact fees are listed per facility above.
What's the difference between a landfill and a dump?
In everyday use people say "the dump," but a modern landfill is an engineered, permitted site with liners and monitoring. A transfer station is a smaller site where waste is collected and hauled to a landfill. Both take household junk; a transfer or collection station is often closer and quicker for small loads.
What's the cheapest way to get rid of junk for free?
Check whether your city offers free bulk-trash pickup on a set week, use county household-hazardous-waste and cleanup events, and give away usable items. For a landfill drop-off, bring proof of residency to get resident rates. If it's more than you can move yourself, a junk-removal quote is often cheaper than multiple trips plus gate fees.
How do I get rid of large or heavy items?
Bulky items — furniture, appliances, mattresses, construction debris — either go to the landfill (often for an extra per-item fee) or get hauled by a junk-removal service. If you'd rather not rent a truck and pay gate fees, check an upfront junk-removal price.
