Powder Springs residents will get the chance next week to have large items picked up by the city’s sanitation employees for no extra fee.

The Reside with Pride event occurs twice a year, and Public Works Director Greg Ramsey likens it to spring cleaning.

“Everyone seems to have that desire to clean up their house a couple times a year, and (the mayor and City Council) chose to give them that opportunity,” he said.

Officials said that the large items—which include refrigerators, stoves, couches, chairs and cabinets—need to be at the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of the regular garbage pickup. Appliances are limited to two per household and must be free of liquids and food products.

Residents are asked to remove any doors for safety reasons.

Brush and yard waste will only be picked up on Monday. They must be put in biodegradable bags, and each household is limited to six bags of yard waste and one pile of brush.

Brush piles cannot exceed three feet in height, width and depth. Limb size cannot exceed six inches in diameter. Tree trunks and stumps cannot be picked up.

Powder Springs has offered this courtesy service for more than 10 years, and Ramsey said there is typically good participation.

“We’ve had a pretty good track record of people getting rid of larger items that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to,” he said.

Sanitation Supervisor Rick Gravitt said the twice-a-year program helps keep the city clean.

“That’s basically why (the mayor and council) did it: to take a burden off their citizens, to give them a way to get rid of things they wouldn’t normally be able to get rid of,” Gravitt said.

The Public Works Department has a formula to calculate the cost of picking up the larger waste, and Gravitt said items such as stoves, refrigerators, sofas and mattresses typically cost $25 for pickup.

While the city will take care most bulk items for free next week, there are some items that employees are prohibited by law to pick up. Those include pianos, medical or animal waste, paint cans, tires, batteries, car parts, engine oil and fluids, building and roofing materials, carpet and padding, cement, siding and gutters.

Flyers listing items that can and cannot be picked up are available at City Hall and the Public Works Department.

Reside with Pride runs from Monday to next Friday. For more information, call the Public Works Department at 770-943-8010.