Apache Junction picks up bulk trash once a month, on a Wednesday that depends on which part of town you live in, at no extra charge. You have to call Republic Services a week ahead to get on the list. The landfill is on Tomahawk Road and lets residents dump free four weeks a year.
This is the Pinal County side of the East Valley, and it runs on different rules than Mesa or Gilbert. The city does not haul its own trash. Republic Services does it under a city contract, and bulk pickup is part of that deal. Same truck, same bill, one extra phone call.
When is bulk trash pickup in Apache Junction?
One Wednesday a month, and the Wednesday moves west to east across town. Find your street between the two main roads and that is your week.
| You live between | Bulk pickup |
|---|---|
| Meridian Rd to Ironwood Dr | 1st Wednesday |
| Ironwood Dr to Idaho Rd | 2nd Wednesday |
| Idaho Rd to Tomahawk Rd | 3rd Wednesday |
| Tomahawk Rd to Goldfield Rd | 4th Wednesday |
The part most people miss: the truck does not just come. You have to call Republic Services at 602-237-2078 at least one week before your Wednesday so they add your address to the route. Put a pile out without calling and it sits there until the code enforcement letter shows up. The city's own page on trash service spells this out, and the city line for questions is 480-474-8511.
What are the set-out rules?
- Size. One pile, no bigger than 6 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet.
- Clearance. More than 5 feet from anything fixed: mailbox, fence, parked car, the water meter.
- Timing. No more than 24 hours before your Wednesday. Apache Junction is stricter here than Gilbert, which gives you the whole weekend before.
- Freon out first. Fridges, freezers, and A/C units only go in the pile if the refrigerant has already been removed by someone certified to do it.
What Apache Junction will and will not take
Furniture, appliances with the freon gone, large plastic toys, old grills, and brush and branches are all fine. The no list is longer, and it is the same list that gets people stuck.
| Not accepted at the curb | Where it goes instead |
|---|---|
| Appliances still holding refrigerant | Have the freon pulled first, or take it to the transfer station on Royal Palm, which takes white goods. |
| Tires, rims, auto parts | Pinal County takes five passenger tires per person per year free at its Florence tire site, or the transfer station on Royal Palm. |
| Bricks, concrete, asphalt, dirt, rocks, roofing | Weight-priced at the landfill or transfer station. Never at the curb. |
| Construction material over 25 lb or longer than 3 ft; metal, rebar, fence posts | Landfill, transfer station, or a hauler. Cut-down scrap under the limits can go in the pile. |
| Glass: windows, shower doors, mirrors | Transfer station, or we haul it wrapped. |
| Loose grass, leaves, weeds, twigs | Bag it and it goes in your regular trash. Branches and brush are fine loose. |
| Household hazardous waste: paint, oil, chemicals, batteries | The city's twice-a-year collection event or the county's Friday site in Coolidge. Details below. |
Where is the Apache Junction dump?
Two places, both on the south side of town off the US 60 corridor, and both privately run. Pinal County keeps the list at pinal.gov and warns that none of them take hazardous waste.
| Facility | Hours | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Republic Services Apache Junction Landfill, 4050 S. Tomahawk Rd. 602-237-2078 | Mon to Sat, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Big loads, construction debris, and Free Dump Week. Gate rates are not posted online, so call first. |
| Waste Connections Apache Junction Transfer Station, 3755 S. Royal Palm Rd. 480-983-9100 | Mon to Sat, roughly 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (the operator and the county post different hours, so call) | Household junk, furniture, mattresses, yard waste, concrete, tires, appliances, batteries. No hazardous waste. Rates not posted. |
I would love to print the per-ton rates here and I cannot, because neither operator publishes them and I only put verified numbers on this site. Call the gate. The Waste Connections page at least lists what they accept. For comparison, the Mesa side of the line has a published $15 resident rate at the Salt River Landfill, which is in our Mesa dump guide.
Free Dump Week
Four times a year the Tomahawk Road landfill takes one load per Apache Junction household for free. The city lists the 2026 weeks as tentative:
- Feb 9 to 14
- May 4 to 9
- Aug 3 to 8
- Nov 9 to 14
The fine print, from the city's Free Dump Week page: one load up to 500 pounds or one pickup bed per household, proof of residency such as a water bill, and everyone in the vehicle wears a hard hat and safety vest. They sell the set at the gate, and the city has quoted it at $15 in its most recent notice. If you are already making the trip, bring your own.
Where does hazardous waste go?
Nowhere near the curb or the landfill. Two options. The city holds a collection event twice a year at the Public Works Yard, 575 E. Baseline Ave. The next one on the city's page is Saturday, October 24, 2026, 8 a.m. to noon. It takes used oil, coolant, paint, aerosols, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics and TVs, and passenger tires without rims. Residential only. Phone (480) 982-1055.
The county's year-round option is the Arcwood Environmental site at 284 E. Storey Rd. in Coolidge, Fridays only, 8 a.m. to noon, $1 a pound for hazardous material and 50 cents a pound for non-hazardous. Latex paint is accepted if it has been dried solid. That and the tire program are on pinal.gov.
What about San Tan Valley?
San Tan Valley voted to incorporate in 2025 and the town started operating July 1, 2026. As of this writing it has not published a trash program of its own. Curbside service is still a private subscription, mostly Republic Services, and whether bulk pickup is included depends on your plan. Check your bill, not a neighbor's.
What the county does offer is free days. Pinal County's Free Disposal Days for 2026 run at the Republic Cactus Landfill in Florence on Jan 3, Apr 4, Jul 11, and Oct 3 from 8 a.m. to noon, and at the Waste Connections landfill on Harmon Road in Florence on Jan 17, Mar 7, May 9, Sep 5, and Dec 19 from 6 to 11 a.m. No appliances or tires on the Cactus days. The Harmon Road days take furniture and appliances that are documented free of refrigerant. The county also runs neighborhood cleanup events, the most recent one in San Tan Valley at the Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road maintenance yard in April. Bring proof of residency to any of them.
Tires are the one thing the county makes easy: five passenger tires per person per year, free, at the Material Recovery Center on Adamsville Road in Florence, Tuesday to Thursday.
When it is worth calling us instead
If your Wednesday is inside two weeks, the pile fits in a six-foot cube, and you remembered to call Republic, use the free pickup. That is the honest answer.
Call us when the free option does not fit the problem. You missed the call and the next Wednesday is a month out. The stuff is a fridge with the freon still in it, a stack of tile, a shower door, or a shed full of mixed junk that fails the list three ways. You are in San Tan Valley with no bulk plan and no truck. Or the pile is in a back bedroom and "free pickup" still means you carry it to the curb yourself.
Pricing is flat and based on trailer space. Single items start at $70, a quarter load is $160, and a full trailer is $500, with loading, hauling, and dump fees included. The quote covers the whole job you showed me. If the job changes, the price changes, and I will say so before we load. The full breakdown is in how junk removal pricing works. Usable furniture gets donated and metal gets recycled, which is more than a bulk pile gets.
Text a photo of the pile to (480) 316-1884 and you will usually have a price within the hour. Apache Junction and Gold Canyon are about 25 minutes from my driveway in Mesa, so same-day usually works. More on our Apache Junction junk removal page, and appliance removal if the problem is the fridge.
Apache Junction bulk trash questions
Does Apache Junction have free bulk trash pickup?
Yes, once a month on your zone's Wednesday, at no extra charge on top of the Republic Services bill. The catch is that you have to call Republic at 602-237-2078 at least a week ahead to get on the route. If you skip the call, nobody comes.
What day is bulk trash pickup in Apache Junction?
It depends on where you live, west to east. Meridian to Ironwood is the first Wednesday of the month, Ironwood to Idaho the second, Idaho to Tomahawk the third, and Tomahawk to Goldfield the fourth.
How big can the pile be?
Six feet by six feet by six feet, more than five feet from anything fixed like a mailbox or a fence, and set out no more than 24 hours before pickup.
Will they take a refrigerator?
Only with the freon already removed. Appliances that still have refrigerant in them are on the do-not-collect list, and so are tires, rims, glass, dirt, concrete, roofing, and anything construction related over 25 pounds or longer than three feet.
Where is the Apache Junction dump?
The Republic Services Apache Junction Landfill at 4050 S. Tomahawk Rd., open Monday to Saturday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is also the Waste Connections transfer station at 3755 S. Royal Palm Rd. Neither publishes gate rates online, so call before you load.
When is Free Dump Week in Apache Junction?
Four times a year at the Tomahawk Road landfill. The 2026 weeks are listed as Feb 9 to 14, May 4 to 9, Aug 3 to 8, and Nov 9 to 14, one load up to 500 pounds or one pickup bed per household, with proof of residency. You also have to wear a hard hat and vest, which they sell at the gate for about $15.
Does San Tan Valley have bulk trash pickup?
Not as a town program yet. San Tan Valley incorporated in 2025 and the town only started operating July 1, 2026, so trash is still a private subscription, mostly Republic Services. Pinal County runs free cleanup events and Free Disposal Days at the Florence landfills instead.
Zones, rules, and dates verified September 2026 against the City of Apache Junction's trash service and Free Dump Week pages and Pinal County's facility list. Gate rates at the landfill and transfer station are not published by the operators and are deliberately left out. Confirm dates and fees before you set a pile out or drive out there.