Town-issued Grey/Black Tote (65 or 95 gallons) Bin (Trash)
All household garbage must fit inside the tote with the lid completely closed. No extra trash bags or personal cans are allowed outside the tote. Must be at the curb by 7:00 a.m.
Accepted Items
- ✓Normal household garbage
- ✓Food packaging
- ✓Non-recyclable plastics
- ✓Styrofoam
Town-issued Blue Tote Bin (Recycling)
Collection is bi-weekly according to the town's Yellow or Blue calendar schedule. All items must be loose inside the tote. Cardboard must be flattened.
Accepted Items
- ✓Plastics, glass jars, and bottles (rinsed)
- ✓Metal and tin cans
- ✓Flattened cardboard
- ✓Paper, newspapers, and magazines
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic grocery bags
- ✕Styrofoam
- ✕Electronics
- ✕Yard waste
- ✕Hazardous chemicals
Yard Waste Bin
Outside of autumn, yard waste must be in clear/translucent plastic bags (under 60 lbs) or inside the trash tote. Branches must be bundled with heavy twine, max 6 feet long and 60 lbs.
Accepted Items
- ✓Grass clippings
- ✓Leaves
- ✓Tree branches and shrubs
- ✓Wood and lumber
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Weekly (on regular garbage day)
Placement
Stack items neatly next to your garbage tote by 7:00 a.m. A separate specialized truck will come by later in the day to pick up appliances, paint, and electronics.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture and mattresses
- ✓ Small concrete chunks and DIY home remodeling debris (under 60 lbs)
- ✓ Large appliances (doors removed from fridges)
- ✓ Flat-screen televisions
- ✓ Liquid latex and spray paint (lids sealed)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Tube-style CRT televisions
- ✕ Contractor-generated construction debris
- ✕ Commercial waste
- ✕ Car tires (curbside)
Bulk pickup is included in municipal services for DIY homeowners. However, old car tires are banned from curbside and must be brought to the Highway Dept at 450 Woodward Ave for a small disposal fee per tire ($1 extra for rims).
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
If a town-observed holiday falls on a weekday, garbage and recycling collections will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week. Good Friday is not an observed sanitation holiday.
Yard Waste Exception
All auxiliary pickups, including bundled brush, bulk concrete, and leaf collections, follow the same holiday delay schedules as standard household refuse.
Always ensure your totes are out by 7:00 a.m. even on holiday-adjusted makeup days, as the routing order may change.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Don't Rake Leaves into the Street
During the October and November unbagged leaf collection period, leaves must be raked onto the grass right-of-way between the sidewalk and the curb. Plowing or blowing leaves directly into the street is a code violation that blocks storm drains.
Secure Your Paint Lids
Tonawanda uniquely picks up old liquid and spray paint weekly. However, you must ensure all lids are tightly secured before stacking them neatly next to your garbage tote. Open or leaking cans will create a severe spill hazard.
No Loose Trash Next to the Tote
While you are permitted to place bulk items, bundled brush, and clear bags of yard waste next to your tote, any regular household garbage placed in black bags or personal hardware-store cans on the ground will be completely ignored by the automated trucks.
Seasonal Information
Autumn
October - NovemberThe Town's unbagged leaf collection program runs during these months [3.1.1]. Rake loose leaves to the right-of-way (between curb and sidewalk) the day before your scheduled collection. Do not park cars over leaf piles.
Winter
December - MarchKeep all totes off the street and out of snowbanks to allow municipal plows to clear the roads safely. Totes buried in snow will not be collected by sanitation crews.
Spring/Summer
April - SeptemberYard waste like grass clippings must be bagged in clear or translucent plastic bags weighing under 60 pounds, or placed directly into your garbage tote. Opaque black bags for yard waste are prohibited.
About Tonawanda Waste Management
The Mandatory Tote System & Closed-Lid Policy
The Town of Tonawanda operates a strictly enforced, automated tote-based sanitation system. All regular household waste must be placed inside the official town-issued grey or black garbage totes. Personal steel or plastic trash cans purchased at hardware stores are banned and will be left unemptied at the curb. Furthermore, the town enforces a closed-lid policy to deter pests and littering; if your tote is overflowing and the lid cannot shut completely, it violates municipal code.
Bi-Weekly Dual-Color Recycling Schedule
In 2017, the Town of Tonawanda upgraded from small recycling bins to large, wheeled blue recycling totes. With this upgrade, the town shifted to a bi-weekly collection frequency based on an alternating 'Yellow' and 'Blue' calendar schedule. Residents must place all recyclables, including flattened cardboard, glass, and plastic jugs, loosely inside the blue tote. Because the mechanical arms lift the totes, they must be stored behind the building line until the night before pickup.
Exceptional Weekly Bulk & Concrete Pickup
Unlike many municipalities that limit bulk pickups to a few days a year, the Town of Tonawanda offers weekly curbside removal of large items. Homeowners tackling DIY renovations can even place manageable pieces of concrete or building materials—weighing no more than 60 pounds each—next to their tote on their regular garbage day. A specialized front-loader crew will follow the standard route to handle these heavy DIY debris piles, provided the work was not done by a hired contractor.
Unique Curbside Paint & Appliance Disposal
Tonawanda boasts an incredibly progressive liquid waste policy: the Highway Department will actually pick up old liquid paint and spray paint cans curbside every week. Residents simply need to secure the lids tightly and stack the cans neatly next to their garbage tote. A secondary specialized truck runs the route to collect paint, flat-screen televisions, and large appliances. For refrigerators, residents must completely remove the doors prior to curbside placement to comply with New York State safety laws.
Seasonal Unbagged Leaf Collection vs. Year-Round Bags
During the heavy autumn drop from October through November, the Town deploys vacuums for an unbagged leaf collection program. During this window, residents should rake loose leaves onto the town right-of-way between the sidewalk and curb—never into the street. For the remainder of the year, grass clippings and yard debris cannot be piled loosely; they must be bagged in clear or translucent plastic bags weighing under 60 pounds, or placed directly into your garbage tote.
Drop-off Facilities
Town of Tonawanda Highway Department
450 Woodward Avenue, Kenmore, NY 14217
Materials Accepted
Hazman Hazardous Waste Facility
177 Wales Ave, Tonawanda, NY 14150
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get rid of an old tube-style TV in Tonawanda?
The Town of Tonawanda only collects flat-screen TVs curbside. To dispose of heavy tube-style CRT televisions, you must hold onto them for a free Erie County electronics recycling event, or drop them off at a designated Sunnking e-waste collection site.
Will the town pick up concrete from my driveway?
Yes, but only for DIY homeowner jobs. You can place manageable pieces of concrete (no heavier than 60 lbs each) next to your tote on your normal garbage day. If you hire a contractor, they are legally required to haul the debris away themselves.
How do I throw away liquid paint?
Unlike most municipalities that require paint to be completely dried out with cat litter, Tonawanda will pick up old liquid paint and spray paint cans weekly. Simply ensure all lids are tightly secured and stack the cans neatly next to your tote by 7:00 a.m.
What do I do if my garbage tote is damaged or too small?
If your tote is damaged (such as a broken wheel or cracked lid), call the Highway Department Sanitation Line at (716) 875-8822 for a free repair or replacement. If you simply need an additional tote or a larger size, you can purchase one through the Town Clerk's Office for a one-time fee.