Service Rules & Restrictions

To keep FlatStack Pickup safe, reliable, and efficient for everyone, we follow a few simple rules about what we can collect, how materials must be staged, and when a driver may decline, postpone, or adjust service.

Materials we accept

FlatStack's primary service focuses on clean, dry cardboard. We may also accept certain e-waste items where offered in the booking flow and listed in our "What We Take" guidance.

• Clean, mostly empty cardboard boxes that are reasonably accessible for pickup.
• Cardboard that our drivers can safely break down on-site. You do not need to flatten boxes in advance.
• Accepted e-waste items that appear in our booking flow or current service guidelines.

Materials we cannot take

For safety, legal, and operational reasons, we do not accept certain materials. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Hazardous, flammable, explosive, or corrosive materials
• Chemicals, paints, oils, fuels, or containers with liquid residue
• Medical, biological, or biohazard waste
• Items that are excessively soiled, moldy, wet, or pest-infested
• Household trash, food waste, or general junk-removal items
• Prohibited e-waste items, including restricted items listed in our booking flow or service guidelines
• Any items outside the scope of the service booked

If you are unsure whether something is accepted, please contact us before your pickup date.

Access and staging requirements

To complete service safely and efficiently, materials must be reasonably staged and accessible at the scheduled location.

• Materials should be placed in the agreed pickup area, such as a driveway edge, garage entrance, front porch, or other disclosed access point.
• If materials are located inside a building, in an apartment complex, or in an upstairs location, that should be disclosed during booking whenever possible.
• Paths to the materials must be safe, reasonably clear, and not blocked by snow, ice, debris, locked gates, or other major obstacles.
• Pets should be secured so drivers can safely access the pickup area.
• You do not need to break down cardboard in advance, but boxes must be reasonably reachable so the driver can safely break them down and remove them.

Stairs and in-building access

Standard service assumes reasonably straightforward access to the materials. If boxes or e-waste are located in an upstairs unit, inside an apartment building, down hallways, or in another setting that requires extra interior handling, an access-based adjustment may apply.

Customers should disclose known stairs or in-building access needs during booking when possible. If such conditions are not disclosed in advance, the driver may still apply an appropriate adjustment on-site when the access conditions clearly require additional handling.

Volume and overflow adjustments

Each booked service includes the normal allotment associated with that plan or service type. Our drivers use reasonable practical judgment on-site rather than counting individual boxes one by one.

If the actual cardboard volume clearly exceeds what is included with the booked service, an overflow adjustment may be applied. Where appropriate, the driver may document the volume with notes or photos included with the service record or receipt.

E-waste weights and final charges

If you include e-waste with a booking, you may be asked to provide an estimated weight in pounds. That estimate is used for quoting and booking purposes only.

The final e-waste charge is based on the actual scale weight recorded at pickup and may be subject to any stated minimum charge for e-waste-only bookings, where applicable.

Driver safety and right to refuse service

Our drivers may refuse, postpone, or decline to complete a pickup if they encounter unsafe conditions, prohibited materials, harassment, blocked or inaccessible materials, or any other circumstance that reasonably prevents safe completion of the job.

Billing, refund, and rescheduling consequences for these situations are governed by our Cancellation Policy and Refund Policy.

Photo documentation

For quality assurance, safety, billing support, and dispute resolution, FlatStack Pickup may document visits with photographs. These photos may include the condition, location, volume, and accessibility of materials before, during, and after service.

Photo documentation may be included with your digital receipt or retained as part of the service record.

Scheduling changes

Rescheduling and cancellation rules, including scheduling cutoffs, are governed by our Cancellation Policy.

Misuse and account restrictions

Misuse of the service, including repeated abuse of policies, attempts to dispose of prohibited items, unsafe conditions, or other conduct that interferes with safe operations, may result in account restrictions or refusal of future service at FlatStack's discretion.

Questions

If you have questions about accepted materials, staging, or access requirements, please contact us before your pickup at support@flatstackpickup.com.