Home › By item › Bathroom fixtures › McAllen
A public resource guide
Remodel loads need a dumpster.
Checked against McAllen Public Works
Monthly
brush and bulky week by zone (four zones), set out before Monday of your week
1 week
earliest set-out before your zone's collection date
5 tires
per month per resident at the Recycling Center, 4101 N. Bentsen Rd, free with a water bill
Every route for a toilet or bathtub in McAllen, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full McAllen guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in McAllen, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
McAllen monthly brush and bulky collection: toilets, bathtubs, and sinks
Free, with a step firstA single toilet or sink from your home is usually taken as bulky; remodel loads are construction debris.
Who qualifies: Single-family homes with City of McAllen garbage service (the brush and bulky fee is on your monthly bill).
How to schedule: No appointment. The city is divided into four zones, each with an assigned week of the month; the schedule is at mcallenpublicworks.net/brush. Set items at your assigned collection spot no earlier than one week before and before the Monday of your zone's week, in two separate piles: brush and bulky.
Limits: Resident-generated items only. Keep piles 3 feet from mailboxes, fences, meters, hydrants, wires, and cars. Nothing in alleys unless your bins are serviced there, and never on vacant lots.
Set-out: At the same location your black and blue carts are serviced, no earlier than one week before your zone's Monday, brush and bulky in separate piles, not in the street or near drainage inlets.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in McAllen: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering toilets, bathtubs, and sinks, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in McAllen: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
McAllen, Texas serves a rapidly growing Rio Grande Valley metro with a monthly zone-based Brush and Bulky Trash Collection system and a year-round free drop-off site for residents. The zone system means each part of the city gets bulky pickup once per month on a rotating schedule. A free residential drop-off site at 4101 N. Bentsen Rd accepts large items, tires, and metals year-round for residents with a water bill. This guide covers every disposal option for McAllen city residents.
The McAllen rule for toilets, bathtubs, and sinks: A single toilet or sink from your home is usually taken as bulky; remodel loads are construction debris.
Program basics: Resident-generated items only. Keep piles 3 feet from mailboxes, fences, meters, hydrants, wires, and cars. Nothing in alleys unless your bins are serviced there, and never on vacant lots. At the same location your black and blue carts are serviced, no earlier than one week before your zone's Monday, brush and bulky in separate piles, not in the street or near drainage inlets.
What the city will not take: Hazardous materials, construction debris, tires, and electronics are not collected during brush and bulky pickup. The Recycling Center on North Bentsen takes tires (5 a month) and appliances from residents.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: McAllen Public Works: Residential Garbage Service and drop-off site, City of McAllen: Recycling Center bulky waste drop-off (tires, appliances), McAllen Public Works brush and bulky schedule reminder (zone rules). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Why toilets, bathtubs, and sinks are different from ordinary bulk. Porcelain is the sticking point. A whole toilet or pedestal sink is heavy, awkward, and shatters into sharp pieces, so many bulk crews refuse them intact. Some cities accept porcelain if it is broken into pieces and bagged or boxed; others route it to the transfer station as inert C&D material. Clean porcelain is actually recyclable as aggregate, and a growing number of regions accept it at concrete recyclers.
Three mistakes that get toilets, bathtubs, and sinks left at the curb:
When the city classifies fixtures as C&D and no scrap or donation route fits, paid options are the only legal path.
Self-haul to a transfer station or C&D recycler
$10 to $40Transfer stations accept fixtures as C&D by weight or by load. Clean porcelain is accepted at some concrete and aggregate recyclers for less. Break porcelain into bagged pieces to make it easy to handle.
Line the vehicle. Porcelain shards will cut carpet and tires.
LoadUp paid toilet or bathtub pickup
$80+For McAllen households who need same-day or in-home pickup, crew labor, or faster service than city programs allow, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the McAllen area.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your toilet or bathtub. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book toilet or bathtub pickup in McAllen with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside McAllen proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete McAllen junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national toilet, bathtub, and sink disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for McAllen: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does McAllen pick up toilets, bathtubs, and sinks for free?
A single fixture on your zone’s week. Remodel loads need a dumpster.
How much does paid toilet and tub removal cost in McAllen?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single toilet or bathtub pickup in McAllen starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For McAllen households who need same-day or in-home pickup, crew labor, or faster service than city programs allow, LoadUp connects you with independent loaders in the McAllen area.
Can I put an old toilet out with bulk trash?
It depends on the city. Some accept toilets and sinks with bulk pickup, some accept only broken porcelain in bags with regular trash, and many classify fixtures as construction debris and exclude them. Check the directory below for your city.
Is porcelain recyclable?
Yes, as inert aggregate. Crushed toilets and sinks become road base and fill. Some transfer stations and concrete recyclers accept clean porcelain for less than general C&D rates, and some water utilities run toilet recycling drop-offs.
How do I get a cast iron tub out of a second-floor bathroom?
Either hire scrappers or movers who handle the weight, or break it. Cover the tub with a heavy blanket, wear eye protection, gloves, and long sleeves, and strike the side near the drain with a sledgehammer; cast iron cracks into pieces that two people can carry. Clean up the enamel chips, which are sharp.
Will a ReStore take a used toilet?
Most will if it is a 1.6 gpf or lower model, uncracked, clean, and complete with tank lid and seat. Some require the WaterSense 1.28 gpf label. Older 3.5 gpf toilets are generally refused.
Is this McAllen page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full McAllen guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.