Junk removal in Star, Idaho

Star's curbside service runs through Republic Services. Anything that won't fit in the cart, like a couch, a mattress or a dishwasher, can be picked up for an extra fee, but it has to be scheduled ahead and sitting outside where the driver can see it on trash day. Appliances need to be empty, and Republic pulls the Freon after pickup. Bags set next to the cart don't get taken unless they're inside a can.

Twice a year the city runs unlimited clean-up weeks, one in early spring and one right after Christmas, when bulky items and non-Freon appliances go out at no charge. If your pile can wait for one of those and you can drag it to the curb yourself, that's a good deal. If it can't wait, or it's buried in the back of a three-car garage, that's where we come in.

Metal is the other easy win. Grills, swing sets, bikes and metal shelving can be dropped off free at the Meridian Transfer Station on West Franklin Road, and fall leaves have a recycling container behind City Hall. Most everything else that leaves Star ends up at the Ada County Landfill up Seamans Gulch Road in the foothills, where tires and Freon appliances cost extra and every load has to be tarped or strapped down.

Tearing down an outbuilding? Star's Building Department issues demolition permits, so check with them before the shed comes apart. On the Ada County side of town, a dumpster sitting in the street or on the sidewalk needs a temporary right-of-way permit from ACHD. And before you light a brush pile, call the Middleton and Star fire districts' burn line. They decide each day whether burning is allowed, and lumber, treated wood and demolition scraps are never on the list.