What LA Sanitation means by a bulky item
A bulky item is anything non-hazardous and non-electronic that is too large to fit in the black trash bin,1 in LA Sanitation's definition.
The City's list includes TVs, computers and monitors as electronic waste.
The curbside service at no additional charge
LA Sanitation's bulky pickup is an unlimited curbside service at no additional charge1 for the household it serves, picking up large items that do not fit in the bins. The blue bin service covers single-family homes and small buildings of four units or fewer.2
How a pickup is scheduled, and the itemized list the City asks for
Bulky items are collected on the household's regular trash day,1 and residents can schedule the pickup through an online service request form, the MyLA311 mobile app or the 24-hour Customer Care Center.
Residents are asked to have an itemized list ready, such as "one mattress, two chairs, and a desk",1 so a right-sized truck can be sent, and drivers can only pick up the specific items listed on their daily work order.3
What crews take at the curb
The curb list is furniture (couches, tables, chairs), mattresses and box springs, toilets and sinks, carpet rolled and tied, large wood pieces or doors, and electronic waste (TVs, computers and monitors).1
A separate Metal Appliance Pickup3 covers refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners and water heaters, on its own page.
The Metal Appliance Pickup3 page asks residents to remove the doors from a refrigerator or freezer before putting it at the curb, because this prevents children from accidentally getting trapped inside while playing.
What the curbside pickup leaves off
A shorter refused list runs for safety and environmental reasons: automotive parts or used oil, construction materials (concrete, bricks, dirt), commercial appliances, paints, solvents or chemicals, medicines or needles, fluorescent lights, or cardboard, with one exception for a scheduled move-in or move-out service.1
What the City takes and what it refuses at the curb
Both lists are LA Sanitation's, from its bulky item pickup page.
The City will gladly take
- Furniture: couches, tables, chairs
- Mattresses and box springs
- Toilets and sinks
- Carpet, rolled and tied
- Large wood pieces or doors
- Electronic waste: TVs, computers, monitors
The City cannot pick up
- Automotive parts or used oil
- Construction materials: concrete, bricks, dirt
- Commercial appliances
- Paints, solvents or chemicals
- Medicines or needles
- Fluorescent lights
- Cardboard, with one exception the City names
Source: LA Sanitation & Environment, Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup.
Paint, solvents, chemicals and the other household hazardous waste the City names must be taken to a S.A.F.E. Center and do not go in the black bin,4 in LA Sanitation's words. Construction materials, concrete, bricks and dirt are among the items the City lists as items it cannot pick up at the curb.
Appliances, brush and the free monthly drop-off events
Each single-family pickup has its own list. The Metal Appliance Pickup covers large metal and household appliances at no extra cost: refrigerators and freezers, washers and dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters and standard heaters;3 for an item that is not listed but is mostly metal, residents can call to ask. The Annual Brush Pickup is a free, once-a-year collection of extra yard trimmings5 for all households LA Sanitation serves; each bundle must be tied and no longer than four feet or heavier than 30 pounds.
A Saturday drop-off is also open for households that do not want to wait for the next pickup day. A free monthly bulky item drop-off event on a Saturday opens five locations across the city from 8am to 4:30pm: East Valley in Sun Valley, West Valley in Northridge, Harbor in San Pedro, West LA and Central LA.1 A household can bring its bulky items to one of those sites on the Saturday.
| Item or situation | What the City says | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Couches, tables, chairs | Will gladly take | Bulky item pickup page1 |
| Mattresses and box springs | Will gladly take | Bulky item pickup page1 |
| Carpet, rolled and tied | Will gladly take | Bulky item pickup page1 |
| Refrigerators, washers, dryers | Metal Appliance Pickup at no extra cost | Metal Appliance Pickup3 |
| Yard brush and trimmings, once a year | Free Annual Brush Pickup | Annual Brush Pickup5 |
| Paint, solvents, chemicals | Household hazardous waste, S.A.F.E. Center | Black bin collection4 |
| Construction materials | Cannot pick up at the curb | Bulky item pickup page1 |
Donating first
A piece still in good shape can go to a local thrift store or a charity, or be listed on a community exchange app1 before a pickup is scheduled. No store is named.
Weighing the City's pickup against a hauler
A piece that is on the City's list, like a couch or a mattress, gives a household two paths to weigh. The City's own curbside pickup runs on the regular trash day; a hauling business takes the piece after a phone call that describes it and where it sits. The free monthly Saturday drop-off is the other City route; what moves the price for a hauler is on its own page.
The service pages here are an alternative to the City's service. Furniture removal, mattress pickup, appliance removal and bagged yard waste are the main pages on this site; the services page is the index.