You Knew March is Free Bulky Pickup Month in Cranston, Right?

CRANSTON, RI—March is at the halfway mark, which means there's still some time to take advantage of the city's offer of free bulky waste removal.

The offer covers three items per residential unit and all pickups must be scheduled in advance by calling 1-800-972-4545.

All calls must be made by March 24.

Not everything will be hauled away, either. Bulky waste does not include mattresses, construction debris, TVs, electronics, white goods (large appliances like refrigerators or washing machines), or household trash or garbage bags that otherwise would fit in the city-supplied bin used for weekly trash removal.

Not that long ago, Cranston was a dream city when it came to the cost and convenience of waste removal. Not only could residents put essentially unlimited garbage on the curb each week, the city accepted bulky waste at no charge throughout the year.

A new, more stringent city trash and recycling collection program brought new bins and automated Waste Management trucks to the city along with increased recycling rates ever since it was enacted in 2014.

Along with it, it brought complaints that the new system was too strict and too severe a departure from the old system, which accommodated residents no matter how many different bins they put out on the curb and even if they left bags on the ground.

After Christmas, a birthday and during spring cleaning, the new bins are often too small to fit everything, forced some residents to set up temporary storage hubs in their garages to stuff overflow to hold until the following week. Others resorted to chopping up old furniture and awkward objects like large plastic children’s toys and gradually filtering pieces into the bin each week to get around the lack of a free bulky pickup program.

The city adjusted the program in response to complaints and began offering the free bulky pickup months last year. It also now offers overflow trash bags for sale at local businesses, like Durfee Hardware in Rolfe Square and Benny's. The overflow bags can be placed next to or on top of the trash bin to be removed with the weekly pickup.