To order a trash can from the city, contact your local sanitation, solid waste, or public works department through their website, phone line, or 311 portal, tell them your service address and utility account number, and choose a cart size. The order itself takes under ten minutes. Delivery can take anywhere from a few business days to three or four weeks depending on your city’s backlog.
Figure Out Who Handles Trash at Your Address
Not every city runs its own trash collection. Some contract with a private hauler like Waste Management or Republic Services, and in those places the city website will point you to the hauler’s customer portal instead of taking the request itself.
Your monthly bill tells you which one applies. If trash appears as a line item on your city utility statement, the city handles it. If a separate bill comes from a private company, start there. Either way, search your city’s official website for “trash” or “solid waste” rather than hunting through the department directory. Departments go by different names in different places: sanitation, solid waste, public works, environmental services, or some combination.
What to Have Ready Before You Order
Gather these before you call or open the online form:
- Your service address. If you recently moved into new construction or a recently annexed area, confirm the address is active in the city’s system.
- Your utility or account number, which appears on your most recent bill. Most cities tie trash service to your water or utility account.
- A phone number and email for delivery coordination and confirmation.
- The cart size you want.
Renters should check with the landlord first. In many cities the property owner is the account holder and has to authorize cart requests. In multi-unit buildings, the property manager usually orders carts for the whole building rather than individual tenants.
Choosing a Cart Size
Most cities offer two or three sizes for residential trash: 35 gallons, 64 gallons (sometimes listed as 65), and 96 gallons. The 35-gallon cart is roughly knee-height and fits one or two people who don’t generate much waste. The 64-gallon is the standard default and handles a typical family of four. The 96-gallon cart is waist-high and suits larger households or families with young children producing a lot of diaper waste.
Many cities also provide separate carts for recycling and for yard waste or compost. These are often included with trash service at no extra charge, though the size options may differ from your trash cart. When you place the order, ask whether recycling and yard waste carts come automatically or need to be requested separately.
If you’re unsure, start smaller. In cities that use volume-based pricing, a smaller cart means a lower monthly bill, and upgrading later is usually just a phone call.
Three Ways to Place the Order
Online
The online portal is almost always the fastest option. Look on your city’s website for a service request page or 311 portal. Many cities use platforms like SeeClickFix or run their own system. Select “new trash cart,” enter your address and account number, choose a size, and submit. You’ll get a confirmation number immediately, which creates a record if delivery gets delayed.
Phone
Call the sanitation department or 311 line during business hours with your account number and address in front of you. The representative will walk through size options and any fees. Wait times swing widely by city and time of day. Early morning on a weekday tends to beat the midday rush.
In Person
Some cities still take walk-in requests at a municipal office. Bring photo ID and a recent utility bill showing your service address. In-person makes sense if you also have account questions or other service issues to handle at the same time. For a simple cart order it’s the slowest route.
What It Costs
Pricing depends entirely on how your city structures its waste program. Some cities include one standard cart in your base utility rate at no additional charge. Others charge a one-time delivery fee, a monthly rental fee, or both. Where delivery fees exist, they commonly run between $25 and $75.
Thousands of communities use pay-as-you-throw pricing, where your monthly bill is tied to the size of your cart. A smaller cart costs less per month than a larger one under those programs.
When you order, ask three specific questions: whether there’s a delivery fee, whether the monthly rate changes based on cart size, and whether there’s a charge for swapping sizes later. Some cities waive the delivery fee for a first cart but charge for replacements or size changes.
What Happens After You Order
Delivery windows range from a few business days in smaller cities to three or four weeks in larger ones with backlogs. If you got a confirmation number, use it to check status online or by phone if the quoted window comes and goes.
The cart shows up at the curb or the end of your driveway, empty and closed. Before your first collection day, check whether a sticker, label, or RFID tag is already attached. Some cities use these to track which carts belong to which address, so leave anything that’s already on there alone.
Placement Rules That Get Pickups Missed
Placement is where most new residents lose their first collection. Cities using automated collection trucks need the cart with the lid opening facing the street and the wheels toward your house. The truck’s mechanical arm grabs the front of the cart, so a backwards cart doesn’t get emptied.
Leave at least two feet of clearance on each side. Recycling bins, parked cars, mailboxes, fences, and low-hanging branches or awnings all block the arm. Crews won’t manually empty a cart the truck can’t reach, and you’ll be waiting another week.
Most cities want carts out the evening before or the morning of collection day, and back off the curb within 12 to 24 hours after pickup. Leaving carts at the curb for days is one of the most commonly enforced sanitation violations, with fines that typically start around $50 and climb for repeat offenses.
Replacements, Size Changes, and Accessibility
The same online portal, phone line, or office visit handles replacements for damaged or stolen carts. Select “replacement” or “damaged cart” and describe the problem. Many cities replace normal wear-and-tear damage at no charge because the city owns the cart. Stolen carts may require a police report. Damage caused by the resident, such as a cart melted by hot ashes, can carry a fee.
Size changes work the same way. Some cities charge a one-time exchange fee, others handle it free as long as you haven’t swapped in the past 6 to 12 months. Keep using your current cart until the replacement arrives.
If a physical disability prevents you from wheeling the cart to the curb, ask about assisted collection, where crews walk onto the property to retrieve the cart from a designated spot. Federal law requires state and local governments to make reasonable modifications to their services for people with disabilities. The application usually involves a form and documentation from a medical provider, and the specifics vary by city.