Where to Take Junk in Anderson: Dump, Drop-Off and Pickup

Anderson does not have a single place that takes everything. Household trash goes in the city cart, large items go out through a scheduled pickup, mixed waste and debris go to a transfer station, electronics and hazardous leftovers go to the county's recycling center, yard waste goes to a compost site, and usable goods go to reuse stores. Each has its own rules, hours and fees, and some items, such as refrigerators, TVs and tires, are barred from ordinary disposal by state or federal law.

This guide lays those options out in the order most households need them, using the City of Anderson's Waste Services page, the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's guide, the transfer station operator's listing and Indiana's disposal rules. Hours and fees change, so it is worth confirming the current schedule before loading a truck. The last section covers when paying for pickup costs less than doing the driving yourself.

Start with what the city collects

For homes on the city's trash service, the city's contractor, Best Way Disposal, empties the trash cart weekly and the recycling cart every other week on trash day. The recycling cart takes all types of plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and metal cans, which covers much of what a garage or basement cleanout produces once boxes are flattened. Extra trash bags beyond the cart can be arranged directly with the contractor, since anything left outside the cart is otherwise not collected.

For bigger items, the city's Heavy Pick-Up collects things too large for a residential cart, the day after the regular trash day, once a resident arranges it with the contractor. Furniture and appliances are common acceptable items, but refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and anything else that ever contained Freon are excluded, along with remodeling debris and excess move-in or move-out trash. A couch or a washer usually fits the program. A refrigerator, a pile of drywall or an apartment's worth of belongings does not.

The transfer station for mixed waste and debris

When a load is too big or too mixed for the curb, the Madison Avenue Transfer Station at 1128 W. 66th Street is the local drop-off. Its operator's listing gives hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. It accepts construction and demolition waste, household trash, shingles and roofing, truck and auto tires, and white goods and bulky items, with fees that vary by type and quantity.

A transfer station is a stop on the way to a landfill, not the landfill itself: loads are tipped, consolidated and trucked onward. For a household, that means one place can take a mixed load of furniture, boxes and remodel debris. Loads should be tied down or covered for the drive, and sorting heavy materials such as shingles or concrete from lighter ones can make the fee easier to predict.

The county recycling center for hazardous waste, electronics and tires

The East Central Indiana Solid Waste District serves Delaware, Grant and Madison counties, and its Madison County Recycling Center sits at 2031 Mounds Road in Anderson. The district's guide lists household hazardous waste, including oil, oil-based paint, cleaners, mercury, pesticides, solvents, glues and pool chemicals, along with electronics such as computer components, TVs, radios, tablets, cameras and phones, tires of all types, batteries and yard waste. Fees may apply to electronics, tires and yard waste.

Two details matter in Madison County. The center accepts appliances that contain Freon, which fills the gap left by the city's Heavy Pick-Up, and it does not accept mattresses. The guide also steers latex paint toward reuse at Habitat ReStores rather than hazardous waste collection. The center's published hours cover Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 4, Wednesday from 10 to 6, and the second and fourth Saturdays from 8 to noon, but the guide is undated, so current hours are worth checking. The TV and electronics disposal page explains Indiana's E-Cycle rules in more detail.

Yard waste: the fall season and the compost drop-off

The city collects yard waste from October 1 through December 15, the day after trash day, in biodegradable paper bags only. Branches must be cut, bundled and tied, with each branch no more than 3 inches thick and 4 feet long and each bundle no heavier than 35 pounds. Loads mixed with trash are refused, and the compost site that receives them may reject loads containing trash.

Outside that season, the city lists the Anderson Yard and Garden Recycling Center as its drop-off option. It does not require bundling, charges a nominal fee for woody debris, takes leaves and grass at no charge, and does not accept dirt or plastic bags. Indiana law bans most yard waste from landfills, including brush and woody material over 3 feet long, so brush does not belong in a transfer station load. The yard waste and brush page covers storm cleanups and larger jobs.

Donate before disposing

Plenty of what leaves an Anderson house still has use. Habitat for Humanity of Madison County runs a ReStore at 440 East Main Street in Chesterfield, a nonprofit home improvement store that sells donated furniture, appliances and building materials. Clean, sound furniture, working appliances, leftover building materials and usable fixtures are the kinds of items reuse stores look for.

Donation centers set their own rules, and most turn away items with stains, damage or any sign of pests, and many refuse used mattresses. Calling ahead with photos saves a wasted trip. Items that are not accepted can go back into the disposal stream: furniture through Heavy Pick-Up, metal to scrap, and the rest to the transfer station. The furniture removal page covers what a hauler can do when donation is not an option.

When paying for pickup costs less than the trips

Doing it yourself looks free until the trips add up. A typical cleanout needs a truck or trailer, at least two people for heavy items, and stops at several places with different hours: the transfer station for mixed waste, the county center for electronics, paint and tires, a compost site for brush, and a reuse store for donations. Each stop may charge its own fee. For a single couch or a few bags, the city's services and one trip usually make sense.

For a basement, a garage, a whole house or anything with stairs, a hauler often costs less once time, fuel, fees and a rented truck are counted, and the crew handles the lifting. HomeGuide's 2026 figures put most junk removal loads at $150 to $350 and a full truck at $400 to $450. The junk removal price table lists the full ranges, and dumpster rental covers the option in between.