A public resource guide
Every legitimate way to get rid of furniture, appliances, mattresses, and bulk waste in Kansas City, MO, including FREE Bulky Item Pickup by appointment (no per-pickup fee, 15-item limit), the City-issued cart requirement, glass-not-in-curbside rule, the Freon-separate-truck rule, the Leaf and Brush program, and what to do when paid hauling isn't an option.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
Kansas City, Missouri runs an unusually generous appointment-based system: FREE Bulky Item Pickup by appointment for single-family homes and apartments with 6 units or fewer, with a remarkably high limit of 15 items per appointment (no item over 500 lbs). Trash and recycling are funded through property taxes, no separate monthly bill. The catch is the strict cart rules: trash MUST be in the official City-issued cart, ALL trash inside the cart must be BAGGED (no loose trash), the lid must fully close, and the cart can't exceed 250 lbs total. Glass is NOT accepted in curbside recycling, must be taken to drop-off locations. Refrigerators and freezers (CFC/Freon items) require a separate truck, must indicate when scheduling. Note: Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS are SEPARATE cities with separate programs, this page covers KCMO only. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
Start here
What brings you to this page today?
On this page
Kansas City residents have free Bulky Item Pickup by appointment (15 items, no item over 500 lbs), free weekly trash and recycling (funded by property taxes), seasonal Leaf and Brush curbside collection (twice yearly), three year-round Leaf and Brush drop-off sites (free Saturdays for KCMO residents), free HHW disposal at the 4707 Deramus facility, and donation pickup programs. The Kansas City Solid Waste Services Division provides residential service to over 150,000 households, single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments/housing in buildings with 6 or fewer units on a public street.
Free Bulky Item Pickup by Appointment (15 items per appointment)
Free, by appointmentKansas City provides FREE Bulky Item Pickup by appointment for single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments with 6 or fewer units. Schedule online via the Bulky Pickup Scheduler or by contacting 311. Up to 15 items per appointment, no item over 500 lbs. This is one of the most generous bulky item limits of any major U.S. city.
Eligibility: Single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments/housing in buildings with 6 units or fewer on a public street. Buildings with 7+ units must use private haulers.
Frequency: By appointment, no formal annual cap. Re-bookable.
Per-appointment limit: 15 items per appointment, no item over 500 lbs.
Cost: FREE for residential customers.
How to schedule: Online via the Bulky Pickup Scheduler at kcmo.gov OR call 311 (816-513-1313).
Refrigerants/CFCs: Refrigerators, freezers, and Freon-containing appliances require a SEPARATE truck. Must indicate when scheduling or items will not be collected.
Carpet rules: Carpet must be rolled up and over 4 ft long (~1.5m) or 40 lbs to qualify. Smaller pieces go in regular trash.
Lawn mower prep: Drain all fuel and oil before pickup.
Metal fencing/swing sets: Must be disassembled before pickup.
Storm windows/glass panes: Mark with a large "X" of masking tape and stack separately from other items.
NOT accepted: Paint, tires, yard waste, auto parts, loose building materials, masonry, household hazardous waste.
Free Weekly Trash & Recycling (funded by property taxes)
No separate feeKCMO provides weekly curbside trash and recycling to over 150,000 households at NO SEPARATE MONTHLY CHARGE, service is funded through property taxes. Each eligible home receives one trash cart and one recycling cart. Both are collected weekly on the same day, Monday through Friday.
Frequency: Weekly. Both trash and recycling on the same day.
Cost: No separate monthly bill, funded through property taxes.
Cart ownership: The City owns and maintains the carts. Carts are assigned to the address, if you move, leave the carts at the address.
Cart size: 96-gallon trash cart and 96-gallon recycling cart.
Set-out time: No earlier than 3 PM the day before. No later than 7 AM on collection day.
Bagged trash rule: ALL trash MUST be in plastic bags inside the cart. NO loose trash. Bags must weigh less than 40 lbs each. Cart total cannot exceed 250 lbs.
Lid rule: Cart lid must FULLY close. Open lid = overflowing = will not be collected.
Extra bags: Up to 2 bags with pre-paid trash tags collected each week outside the cart. Buy at Westlake Ace Hardware and Price Chopper.
Leaf and Brush Curbside Collection (Spring & Fall, plus year-round drop-offs)
Free, seasonal + drop-offsKCMO offers seasonal curbside Leaf and Brush collection TWICE A YEAR (spring late March-late April, fall October-November) by neighborhood zone. Between scheduled curbside weeks, residents can use THREE year-round drop-off sites on Saturdays for FREE (KCMO ID required).
Spring 2026: Routes by neighborhood, typically late March through late April. Example: South Kansas City, April 6-10, 2026.
Fall 2026: Routes by neighborhood, typically October through November.
Find your week: kcmo.gov/trash/leafandbrush.
Curbside set-out: Place leaves and brush at the curb by your regular trash day during your designated week. Do NOT place yard waste in the gutter, it can clog stormwater drains. Do not mix with trash bags or recycling.
Drop-off sites: 3 sites open Saturdays year-round. Free for KCMO residents (valid KCMO ID with address, or utility bill + photo ID required). Non-residents pay a fee.
Drop-off prep: Leaves do NOT need to be bagged. Brush does NOT need to be bundled.
Yard waste prohibited in trash/recycling carts: Yard waste must NEVER go in trash or recycling carts.
Free HHW Facility (4707 Deramus)
Free for residentsThe Regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 4707 Deramus, Kansas City, MO 64120 is open Thursdays and Fridays 9 AM-6 PM and Saturdays 9 AM-4 PM. Free for residents to drop off paint, automotive fluids, household cleaners, pesticides, batteries, and other HHW.
Address: 4707 Deramus, Kansas City, MO 64120 (just south of the Chouteau Bridge, access from National Avenue).
Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 9 AM-6 PM. Saturdays 9 AM-4 PM. Closed Sun-Wed.
What's accepted: Paint, automotive fluids, lawn and garden products, insecticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs.
Cost: Free for residents.
E-Waste Drop-Off (Midwest Recycling Center)
Free + some feesMost electronics can be recycled at Midwest Recycling Center. Most items are free; some may require a fee. KCMO does NOT accept electronics curbside in regular trash, recycling, or bulky pickup.
What's accepted: Computers, monitors, TVs, printers, peripherals, small appliances with cords cut off (latter goes in recycling).
Cost: Most items free; some require a fee (especially CRT TVs).
NOT in curbside: Never put electronics in any of the three regular curbside containers.
Freemoval (partner-community pickups)
FreeFreemoval is a social impact program that subsidizes free junk removal pickups in partner communities, typically affordable housing properties and select municipal partnerships. Kansas City partner expansion is in progress for 2026.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in Kansas City: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Donation-pickup programs
FreeKansas City-area nonprofits offer free pickup for items in usable condition.
The Salvation Army Kansas City: Free pickup of clothing, furniture, household items. Schedule at satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
Habitat for Humanity Kansas City ReStore: Multiple locations. Free pickup for furniture, appliances, building materials.
Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas: Donation pickup for larger items in the KC metro area.
City Union Mission: KC-based nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness. Accepts furniture, household goods, clothing.
KCMO Solid Waste Services Division. The City of Kansas City, Missouri Solid Waste Services Division provides residential trash, recycling, bulky item pickup, leaf and brush collection, and HHW services. Service is funded through property taxes, no separate monthly bill. Service is available to single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments/housing in buildings with 6 or fewer units on a public street. Properties on private streets and buildings with 7+ units must arrange private collection (common haulers in KC: Republic Services, GFL, Ted's Trash Service).
KCMO is NOT Kansas City, KS. Kansas City, Missouri (this page) and Kansas City, Kansas are SEPARATE cities, each with their own waste programs. Neighboring cities such as Overland Park, Olathe, Lee's Summit, Independence, Raytown, and North Kansas City are also NOT served by KCMO, they have their own arrangements (often with private haulers like GFL, Ted's Trash, or Republic Services).
City-issued cart requirement. Curbside collection requires the use of the official City-issued trash cart. The cart's lid must be fully closed for collection. Carts are assigned to the address (not the person), if you move, leave the carts at the address. Lost, stolen, or damaged carts: contact 311 or use the MyKCMO App (under "Trash Cart Program"). It may take up to 2 trash collection cycles (2 weeks) to receive, repair, or remove a cart.
Bag-everything rule. ALL trash must be in plastic bags inside the cart and fastened closed. NO loose trash directly in the cart. This includes pet waste, cat litter, diapers, ashes, and hygiene products. Individual bags must weigh less than 40 lbs each. Cart total cannot exceed 250 lbs.
Cart placement rules. Place trash cart and recycling cart at least 3 ft apart (about a broom's length). Cart must be within 3 ft of the road. Lid opening faces the roadway, with handles in the back. Do not place behind or next to obstacles, carts should be at least 4 ft from trees, mailboxes, lamp posts, parked cars. Bulky items (if scheduled) go away from the carts.
Set-out window. No earlier than 3 PM the day before. No later than 7 AM on collection day. Cart storage when not out: behind or beside your home, on or under a back porch, or inside your garage or shed.
Recycling rules. Single-stream, all accepted recyclables in the green tote together. Glass is NOT accepted in curbside recycling, must be taken to drop-off locations. Cardboard must be flattened. Don't bag recyclables. Plastics #1-#5 accepted. Extra recyclables that don't fit: container smaller than 32 gallons placed next to the recycling cart, OR clear plastic bag of recycling.
Pre-paid trash tags for extra bags. Up to 2 extra trash bags with pre-paid tags will be collected each week outside the cart. Buy tags at Westlake Ace Hardware and Price Chopper retail locations. Bags must weigh less than 40 lbs and be shorter than 4 feet long. Trash bags cannot be placed on vehicles or walls, or tied to fences or trees.
Holiday delays. No collection on the following 2026 holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1, Thu), MLK Day (Jan 19, Mon), Presidents' Day (Feb 16, Mon), Memorial Day (May 25, Mon), Juneteenth (Fri June 19), Labor Day (Sept 7, Mon), Veterans Day (Wed Nov 11), Thanksgiving (Nov 26, Thu), Christmas Day (Fri Dec 25). When a holiday occurs, missed pickup happens the next day, and each subsequent day shifts one day later.
Bulky Violation Notice. If your scheduled bulky items aren't collected, you'll receive a Bulky Violation Notice. Common reasons: too large or too many (over 500 lbs or more than 15 items), blocked by cars/fences/trees, hard to reach, contamination or prohibited items mixed in, items set out before scheduled appointment day. Correct the issue before next scheduled collection.
Find your trash day. Use the Your Trash Day Parcel Viewer at kcmo.gov/trash. Enter your street address; the map will outline your address and show your trash day in the navigation panel.
Customer service. 311 (816-513-1313). myKCMO mobile app for service requests. kcmo.gov/city-hall/trash.
Kansas City's donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (subject to program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
Items typically not accepted: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don't work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), and exercise equipment that requires reassembly. Always call before scheduling if you're unsure, pickups that find unacceptable items will leave them behind.
For households who exceed 15 items or 500 lbs in a single appointment, can't wait for an appointment to be scheduled, live in 7+ unit buildings without KCMO service, have items the city won't take (TVs, computers, tires, construction debris, hazardous waste), or need same-day pickup, paid options are available. Note: Kansas City's 15-item-per-appointment limit is dramatically more generous than most cities, most cleanouts can be handled in one or two free appointments with planning.
LoadUp paid pickup
$80+For households who need same-day or in-home pickup, exceed the 15-item or 500-lb limit, can't wait for the next appointment, live in 7+ unit buildings without KCMO service, or want full-service hauling, LoadUp offers professional removal in Kansas City with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What's included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes, crew handles in-home pickup.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
When this beats waiting: Move-outs, real estate timelines, multi-load cleanouts, items KCMO won't accept, off-cycle pickups.
Other paid services in KC: 1-800-Got-Junk, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Junk King, comparison-shop for larger jobs.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book a Kansas City pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Different items have different rules in Kansas City. Here's a quick reference for the most common things people need to dispose of.
Kansas City residents have free year-round HHW disposal at the Regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 4707 Deramus, Kansas City, MO 64120 (just south of the Chouteau Bridge). Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 9 AM-6 PM, Saturdays 9 AM-4 PM. Free for residents. Drop off paint, automotive fluids, lawn and garden products, household cleaners, pesticides, batteries, fluorescent bulbs. HHW is NEVER accepted in any of the three regular recycling drop-off centers or curbside trash. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, most pharmacies for unused medications. The City periodically sponsors special collection events for items like confidential paper shredding, call 311 for upcoming events.
To report illegal dumping in Kansas City, call 311 (816-513-1313) or use the myKCMO mobile app. Reports can also be filed online at kcmo.gov. Include the location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. Kansas City takes dumping seriously, illegal dumping is a serious offense subject to significant fines and possible imprisonment under Missouri law. Items placed at the curb before your scheduled bulky appointment day can also generate warning letters that escalate to $100/day fines if not removed within 10 days. If you're considering dumping because of cleanout volume, please use the FREE Bulky Item Pickup, with 15 items per appointment and no per-pickup fee, most cleanouts can be handled completely free with one or two appointments. For urgent timelines, paid haulers like LoadUp at $80+ are dramatically cheaper than illegal dumping fines.
Is there really free junk removal in Kansas City?
Yes, Kansas City, Missouri provides one of the most generous free disposal programs of any major U.S. city. Residents in single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments with 6 or fewer units get FREE Bulky Item Pickup by appointment, with up to 15 items per appointment (no item over 500 lbs). No per-pickup fee, no annual cap. Plus: free weekly trash and recycling (funded by property taxes, no separate monthly bill), seasonal Leaf and Brush curbside collection twice a year, three year-round Saturday Leaf and Brush drop-off sites (free for KCMO residents with ID), free HHW disposal at the 4707 Deramus facility, and free donation pickup through Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, Goodwill, and City Union Mission. Note: TVs, computers, tires, construction debris, and hazardous waste are NOT accepted in bulky or curbside, use the dedicated programs.
Why does ALL my trash have to be bagged inside the cart?
KCMO's "bag everything" rule keeps the cart clean (loose food waste, cat litter, ashes, and pet waste decompose and create persistent odors that contaminate carts), reduces wind-blown litter (loose paper and packaging escape carts during transport and dumping), and protects collection workers (loose hazards like broken glass, sharp objects, or chemical residue can injure workers). Individual bags must weigh less than 40 lbs (so workers can lift them), and the cart total can't exceed 250 lbs. The lid must fully close, an open lid means an overflowing cart, and the cart will not be collected. Loose trash inside the cart is considered contamination and may result in a violation notice.
Why is glass not accepted in the green recycling tote?
Like several other major U.S. cities (Albuquerque, Portland), Kansas City has stopped accepting glass in curbside single-stream recycling because broken glass shards contaminate paper and other recyclables, sending otherwise-recyclable material to the landfill. Instead, KCMO directs residents to glass drop-off locations. The good news: KCMO compensates by having three free Leaf and Brush drop-off sites and a generous bulky pickup program. The trade-off, less convenient glass disposal in exchange for cleaner, more valuable single-stream recycling output, is a deliberate policy choice. Find current glass drop-off locations at kcmo.gov/trash/recycling.
I scheduled a bulky pickup but received a warning letter. What happened?
Several things can trigger this. The most common: items placed at the curb BEFORE your scheduled appointment day. Even though you have a confirmed appointment, neighbors can complain about visible trash piles, and KCMO Code Enforcement can issue warning letters threatening $100+/day fines if items aren't removed within 10 days. To avoid this: (1) Don't set items out earlier than the day before your appointment. (2) Keep proof of your appointment (email confirmation, screenshot). (3) If you receive a warning letter despite a valid appointment, call 311 immediately and reference your appointment confirmation number, they can typically clear the warning. The system isn't perfect, and the FOX 4 Kansas City news has reported on resident frustration with this exact situation.
How do I qualify for Freemoval in Kansas City?
Freemoval works through partner communities, typically affordable housing operators, public housing authorities, and select municipal partnerships. We’re actively expanding partnerships in Kansas City through 2026. If your property is part of the program, your property manager will provide a booking code. If you operate housing or work in a city department in Kansas City, contact us to discuss adding your community.
I live in Kansas City, KS, does this page apply to me?
No. Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO, this page) and Kansas City, Kansas (KCK, also called Wyandotte County / Unified Government) are SEPARATE cities with separate waste programs. The two cities sit on opposite sides of the Missouri-Kansas state line and the Kansas (Kaw) River. KCK has its own trash and recycling system run by the Unified Government Public Works. Many neighboring cities, Overland Park, Olathe, Lee's Summit, Independence, Raytown, North Kansas City, also have their own arrangements (often with private haulers like GFL, Republic Services, Ted's Trash). To find the right resource for your specific city, search "[your city] trash and recycling" online or call the city's general number.
How do I report illegal dumping in Kansas City?
Call 311 (816-513-1313) or use the myKCMO mobile app. Reports can also be filed online at kcmo.gov. Include location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible.
Is this page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated May 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
Freemoval is actively onboarding Kansas City partner properties through 2026. Reach out to prioritize your community.
Start a partnership conversation