A public resource guide
Every legitimate way to get rid of furniture, appliances, mattresses, and bulk waste in Los Angeles, including LASAN's free bulky item pickup (10 collections per year, 10 items each), separate free curbside e-waste pickup, S.A.F.E. Collection Centers, mandatory composting under SB 1383, and what to do when paid hauling isn't an option.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
LA has one of the most generous bulky item pickup programs of any major U.S. city: 10 free scheduled collections per year, with up to 10 items per collection, on your regular trash day. Large electronics get a separate free pickup that doesn't count against your annual limit. Critical to know: LASAN serves only properties within City of LA limits, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Inglewood, Torrance, and Long Beach are NOT served by LASAN. Most apartment buildings use recycLA franchise haulers, not LASAN. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
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LA residents have free bulky item pickup (10 collections per year, 10 items each), separate free curbside e-waste pickup, free S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) Collection Centers for hazardous waste, mandatory curbside composting under SB 1383, and donation pickup programs. The LA Sanitation & Environment department (LASAN) serves single-family homes and small multi-family properties (up to 4 units) within City of Los Angeles limits.
Free bulky item pickup (10 per year, 10 items each)
Free, 10x/yearLASAN provides free curbside bulky item pickup for all eligible LASAN-served properties, up to 10 scheduled collections per year, with up to 10 items per collection. Items are collected on your regular trash collection day, at least one business day after your request.
Eligibility: Single-family homes and small multi-family properties up to 4 units within City of Los Angeles limits. Properties served by LASAN. Apartment buildings with 5+ units use recycLA franchise haulers, NOT LASAN.
Annual limit: 10 scheduled collections per year, 10 items per collection.
How to schedule: Call 1-800-773-2489 (24/7) or use the MyLA311 app or myla311.lacity.org. Have an itemized list ready.
Set-out time: Place items curbside by 7:00 AM on your trash collection day following the request. Do not place items out more than one day before. Keep bulky items separate from all three regular carts.
NOT accepted: Automotive parts (tires, engines, transmissions), construction debris (lumber, drywall, roofing), commercial waste, cardboard boxes (use blue recycling cart), hazardous materials (use S.A.F.E. Centers).
Separate free e-waste pickup (does NOT count against annual limit)
Free, separateLarge electronics (TVs, computer monitors, large printers) get a separate free curbside e-waste pickup that does NOT count against your 10 annual bulky item appointments. Call 311 to schedule. This is a great option if you have multiple electronics to dispose of.
What's accepted: TVs, computer monitors, large printers, large electronics.
How to schedule: Call 311 or use MyLA311.
Annual limit: No specific cap, separate from the 10-item bulky pickup limit.
Why this matters: California state law (the Electronic Waste Recycling Act) bans e-waste from regular trash. Best Buy also offers free electronics recycling year-round.
S.A.F.E. Collection Centers (4 locations)
Free for residentsLA residents can safely drop off household hazardous waste (HHW) and electronic waste at S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) Collection Centers. Four locations citywide, open Saturday-Sunday 9 AM-3 PM.
What's accepted: Paint, motor oil, propane tanks, sharps, computers, TVs, microwaves, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, household chemicals.
Locations (4): Open weekends only. Find specific locations and hours at lacitysan.org.
Limits: 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle per visit.
What you need: Pack HHW in cardboard or plastic bins. Label original containers. Stay in vehicle during unloading for safety.
Six free bulky item drop-off events per year
Free for residentsLASAN hosts six annual bulky item drop-off events for City of LA residents who can self-haul. Useful when you've hit your 10-collection limit or need to dispose of items quickly. Locations rotate citywide.
What's accepted: List of materials differs from residential curbside bulky item collection, check event details.
What you need: Most current LADWP bill AND State-issued Driver's License or State ID. Without these, delivery will not be accepted.
Hours: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at scheduled locations.
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. LA partner expansion is in progress for 2026.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in LA: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Donation-pickup programs
FreeLA-area nonprofits offer free pickup for items in usable condition.
The Salvation Army: Free pickup of clothing, furniture, household items. Schedule at satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Multiple LA-area locations. Pickup for furniture, appliances, building materials.
Goodwill of Southern California: Donation pickup for larger items in the LA metro area.
Three-cart system. Every LASAN-served home receives three color-coded carts collected on the same weekday: black for trash (weekly), blue for recycling (every other week, A/B schedule), and green for organics (weekly). Recycling and organics are included free with your trash service, pricing is based on trash cart size, so smaller carts cost less.
City of LA ≠ LA County. This is the most important thing to understand: LASAN serves only properties within City of Los Angeles limits. Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Inglewood, Torrance, Long Beach, and dozens of other cities have separate solid waste programs and are NOT served by LASAN. If you live in one of those cities, none of the LASAN rules apply to you, you have your own city's waste service. Use the LASAN address lookup or call 1-800-773-2489 to verify.
Apartment buildings use recycLA. Multi-family buildings with 5+ units within City of LA limits are served by recycLA franchise haulers, NOT LASAN. Each zone has a designated franchise hauler. Bulky item service through recycLA may have different rules and may not be free, ask your property manager which hauler serves your building.
Mandatory organics under SB 1383. California Senate Bill 1383 and City Ordinance 187711 require all City of LA residents to separate organic materials from trash. This is mandatory, it applies to renters and homeowners alike. Collected organics are composted and returned as soil amendments. Accepted: all food scraps (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, shellfish), food-soiled paper, yard trimmings.
Set-out rules. Place trash cart outside by 7 AM on your collection day. Lid should face the front of the street. Bring cart back as soon as collection is done. 3 feet from all other containers. Wrong material in cart or cart hidden behind static objects (poles, mailboxes) means no service.
Holiday delays. Four holidays cause a one-day delay: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Labor Day (Sep 7), Thanksgiving (Nov 26), and Christmas Day (Dec 25). Independence Day in 2026 falls on Saturday so there's no weekday impact. MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans' Day are fully normal service days. LASAN Customer Care at 1-800-773-2489 is open 24 hours every holiday.
Christmas tree pickup. LASAN collects trees curbside starting with the first collection day after December 25 through the end of the second full week of January. Place tree next to the green cart. Strip all decorations, lights, tinsel, stands, and plastic bags. Cut trees over 6 feet in half. Flocked trees (artificial snow) go in the black trash cart, not green.
LA Sanitation & Environment. Customer care: 1-800-773-2489 (24/7). lacitysan.org or myla311.lacity.org. The largest urban sanitation system on the West Coast.
Los Angeles'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 10 free bulky pickups per year, can't wait for the next available appointment slot, live in 5+ unit apartment buildings (served by recycLA, not LASAN), or live outside City of LA limits, paid options are available. Note: due to high demand, LASAN response times can stretch to multiple weeks, comparison-shop carefully if your timeline is urgent.
LoadUp paid pickup
$80+For households who can't wait weeks for an LASAN appointment, exceed 10 annual collections, live in 5+ unit buildings, or live outside City of LA limits where LASAN doesn't serve, LoadUp offers professional removal across Greater LA 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.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $700 depending on volume. LA pricing trends slightly higher due to traffic, parking, and disposal costs.
Other paid services in LA: 1-800-Got-Junk, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Junk King, plus dozens of local Los Angeles haulers, 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 an LA pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Different items have different rules in Los Angeles. Here's a quick reference for the most common things people need to dispose of.
LA operates four S.A.F.E. (Solvents/Automotive/Flammables/Electronics) Collection Centers for residents to dispose of paint, motor oil, propane tanks, sharps, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronics, and household chemicals at no charge. Open Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM-3 PM. Limit: 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle per visit. Pack items in cardboard or plastic bins, label original containers, stay in your vehicle during unloading for safety. 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, and most pharmacies for unused medications. California state law (the Electronic Waste Recycling Act) bans e-waste from regular trash.
To report illegal dumping in LA, call 311 or use the MyLA311 app. Reports can also be filed at myla311.lacity.org. Include the location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. LASAN actively investigates dumping reports and will pick up illegally dumped items free of charge. If you're considering dumping because you've hit your 10-collection limit or can't wait for service, please use the six annual bulky drop-off events or a paid hauler, LoadUp pickups starting around $80 are dramatically cheaper than illegal dumping fines, which under California law routinely exceed $1,000 plus restitution.
Is there really free junk removal in LA?
Yes, LASAN provides one of the most generous bulky item programs of any major U.S. city. Eligible residents (single-family homes and small multi-family properties up to 4 units within City of LA limits) get up to 10 free scheduled collections per year, with up to 10 items per collection. Large electronics (TVs, monitors, large printers) get a separate free curbside e-waste pickup that does NOT count against the 10 annual appointments. S.A.F.E. Collection Centers handle hazardous waste free for residents. Six annual bulky drop-off events provide additional free options. Donation pickup through Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, and Goodwill is also free for usable items.
Why doesn't LASAN serve my address?
LASAN serves only properties within City of Los Angeles limits. Many cities surrounded by LA, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood, Inglewood, Torrance, Long Beach, are separate cities with their own waste programs. The LA County boundary is much larger than the City of LA. Use the LASAN address lookup at lacitysan.org or call 1-800-773-2489 to verify whether your address is in the City of LA. If not, contact your specific city's solid waste program for bulky pickup options.
I live in an apartment building. What are my options?
Multi-family buildings with 5+ units within City of LA limits are served by recycLA franchise haulers, NOT LASAN. Each zone has a designated franchise hauler. Bulky item service through recycLA may have different rules and may not be free, ask your property manager which hauler serves your building. Smaller buildings (up to 4 units) within City of LA are served by LASAN and qualify for the standard 10-collection annual program. Buildings outside City of LA have their own city or private hauler. This gap is exactly why Freemoval exists: residents of multi-family low-income housing often have the fewest free options.
How do I qualify for Freemoval in LA?
Freemoval works through partner communities, typically affordable housing operators, public housing authorities, and select municipal partnerships. We’re actively expanding partnerships in LA 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 LA, contact us to discuss adding your community.
How long does LASAN bulky pickup take to schedule?
LASAN typically schedules bulky item pickup for the next regular trash collection day, at least one business day after your request. However, due to high demand, especially during peak periods like spring cleaning and summer move-outs, response times can stretch to multiple weeks. If your timeline is urgent (move-out, real estate closing, code violation), use a paid hauler instead. LoadUp and similar services typically offer same-day or next-day pickup starting around $80 per item.
Can I really compost meat and dairy in my green cart?
Yes, California SB 1383 and LA City Ordinance 187711 require all food scraps to go in the green organics cart, including meat, fish, bones, shellfish, and dairy. LA's organics processing facilities are designed to handle these items. Use a paper bag or wrap food scraps in newspaper to keep the bin clean, never plastic bags, even ones labeled compostable. The cart is collected weekly. Putting food scraps in the trash violates state law and can result in fines.
How do I report illegal dumping in LA?
Call 311 or use the MyLA311 app. Reports can also be filed at myla311.lacity.org. Include location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. LASAN will pick up illegally dumped items free of charge after the report is filed.
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 Los Angeles partner properties through 2026. Reach out to prioritize your community.
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