Pawtucket, RI Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)

Section 347-14J bars residents from placing bulky waste, defined as furniture, "white goods" like refrigerators and washers, mattresses and box springs, at the curb without a scheduled appointment through the Department of Public Works. Items may be set out no more than one night before the scheduled date; anything placed earlier or without an appointment is treated as an unauthorized placement that the city can remove at the property owner's expense, and property owners answer for violations committed by their own tenants. Electronics, construction debris such as lumber or concrete, and anything that fits in a standard cart do not count as bulky waste and are handled separately.

Curbside furniture pickup, limited to three pieces per appointment, is free under § 347-14O. 1 rate table once a household exceeds its annual free allowance, which scales with the number of units in the building, from zero free units in a single-family home up to six free pickups a year in a six-family building, with a flat $20 (or $10 for water coolers in larger buildings) charged per item over that limit. Propane tanks, tires and motor oil are excluded entirely and must go to the Transfer Station instead.

Enforcement runs through § 347-16: the Enforcing Officer, the Director of Public Works or the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, tags noncompliant bulky waste and gives the owner 24 hours to remove it before the city hauls it away and bills the removal cost plus an administrative fee, recoverable through Housing Court or a property lien. Each 24-hour period the waste remains after that notice is a separate offense.