Junk removal in The Hammocks, for 1990s homes ready for a remodel

01

What DSWM's bulky pickup takes from a Hammocks home

The Hammocks has no city government, so Miami-Dade County's Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) collects your trash. Each household is entitled to two bulky waste pickups per calendar year of up to 25 cubic yards each, which can be combined into one pickup of up to 50 cubic yards. Going over 25 cubic yards in one pickup uses the full 50-cubic-yard allowance for the year. Appointments open 30 days ahead, through the county website, the MDC Solid Waste App or 311, and there are no waitlists or fit-ins.

The pile goes out no more than 3 days before the appointment and must be at the curb by 7 a.m. It has to sit within 10 feet of the street, at least five feet from mailboxes, cars, trees and sprinkler heads, with 15 feet of clearance up to the lowest branch or power line. Mattresses must be fully sealed in a plastic mattress bag, or you can be fined.

The county's list of items it will not take includes:

• Any single item over 150 pounds
• Microwaves, TVs and other electronics
• Central air units and fiberglass insulation
• Rock, dirt or sand
• Oil-based paint and household chemicals

02

Kitchen and bath tear-outs: the curb limit and the permit

This is where county pickup falls short for remodels. Kitchen cabinets, bathtubs, sinks, vanities, drywall, tile and lumber all count as construction and demolition material, and the county limits it to no more than 3 cubic yards, which it describes as a pile no larger than 6 green 96-gallon waste carts. One kitchen fills that and more. The Trash and Recycling Centers take up to three cubic yards per customer per day.

Permits in The Hammocks come from Miami-Dade County Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Building and Permits. Residential demolition uses the county Building Permit Application, with Category 15 for a detached structure and Category 02 for work attached to the house, and the county will not accept incomplete applications. Your general contractor, or you as the owner, pulls it. Rapid Haul does not.

Dany's part is the non-structural tear-out and the haul: cabinets, counters, tubs, vanities, tile and flooring out, debris loaded and hauled off, never anything that holds up the house. Room demo starts at $750. If your remodeler handles demo, Debris Hauling from $200 clears the pile.

or call (754) 249-1015

03

A planned community that grew up in the 1990s

Wikipedia describes The Hammocks as a planned community, west of SW 137th Avenue and south of SW 88th Street. Most of its growth came fast: 10,897 people in 1990, 47,379 by 2000 and 59,480 in the 2020 Census. The 2020 count found 20,343 housing units with a homeowner vacancy rate of just 0.5%.

That means a lot of homes now about 25 to 35 years old, which is the age when original kitchens, bathrooms and flooring tend to come out. It also means full garages and attics after decades in one house.

04

HOA rules on top of county rules

NBC 6 South Florida has reported that the Hammocks Community Association covers a 3,500-acre property with 44 sub-associations, about 18 of them managed directly. Cedar Landing is one of them. Your sub-association may have its own rules on how early a pile can sit out, where a truck can park or when work can happen. Those rules are not published in one place, so check with your association as well as the county.

When you text Dany, mention the gate process and any work-hour rules. He books around them so the truck is in and out without a letter from the association.

or call (754) 249-1015

05

Cost, timing and drop-off options

Rapid Haul is based in Hollywood and covers Miami-Dade as a main county. Text a photo to (754) 249-1015 for one flat, all-in price: labor, loading, hauling and disposal. Same-day pickup is often possible when you call early, Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM. Junk removal is paid after the job; jobs of $1,000 and over, mostly demolition, take a 50% deposit.

If you would rather haul it yourself, the Sunset Kendall center at 8000 SW 107th Ave takes household trash, yard cuttings and up to three cubic yards of construction and demolition debris per day, plus used motor oil and electronics. Snapper Creek at 2200 SW 117 Avenue is another option. Larger loads of construction debris go by weight to the South Dade Landfill, Gate A.

• Garage cleanouts from $300
• Furniture removal from $125
• Room demo from $750
• House cleanouts from $1,000