Decatur, GA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Section 82-32(2) of the Decatur Code of Ordinances covers trash too large for an approved single-use plastic bag: it directs that such trash, including large items like furniture, be set on the curb separately from yard trimmings and metal appliances, not bundled together into one pile. Section 82-32(9) then addresses household appliances specifically, requiring that inoperable or worn-out privately used appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washing machines and dryers be collected at the curb for recycling, with refrigerator and freezer doors removed or secured shut before being left out, a child-safety measure carried over from the code's 1996 rewrite.

Bulk collection has real limits, though: Section 82-34(b)(5) states the city is not responsible for collecting or hauling discarded building material, dirt, rock, or discarded furniture and appliances from private property on a routine basis, nor trees, bushes or vegetation generated by commercial tree trimmers, landscapers or building contractors; anything beyond ordinary curbside bulk items requires a special-fee arrangement with the sanitation department under Section 82-37. Section 82-34(g) similarly excludes abandoned vehicles, vehicle parts, and contractor debris from routine city pickup entirely.