Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Buffalo
Trash Day
Trash is collected once per week, Monday through Friday, depending on your street address.
Recycling
Recycling is collected weekly on the same day as trash pickup in the green city tote.
Yard Waste
Yard debris (placed in clear bags or tied in 4-foot bundles) is collected weekly on your regular collection day as part of your 3-item bulk allowance.
Set Out Time
By 7:00 AM on collection day (or after 7:00 PM the evening before)
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Garbage service is billed separately as a Residential User Fee through the City Treasury & Collections Division rather than on your property tax bill.
Billing Cycle
Annual
Accepted Methods
Online, Auto-Pay, Mail, In-Person
Pro Tip / Discount
No specific billing discounts listed; seniors and disabled residents can contact 311 to arrange special pickup assistance for electronic waste.
City-issued garbage tote (color varies, typically blue or black) Bin (Trash)
All household garbage must be contained entirely within the city-issued tote with the lid closed. Excess household garbage outside the tote is not permitted unless it qualifies as a 2-piece weekly bulk item.
Accepted Items
- ✓Household garbage
- ✓Food waste
- ✓Non-recyclable packaging
Green Tote Bin (Recycling)
Place recyclables in the green tote. If you have extra recycling that won't fit, it can uniquely be placed next to the tote in CLEAR plastic bags.
Accepted Items
- ✓Plastics #1-7
- ✓Plastic lawn furniture
- ✓Paper and flattened cardboard
- ✓Glass food containers and jars
- ✓Metal cans and cookware
Do NOT Include
- ✕Electronics
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Hazardous waste
- ✕Opaque or black plastic bags
Yard Waste Bin
Leaves and grass must be in clear plastic or paper bags. Sticks and branches must be tied in bundles no longer than 4 ft and under 50 lbs. Do not rake leaves into the street.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Brush and tree limbs (under 4 feet)
- ✓Green waste
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly (up to 2 items) and Biannual District Sweeps (up to 4 cubic yards).
Placement
For the weekly collection, place up to 2 items next to your tote. For district sweeps, piles up to 12'x3'x3' must be out on the Sunday prior to the collection week.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture (couches, tables)
- ✓ Mattresses and box springs
- ✓ Appliances (stoves, refrigerators, microwaves)
- ✓ Carpet (cut into 4-foot rolled sections)
- ✓ Large toys
Not Accepted
- ✕ Televisions and computers (E-waste)
- ✕ Tires (requires special drop-off)
- ✕ Construction debris
- ✕ Hazardous waste or wet paint
Weekly limit of 2 items and district sweeps are free. For extra bulk pickup, the 'Pick and Pay' service starts at $150 via 311.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Buffalo operates on a highly unique schedule: garbage and recycling are collected on their regular schedule all year round, EXCEPT for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. There are no delays for Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, or Labor Day.
Yard Waste Exception
Yard waste follows the same two-holiday delay rule as normal garbage collection.
When Christmas or New Year's Day falls on a weekday, collections for that day and the remainder of the week are pushed back by one day, concluding on Saturday.
Observed Holidays
Seasonal Information
Winter
JanuaryThe City typically conducts curbside Christmas tree recycling during the first three weeks of January. Place unbagged, decoration-free trees at the curb on your regular garbage day, or bring them to designated drop-off sites.
Fall
October - NovemberDuring peak foliage season, the City operates an intensive six-week leaf collection program. Yard waste is picked up and composted when time allows, but bags must be strictly paper or clear plastic.
Winter
December - MarchBuffalo winters bring significant lake-effect snow. The Streets Department clears over 1,600 lane miles; ensure your garbage and recycling totes are placed in cleared areas behind the curbline, not in the street where plows operate.
Local Tips & Community Info
The Municipal Green and Blue Tote Program
In the City of Buffalo, the Division of Sanitation relies heavily on a standardized municipal tote system to keep the Queen City clean and efficient. Every residential address is assigned a large green rolling cart exclusively for standard household refuse and a blue one for recyclables. You cannot use your own store-bought cans or generic barrels. All garbage must fit completely inside the green cart with the lid fully closed. If you have excess waste that simply will not fit, you cannot leave extra black bags sitting on the parkway; sanitation crews will ignore them unless it is a specially designated bulk cleanup week or you have arranged for a separate specialized pickup.
Curbside Timing and Severe Winter Weather
Winters in Western New York are legendary, and heavy lake-effect snow can frequently disrupt standard municipal services. Under normal, clear conditions, residents should wheel their totes to the curb no earlier than 6:00 PM on the evening before their assigned garbage day. To guarantee you do not miss the truck, everything must be positioned by 6:00 AM. Furthermore, once the Department of Public Works has emptied your bins, local ordinances require you to pull them back onto your property by 8:00 PM that same day. During intense blizzards, always check the local news or the city's 311 alert system, as collection routes are routinely delayed by a day to allow snowplows to prioritize clearing the main roads.
All-in-One Blue Cart Recycling
Buffalo encourages neighborhood sustainability through a simplified, single-stream recycling approach. This means you do not have to meticulously separate your plastics from your paper products. The blue tote is designed to accept flattened cardboard, clean pizza boxes, glass bottles, metal soup cans, and plastic jugs stamped with numbers 1 through 7. However, flimsy plastic grocery wrappers and garbage bags are the absolute biggest enemy of the local material recovery facility. You should never bag your recyclables. Instead, toss them directly into the blue cart loose to prevent jamming the sorting machinery.
Discarding Furniture and Heavy Appliances
Getting rid of a broken recliner, an old mattress, or a rusty washing machine is relatively straightforward in this city. Buffalo permits property owners to place up to two pieces of bulk trash at the curb alongside their green tote on their standard, weekly collection day. This is a massive convenience that saves residents a trip to the dump, but it has strict limitations. It does not apply to heavy construction materials like drywall, roofing shingles, tires, or hazardous liquids, all of which require private disposal.
E-Waste Drop-off at the Engineering Garage
New York State environmental regulations strictly prohibit throwing old computers or televisions into a standard landfill. Therefore, Buffalo residents cannot put electronic waste in their green totes or leave it on the curb. Instead, the city operates a dedicated drop-off site at the Engineering Garage, situated at 1120 Seneca Street. Open on specific weekdays and usually the first Saturday of the month, this facility takes old monitors, keyboards, laptops, and televisions off your hands at no charge, provided you can present a valid ID showing proof of Buffalo residency.
Drop-off Facilities
East Side Transfer Station
793 South Ogden Street, Buffalo, NY 14206
Materials Accepted
City Engineering Garage
1120 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14210
Materials Accepted
Broadway Garage (Tire Drop-off Only)
197 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14204
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my own garbage cans in Buffalo?
No. The city operates a mandatory tote program. All household trash must be placed inside the city-issued green rolling cart with the lid completely closed.
How many bulk items can I throw away each week?
Buffalo residents are allowed to place a maximum of two bulk items, such as furniture or large non-freon appliances, at the curb on their regular weekly garbage collection day.
When do I need to bring my empty totes back from the curb?
City regulations mandate that residents must remove their empty green and blue totes from the curb and bring them back onto their property by 8:00 PM on the day of collection.