Last reviewed 2026-07-25. Journalists, researchers, and community groups are welcome to cite any figure on this page with attribution and a link.
This page gathers the rules and figures behind junk removal in Anderson, each taken from a public source listed at the bottom: the City of Anderson's Waste Services and permitting pages, the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's guide, the transfer station operator, IDEM, the EPA and the U.S. Census Bureau.
It does not price a job. It shows what the city's trash contract covers and what it leaves out, where each kind of item can legally go around Anderson, which Indiana rules keep certain items out of the trash, and who lives in the city, which explains why estate cleanouts and rental turnovers are such a steady source of work here.
2011
Year Indiana barred TVs, computers and similar electronics from household trash
IDEM, E-Cycle regulations
Oct 1-Dec 15
The city's curbside yard waste collection season
City of Anderson, Waste Services
25 cents
Fee Indiana retailers collect on every new tire sold
IDEM waste tire guidance
19.3%
Share of Anderson residents aged 65 or older
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
What the city collects, and when
Anderson's residential trash, recycling, large-item and yard waste services are provided under contract by Best Way Disposal. The city's Waste Services page sets the schedule and the limits below. Collection runs on every holiday except Christmas and New Year's Day, and in Christmas week routes shift by a day, with Friday's collected on Saturday.
| Service | Schedule | What it takes | What it excludes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trash | Weekly | Household trash in the cart; extra bags by arrangement with the contractor | Trash outside the cart, except Heavy Pick-Up items |
| Recycling | Every other week, on trash day | All types of plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and metal cans | Anything not on that list |
| Heavy Pick-Up | Day after trash day, by arrangement | Items too large for the cart, such as furniture and appliances | Anything that ever held Freon; remodeling debris; excess move-in or move-out trash |
| Yard waste | October 1 to December 15, day after trash day | Leaves, grass, weeds, bushes and branches in paper bags; bundles up to 3 in thick, 4 ft long, 35 lbs | Plastic bags; loads mixed with trash |
City of Anderson Waste Services page, read 28 September 2026. Carts go within 4 feet of the curb, wheels away from the street, 3 feet apart and 3 feet from obstacles.
Where items go when the cart will not take them
For anything the city's services exclude, the destinations around Anderson are the Madison Avenue Transfer Station on West 66th Street; the East Central Indiana Solid Waste District's Madison County Recycling Center at 2031 Mounds Road; the Anderson Yard and Garden Recycling Center for brush; and reuse stores for usable goods. The table matches common items to their destination and the rule that sends them there.
| Item | Local destination | Rule or reason |
|---|---|---|
| TVs, computers, monitors, printers | County recycling center (fees may apply) | Indiana E-Cycle rules, since January 1, 2011 |
| Refrigerators, freezers, window air conditioners | County recycling center accepts Freon appliances | EPA Section 608 refrigerant recovery |
| Tires | County recycling center; transfer station | No whole tires in Indiana landfills |
| Brush and branches | City fall collection; Yard and Garden Recycling Center | Indiana yard waste landfill ban |
| Oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides | County recycling center, household hazardous waste | District collection program |
| Mattresses | Transfer station; hauler | Not accepted at the county center |
| Remodel debris and shingles | Transfer station | Excluded from Heavy Pick-Up |
Transfer station hours listed by the operator: weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon. County center hours from the district's undated guide: Tuesday and Thursday 8 to 4, Wednesday 10 to 6, second and fourth Saturdays 8 to noon.
Indiana and federal rules in brief
Four rules shape many junk removal routes in Anderson. Each applies statewide or nationwide, so they hold whether the load leaves by city pickup, a hauler or a trip in the family truck.
- Electronics: since January 1, 2011, Indiana households, public and charter schools and small businesses may not put TVs, monitors, computers, tablets, printers, DVD players, DVRs, cable boxes and similar devices in the trash.
- Tires: whole tires may not be landfilled; a tire must be cut into four roughly equal pieces or have both sidewalls removed. Retailers collect a 25-cent fee per new tire, and anyone generating more than 12 waste tires a year keeps manifests.
- Yard waste: Indiana bans leaves, brush and woody material over 3 feet long from solid waste landfills, with exceptions for grass and smaller woody material that is bagged, bundled or contained.
- Refrigerant: under EPA Section 608, the final party in the disposal chain must ensure refrigerant is recovered from refrigerators, freezers and window air conditioners, or hold a signed statement naming who recovered it.
Who lives in Anderson
Anderson's population and housing explain much of its junk removal work. An older population means estates and downsizing moves, and a large rented share means frequent turnovers between tenants, each leaving a unit to be emptied.
| Measure | Anderson | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 54,788 | 2020 Census |
| Population estimate | 56,153 | July 1, 2025 |
| Residents aged 65 and older | 19.3% | Census QuickFacts |
| Owner-occupied housing rate | 55.5% | ACS 2020-2024 |
| Persons per household | 2.20 | ACS 2020-2024 |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $119,000 | ACS 2020-2024 |
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Anderson city, Indiana.
Sources & Methodology
Every figure above was taken from the primary sources below (accessed 2026-07-25). Where a number is derived (arithmetic on published figures) or covers a broader period or area, the text says so.
- City of Anderson, Waste Services — Trash, recycling, Heavy Pick-Up and yard waste rules, schedules and holiday collection.
- City of Anderson, City Engineer's Office, Permitting — Dumpster permit for containers in the street, alley or sidewalk area.
- East Central Indiana Solid Waste District, Green Guide — Madison County Recycling Center hours, accepted items, Freon appliances and the mattress exclusion.
- Best Way Disposal, contact and facility listing — Madison Avenue Transfer Station address, hours and accepted materials.
- IDEM, Indiana regulations affecting electronic waste
- IDEM, Managing waste tires in Indiana — Landfill rule for whole tires, the 25-cent fee and the 12-tire manifest rule.
- IDEM, Yard waste and composting facilities
- U.S. EPA, Stationary refrigeration safe disposal requirements
- U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Anderson city, Indiana
Numbers in hand? Request a quote from an independent Anderson hauler.
Quick Answers
How often is recycling collected in Anderson?
Every other week, on trash day, according to the city's Waste Services page. The city's contractor provides the cart and a calendar showing collection weeks. The cart takes all types of plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and metal cans. During a cleanout, flattening boxes and filling the recycling cart on its week is an easy way to keep cardboard out of a paid haul.
What is Indiana's fee on new tires?
Retailers collect a 25-cent fee on every new tire sold in Indiana, under the state's waste tire law. The same body of rules bars whole tires from landfills, requiring them to be cut into four pieces or stripped of both sidewalls first, and requires anyone generating more than 12 waste tires a year to keep manifests from the transporter who hauls them away.
Which yard waste can legally go to an Indiana landfill?
Only limited amounts. Indiana's yard waste law bans leaves, brush and woody material over 3 feet long from solid waste landfills. Its exceptions cover grass and woody material under 3 feet that is bagged, bundled or contained, and a county executive may waive the ban for up to 90 days in an emergency. In Anderson, both the city's fall collection and its listed drop-off send yard waste to composting.
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