St. Louis Bulk Item Pickup: The BOAT-E Program & City vs. County Rules

The City of St. Louis and St. Louis County have been separate governments for 150 years, a quirk of Missouri politics that most residents don’t think about until they’re trying to figure out which trash program serves their address. The city isn’t in the county. The county doesn’t cover the city. And the bulk item pickup programs are completely different.

Inside the City of St. Louis, bulk pickup runs monthly and covers more than most cities accept for free. Furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, and motor oil all go out during your monthly bulk week through the city’s BOAT-E program. One program, no extra charge, included in your regular solid waste fee.

If you’re in Clayton, Kirkwood, Chesterfield, or another county municipality, your program is separate. Different hauler, different rules, sometimes with fees the City doesn’t charge.

Here’s how to figure out which program serves your address, what each one covers, and what to do when neither one fits.

The City of St. Louis Refuse Division runs a monthly bulk pickup program organized by region. The city is divided into four regions, each assigned to a different Monday of the month. That fee is billed quarterly on your water bill.

Find your bulk pickup region using the address lookup at stlouis-mo.gov/my-pickup. The bulk refuse pickup schedule map also shows which region covers your neighborhood.

Setout rules

• Items out by 6 AM on Monday of your collection week
• Curbside customers: place items at the curb
• Alley customers: place items in the alley behind your home, away from refuse containers
• Up to 3 items per monthly pickup
• Refrigerator doors must be removed before setout. This is required and enforced.
• Smaller loose items: place in a container or bundle, max 100 lbs, max 6 feet long, max 2 feet in diameter
• Do not place bulk items in your regular trash container

What the City won’t pick up curbside

• Railroad ties: soaked in creosote and not accepted through any City program
• Construction and demolition debris (lumber, drywall, concrete, brick, roofing materials): self-haul to the transfer stations instead; not accepted at the curb
• Items on private property: collectors stay at the curb or alley; they won’t enter your yard, garage, or home
• Hazardous waste: paint, chemicals, and similar materials. Motor oil is the exception and goes through BOAT-E.
• Items exceeding size limits: loose items over 100 lbs, over 6 feet long, or over 2 feet in diameter

The Refuse Division allows the entire week to collect items placed on Monday. If your items are still there by Friday, report to the Citizens Service Bureau at (314) 622-4800. Questions and missed pickup reports go to the Refuse Division at the same number, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.

The BOAT-E program is what separates City of St. Louis bulk pickup from almost every other major city. During your monthly bulk week, you can set out items in five categories that most cities won’t take at the curb at all, and all at no extra charge.

BOAT-E stands for:

• Batteries from motor vehicles (not household batteries, which go in regular recycling)
• Oil from motor vehicles. Missouri law prohibits putting motor oil in regular trash, making BOAT-E the correct disposal path for City residents.
• Appliances: refrigerators, air conditioners, ovens, and other large appliances. Refrigerators require door removal before setout.
• Tires from motor vehicles and trailers
• Electronics: computers, printers, telephones, and power cords. Electronics go in the alley during your bulk week, not in the dumpster. Missouri law prohibits putting electronics in regular trash.

For City residents, electronics go out during bulk week at no charge. No separate drop-off required. Appliances and mattresses work the same way, through the same monthly pickup. Refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances with refrigerant require door removal before the crew will take them.

One important note on item counts: The official program language lists “up to 3 items” for bulk pickup and describes BOAT-E items as collected “during the monthly bulk pickup.” Whether BOAT-E items count toward the 3-item limit or are collected separately is not explicitly stated on the official page. Call the Refuse Division at (314) 622-4800 to confirm before staging your bulk week items.

When the monthly pickup date is too far out, or when you have items the curbside program won’t take, City residents can self-haul to one of two City transfer stations. Both are free and included in your solid waste fee, with a cap of 12 loads per year. Bring proof of identity and residency on every visit.

Both stations are closed on weekends and on City-observed holidays. Rental trucks are fine, however commercial trucks are not.

The transfer stations accept trash, yard waste, bulk items, and residential remodeling debris, including bricks, drywall, plaster, shingles, and windows. This makes them a useful option for small renovation projects that can’t go in the monthly bulk pickup. What they don’t accept: waste from outside City limits.

The City of St. Louis Refuse Division only serves properties within the City of St. Louis limits. If your address is in the county, none of this applies to you.

The fastest way to check: look at your garbage cart or alley dumpster. If it has the City of St. Louis logo, you have City service. You can also use the address lookup at stlouis-mo.gov/my-pickup/. If your address comes back with a bulk pickup date, you’re in the City. If it doesn’t, you’re in a county municipality.

The separation matters here. When St. Louis City broke from St. Louis County nearly 150 years ago, it created two jurisdictions that share a name and a metro area and not much else. Newer residents from other metro areas, where city and county functions usually overlap, often find this confusing at first. You’re not alone in not knowing which side of the line your address falls on.

St. Louis County contains more than 88 incorporated municipalities, each with its own waste program and no county-wide option. Three of them illustrate how different those programs can be.

Clayton

Clayton uses Republic Services as its hauler. Bulk trash pickup in Clayton costs $11 per pickup, must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance by calling Republic Services at 636-947-5959, and items go at the back door, not the curb. Each item must have a “Bulky Trash” sign attached or the driver won’t take it. Major appliances (white goods) are billed separately at $28 per appliance, due before pickup. Construction debris, carpeting, drywall, plumbing, and roofing materials are not accepted through the program. Tires and car batteries go to St. Louis County HHW events instead. For private hauling in Clayton, LoadUp is here to help with junk removal in Clayton, MO.

Kirkwood

Kirkwood gives every household two free bulky item pickups per year, one in spring and one in fall. Register at kirkwoodmo.org to sign up and place items at the curb the night before your assigned week begins. Call 314-822-5828 for more information. Two pickups a year goes fast. Kirkwood residents doing any real clearout often use both in a single weekend. For private hauling, LoadUp serves Kirkwood.

Chesterfield

Chesterfield uses Republic Services for residential trash and bulk item collection. For current Chesterfield bulk item rules, accepted items, and scheduling, check the collection schedule at chesterfield.mo.us/collection-schedule or contact Republic Services directly. For private hauling, LoadUp provides junk removal in Chesterfield.

The pattern across all cities in the St. Louis area: every municipality in St. Louis County has its own hauler, its own schedule, and its own rules. None of them have access to the City of St. Louis BOAT-E program.

The City’s BOAT-E program covers a lot of ground. It runs into limits when the volume is too high, the timing doesn’t work, or items need to come from inside the home.

Booking junk removal with a private hauler might be a better fit if:

• Your next monthly bulk date is weeks away and the items need to go now
• You have more than 3 large items and can’t wait until next month for the rest
• Items need to come out from inside your home, garage, or basement. City crews pick up from the curb or alley only.
• You have construction or renovation debris that exceeds what the transfer station can handle in a single load visit
• You’re in Chesterfield, Clayton, Kirkwood or another county municipality where the specific rules or timing don’t work for your situation

When the city or county program doesn’t fit, LoadUp provides junk removal across St. Louis and the surrounding county through bulk item pickup with same-day and next-day availability. No monthly limit, no 3-item cap, no requirement that items be at the curb first. Loaders handle the carrying from inside your home, whether it’s in your basement, garage, second floor, or storage room.

LoadUp runs 20-30% below what most junk removal companies charge for comparable work in the St. Louis area, and offers a price match guarantee for any written quote for the same service.