Junk removal in Miami-Dade County, one flat price per job

01

County pickup, city pickup, or a private contractor

Who picks up your trash in Miami-Dade depends on where your property sits. The Miami-Dade Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) collects garbage and bulk for unincorporated Miami-Dade, which the county guide puts at more than 340,000 households, and for ten cities: Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Sunny Isles Beach and Sweetwater. Unincorporated areas like Kendall, The Hammocks, Westchester, Tamiami and Leisure City are all county service.

Other cities run their own. The City of Miami, Homestead, Coral Gables (for single-family homes), South Miami, Miami Shores, Miami Springs, Bal Harbour and North Bay Village use their own crews. Others contract it: Hialeah uses Waste Connections, North Miami uses Waste Pro, North Miami Beach and El Portal use Coastal Waste & Recycling, Florida City uses Waste Management, and Biscayne Park and Key Biscayne (single-family homes) use Great Waste and Recycling Services.

02

How DSWM's bulky waste pickup works

In the DSWM area, each household is entitled to two bulky waste pickups per year of up to 25 cubic yards each, by appointment through miamidade.gov/bulkywaste, the MDC Solid Waste App or 311. Two can be combined into one of 50 cubic yards, and duplex owners can combine four into one of up to 100. Appointments open 30 days ahead, and the county says waitlists or fit-ins are not available.

The pile goes out no more than 3 days ahead and by 7 a.m. on the day, within 10 feet of the street. Construction debris is capped at 3 cubic yards, wooden fence at 3 cubic yards, and no single item may weigh over 150 lbs. Since April 1, 2023, an early pile risks a warning notice up to a civil citation.

City limits are often tighter. Coral Gables takes up to 1 cubic yard, Miami Shores up to three cubic yards, Florida City up to 2 cubic yards a week, North Miami a maximum of 8 cubic yards, and Homestead no more than 10 cubic yards. When you have used your two county pickups, missed the booking window, or have a tear-out's worth of debris, a hauler is the faster route.

or call (754) 249-1015

03

Trash and Recycling Centers: 13 sites, limited to DSWM customers

DSWM runs 13 Trash and Recycling Centers, open daily from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They include Golden Glades (140 NW 160 St), West Little River (1830 NW 79 St), Snapper Creek (2200 SW 117 Ave), Sunset Kendall (8000 SW 107 Ave), Chapman Field (13600 Old Cutler Rd), South Miami Heights (20800 SW 117 Ct) and Moody Drive in Homestead (12970 SW 268 St).

Only residential waste fee customers in unincorporated Miami-Dade and the ten DSWM cities may use them. Your Florida driver license or ID is scanned and must match an eligible address, and the county says the centers are not for commercial use. Construction debris is limited to three cubic yards per customer per day, up to 4 tires a visit. If you live in Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach or another city with its own service, ask your city where to take bulk.

04

Permits: RER for county areas, your city everywhere else

For unincorporated Miami-Dade, building permits come from the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Building, at the Herbert S. Saffir Permitting and Inspection Center, 11805 SW 26th Street (Coral Way), (786) 315-2000. The county applies this only to properties whose folio starts with 30, and says each municipality in Miami-Dade has its own Building Official. So in Doral it is the City of Doral Building Department, in Hialeah the City Building Department, and in Coral Gables the Development Services Department.

Homestead's permit application says all construction debris must be removed from the site by a hauler that holds a City of Homestead license. Rapid Haul does not claim to be that hauler, so debris from permitted work there may have to go through one, and Dany will tell you what applies before booking.

Your GC or you as the owner pull the permit. Rapid Haul does not. The crew does non-structural tear-out only (kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, drywall, docks and decks), never anything that holds up the house, and hauls the debris.

or call (754) 249-1015

05

How Rapid Haul covers Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade is one of Rapid Haul's two main counties, worked from the Hollywood base. The service area takes in Miami, Doral, Hialeah, Homestead, Miami Beach and Miami Gardens, and Dany has done a confirmed estate cleanout in Coral Gables. Every town and unincorporated area below has its own page with its pickup rules, drop-off and permit office.

Text a photo to (754) 249-1015. Dany answers himself and gives you one flat price for labor, loading, hauling and disposal, usually the same day, and same-day pickup is often possible when you call early. Starting prices: furniture $125, appliances $100, garage cleanouts $300, house cleanouts $1,000, room tear-outs $750, construction debris $200. Junk removal is paid after the job; jobs of $1,000 and over take a 50% deposit. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM.