Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Tonawanda
Trash Day
Monday through Friday, depending on your street and route zone.
Recycling
Bi-weekly on your regular collection day, following the alternating Blue or Yellow week schedule.
Yard Waste
Collected weekly on your regular pickup day (place yard waste in clear plastic bags or tied bundles).
Set Out Time
By 7:00 AM on collection day
Utility Billing & Payments
Manage your local solid waste services
Residential trash, recycling, and yard waste collection services are provided by the town highway department and funded through annual property taxes.
Billing Cycle
Included in Property Taxes
Accepted Methods
Online, Mail, In Person, Drop Box, Auto-Pay
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
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.
Local Tips & Community Info
Tonawanda Municipal Refuse Operations
Keeping neighborhoods pristine in the Town of Tonawanda relies on a standardized, automated cart system. Each residential address is assigned a heavy-duty green tote for general garbage and a blue one for recyclables. On your designated collection morning, these carts need to be wheeled to the curb by 7:00 a.m. sharp. Because local sanitation drivers use automated lifting arms to empty the bins, your carts must have a minimum clearance of three feet on all sides. Keep them well away from fire hydrants, parked vehicles, and street signs. Additionally, the lid must be completely closed; overflowing trash prevents the automated arm from working properly and will not be serviced.
What Belongs in the Blue Recycling Cart
The blue cart provided by the municipality is strictly for recyclable materials. Tonawanda utilizes single-stream processing, meaning there is no need to manually separate your glass bottles, aluminum cans, or cardboard into different piles. However, all cardboard boxes should be flattened so they don't wedge tightly inside the container. A crucial rule to remember is to never place your recyclables inside plastic grocery bags. These soft, flexible plastics frequently get tangled in the sorting facility's mechanical gears, causing expensive shutdowns. Keep your household recyclables loose, relatively clean, and dry.
Bulk Item Limits and Curbside Collection
When you're clearing out the basement or getting rid of old furniture, you do not need to schedule a special appointment for a few large items. The local refuse division permits residents to place up to three bulky items at the curb alongside their standard green tote on their normal garbage day each week. This allowance covers items like couches, wooden chairs, and mattresses. For community health and safety reasons, any mattress or box spring placed outside must be wrapped securely in a plastic cover. Please note that construction and demolition debris, such as drywall or roofing shingles, is entirely prohibited from curbside pickup and requires you to rent a private dumpster.
Managing Seasonal Yard Debris
From early April through the end of November, the highway department runs dedicated yard waste routes to help keep properties looking their best. If you are raking leaves, clearing garden beds, or trimming bushes, place the organic matter in large biodegradable paper lawn bags or standard open garbage cans left without lids. Dirt, heavy rocks, and large root balls are not accepted by the yard waste crews. Tree branches need to be cut down to lengths of four feet or less, bundled together securely with heavy twine, and must not exceed a weight of 60 pounds per bundle.
Electronics Drop-Off on Woodward Avenue
New York State environmental regulations prohibit televisions, computers, and other electronic waste from entering the regular landfill stream. Therefore, Tonawanda residents cannot leave any e-waste at the curb for normal collection. Instead, you must transport these obsolete gadgets directly to the Highway Department facility located at 450 Woodward Avenue. The drop-off site operates during standard weekday business hours, providing a safe, environmentally friendly way to dispose of hazardous internal batteries, screens, and circuit boards.
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 request a replacement garbage tote in Tonawanda?
If your green or blue cart is heavily damaged by severe weather or a snowplow, you should contact the Highway Department. They handle repairs and replacements for municipal bins free of charge, provided the damage is from normal wear and tear.
Will my trash be delayed for the 4th of July?
Yes. Whenever a recognized federal holiday falls on a weekday, all refuse and recycling routes in the Town of Tonawanda are pushed back by one full day for the remainder of that specific week.
Where can I safely dispose of wet leftover paint?
Liquid latex paint is not accepted in liquid form. You must dry it out completely by mixing it with kitty litter or a commercial paint hardener. Once the paint is rock solid, you can throw the open cans into your standard green garbage tote.