Relocation & New Homeowner Sanitation Setup
New Resident Waste & Recycling Setup Kit
Moving into a new home or apartment comes with immediate waste management hurdles. Here is how to open your sanitation account, order missing rollout carts, and clear out moving boxes smoothly.
In most municipalities, residential trash and recycling billing is bundled directly with city water and sewer services. Starting your water account automatically establishes your curbside solid waste service.
When moving into an existing house, verify that standard city containers (trash, single-stream recycling, and yard organics) are present on the property. Each container has a hot-stamped serial number assigned to that parcel address.
All cardboard moving boxes must be fully unloaded, free of styrofoam packing blocks and bubble wrap, and flattened completely. Do not leave packing peanuts or plastic air pillows inside cardboard boxes.
Unpacking often produces bulky discarded items like packing crates, worn-out furniture, and old mattresses. Review your city bulk pickup guidelines to verify whether you need to book an appointment or wait for an unprompted citywide bulk week.
Single-stream trucks will not collect loose piles of unflattened boxes. Break every box down flat. If they exceed your blue cart capacity, bundle them with twine into 3-foot by 3-foot stacks weighing under 40 lbs, or look up your county public drop-off center for free cardboard recycling.
Find your city's exact recycling rules and phone numbers: Look up your municipality here →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy my own garbage bins when buying a home?▼
In most cities with automated collection trucks, you must use the standardized city-issued wheeled rolling carts. Previous owners leave the bins at the house because carts are municipal property registered to the parcel.
What do I do if there are no trash cans at my new house?▼
Contact the local municipal public works department or franchised waste hauler to request cart delivery. New homeowners are usually provided one trash and one recycling cart at no initial charge.
How should I dispose of dozens of cardboard moving boxes?▼
Flatten all boxes. Bundle them into 3-foot by 3-foot stacks tied with natural twine, or nest smaller flattened boxes inside one large upright box next to your recycling cart.
Can packing peanuts and bubble wrap go into the blue recycling cart?▼
No. Expanded polystyrene packing peanuts and plastic bubble wrap cannot be processed by single-stream recycling sorting facilities and must go into the black trash cart.