A mixed stack of tree limbs, wood waste, scrap metal or carpet padding will not be picked up.
Crews will pick up most of those materials individually but are asking for separated stacks of tree waste, construction material, metals and plastics. Large appliances or hazardous material will not be picked up so don't put that out curbside.
Non-curbside items can be dropped off at debris collection locations around the city and county.
Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia says her district was hit hard. She says it will take more than one pass to collect all debris.
"We know that people are very methodical," she told us. "They'll clean out the front yard before they clean out the back yard. We'll make a couple of sweeps, probably about three, and then we'll make an announcement and say this is our final run. So we do it in phases and it's working well."
Garcia urges you not to throw debris in storm drains, bayous or ditches cautioning that the waste could cause flooding come the next significant storm.
Across the greater Houston area there is an estimated 15 million cubic yards of debris left behind from Hurricane Ike. That's a mammoth amount if you consider that it's as much as five times the amount collected following Tropical Storm Allison.
That's why the city of Houston alone has a total now of about 800 trucks now working in locations hardest hit to pick that mess up as quickly as possible.
For a complete list of locations where you can drop off debris click here.
