A public resource guide
Every legitimate way to get rid of furniture, appliances, mattresses, and bulk waste in Sacramento, including 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year (Feb-Oct only), the annual Free Dump Day event in May, the annual Free Dump Coupon mailed in June, the City vs County service distinction, mandatory SB 1383 composting, and what to do when paid hauling isn't an option.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
Sacramento is uniquely structured: the City of Sacramento handles trash, recycling, and organics for residents inside city limits, while Sacramento County handles unincorporated areas and sets up its own one-bulky-pickup-per-12-months service. The result is two different rule sets depending on your address. City residents get 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year (February through October only) plus the annual Free Dump Day event in May and an annual Free Dump Coupon mailed each June. California's SB 1383 mandatory composting law applies citywide, food scraps must go in the green organics cart, not the gray trash cart. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
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Sacramento residents have free annual Household Junk Pickup (City: Feb-Oct only; County: 1 every 12 months), free annual Free Dump Day event in May, free annual Free Dump Coupon (mailed in June), free weekly trash, free biweekly recycling, free weekly organics composting (mandatory under SB 1383), free weekly used motor/cooking oil pickup, free Sacramento County HHW drop-off, and donation pickup programs. The City of Sacramento Department of Public Works serves approximately 108,000 residential accounts within city limits, while Sacramento County WMR serves unincorporated areas separately.
Free Household Junk Pickup (City: 1/year, Feb-Oct only)
Free, 1/yearCity of Sacramento residential customers can schedule one FREE Household Junk Pickup per year for excess or bulky waste. Service is available February through October ONLY, no pickups November through January. Schedule via 311, the Sac311 mobile app, or Sac311.org. Set items at curb by 6:00 AM on scheduled pickup day, separated from regular trash carts.
Eligibility: City of Sacramento residential customers (inside city limits).
Limit: 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year.
Season: February through October only. NOT available November-January.
How to schedule: Call 3-1-1 (or 916-264-5011 from outside city), use the Sac311 mobile app, or visit Sac311.org.
Set-out time: 6:00 AM on scheduled pickup day. Items separated from regular trash carts.
Volume: For large or heavy items exceeding limits, use the annual Free Dump Day event or self-haul to the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station with your free annual dump coupon.
County Bulky Waste Pickup (1 every 12 months, 5 cu yd)
Free, 1/12 monthsSacramento County residents (unincorporated areas) get one bulky waste pickup appointment every 12 months as part of their standard residential rate. Up to 5 cubic yards per appointment, about a pickup truck bed loaded to the top of the cab. Schedule via Customer Service (916-875-5555), online form, or the SacGreenTeam app.
Eligibility: Sacramento County residential customers (unincorporated areas, NOT city limits).
Limit: 5 cubic yards (8' x 4' x 4' = pickup truck bed).
Frequency: 1 every 12 months. Period starts on date of last service, not January-December.
How to schedule: Call 1086-875-5555 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM), submit online Bulky Waste Pickup form, or use the SacGreenTeam mobile app.
Special items: Appliances, e-waste, fluorescent tubes, clean lumber/tree trimmings, tires must be indicated when scheduling. These items go on a separate truck and must be set to one side of bulky waste material.
Excess: More than 5 cubic yards charged additional fees. Maximum 15 cubic yards per pickup.
Annual Free Dump Day (typically first Saturday in May)
Free, once a yearSacramento's annual Free Dump Day event lets residents drop off bulky waste at no charge. Typically held the first Saturday in May at the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station. May be rescheduled if it falls on a holiday weekend. This is in addition to the Household Junk Pickup, you can use both in the same year.
When: Typically first Saturday in May. Confirm via 311 or cityofsacramento.gov.
Where: Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station.
Cost: Free for Sacramento residents.
Useful for: Larger cleanouts, items beyond Household Junk Pickup limits, items the curbside service won't accept.
Annual Free Dump Coupon (mailed in June)
Free annualSacramento residents receive an annual Free Dump Coupon mailed in June. The coupon allows free self-haul to the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station, another free disposal option in addition to the Household Junk Pickup and Free Dump Day. Three free disposal options per year.
When: Coupon mailed annually in June.
Where: Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station.
What you need: The mailed coupon. Bring with photo ID and proof of residency.
Why this matters: Combined with the annual Household Junk Pickup and Free Dump Day, that's THREE separate free disposal options per year.
Mandatory Free Curbside Organics (SB 1383)
Free, mandatoryUnder California SB 1383 (effective January 2022), Sacramento residents are required to separate food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste from garbage and place them in the green organics cart for weekly collection. Free with City service, included in your monthly rate. The City provides a free kitchen pail for collecting food scraps. Failure to comply can result in fines.
What's required: All food scraps (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, dairy), food-soiled paper, all yard waste.
Frequency: Weekly collection on the same day as garbage.
Cost: Free with City trash service.
Free kitchen pail: Available from the City for collecting food scraps in the kitchen.
Why mandatory: California SB 1383 requires 75% reduction in organic waste landfill disposal by 2025. Putting food scraps in trash violates state law.
Free Used Motor & Cooking Oil Pickup (weekly)
Free curbsideSacramento residents get free WEEKLY curbside collection of used motor oil, oil filters, and cooking oil. Place sealed jugs next to your recycling cart on collection day. No appointment needed.
What's accepted: Used motor oil, oil filters, used cooking oil.
Frequency: Weekly on your collection day.
How: Sealed jug next to your recycling cart on collection day. No scheduling needed.
Cost: Free.
Sacramento County HHW Drop-Off
Free for residentsSacramento County operates Household Hazardous Waste drop-off facilities for paint, chemicals, batteries, motor oil (beyond curbside), automotive fluids, pesticides, and other HHW. Free for residents.
What's accepted: Paint, chemicals, batteries, automotive fluids, pesticides, household cleaners, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks.
Cost: Free for Sacramento County residents.
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. Sacramento partner expansion is in progress for 2026.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in Sacramento: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Donation-pickup programs
FreeSacramento-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 Sacramento ReStore: Free pickup for furniture, appliances, building materials.
Goodwill Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada: Donation pickup for larger items in the Sacramento metro area.
St. Vincent de Paul Sacramento: Sacramento-based Catholic charity. Free pickup of furniture, clothing, household items.
City vs County distinction. The City of Sacramento serves residents inside city limits with three-cart collection (gray trash, blue recycling, green organics). Sacramento County WMR (Department of Waste Management & Recycling) serves unincorporated areas with separate rules and a different bulky waste service. The two systems are NOT the same. Verify your service area: City customers call 3-1-1 or visit cityofsacramento.gov; County customers call 1086-875-5555 or visit wmr.saccounty.gov.
Three-cart system citywide. Gray for trash (64 or 96 gallons, weekly), blue for single-stream recycling (64 or 96 gallons, biweekly Week A or Week B), green for organics including BOTH yard waste AND food scraps under California SB 1383 (64 or 96 gallons, weekly). All three carts are City-issued and provided to every residential customer at no extra cost beyond the monthly service rate.
SB 1383 mandatory composting. As of January 1, 2022, California Senate Bill 1383 requires Sacramento residents to sort food scraps, yard debris, and food-soiled paper from trash and recycling. Food scraps are no longer acceptable in your gray trash cart. The City provides a free kitchen pail for collecting food scraps. Failure to comply with SB 1383 can result in fines.
Set-out rules. All carts at the curb by 6:00 AM on collection day. Carts may be placed out after 6:00 PM the night before. Collection runs 6:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Place carts with wheels facing the house and lids facing the street, at least 3 feet apart and away from obstacles (vehicles, poles, mailboxes, trees). Maximum weight per cart: approximately 200 pounds for safety.
Recycling rules. Single-stream, all recyclables in the blue cart together. Loose, never bagged. Empty, rinse, and dry all containers. Remove lids and caps. Flatten cardboard. Lids and labels OK on bottles and jars.
Permissive holiday schedule. Sacramento is one of the few large California cities where regular curbside collection is NOT suspended on most holidays. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays are normal collection days. However, City offices, HHW facilities, and transfer stations DO close on major holidays. Verify via the address calendar tool around major holidays since service levels can occasionally vary.
Household Junk Pickup season. The free annual Household Junk Pickup is available February through October ONLY. No pickups November through January. Plan accordingly, if you have a winter cleanout, use the annual Free Dump Coupon (mailed in June, valid all year), self-haul to the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station, or hire a paid hauler.
Cart size pricing. Monthly rate varies by gray (trash) cart size selected; blue and green carts do not change the base rate. Smaller cart = lower monthly bill. Sacramento County rates (effective July 1, 2025) range from $36.63 to $49.85/month depending on cart size.
City customer service. 3-1-1 (or 916-264-5011 from outside city limits). cityofsacramento.gov/public-works. SacRecycle and Sac311 mobile apps for personalized calendars.
County customer service. 916-875-5555 (Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM). wmr.saccounty.gov. SacGreenTeam mobile app for County customers.
Find your collection day. Address calendar at cityofsacramento.gov/collection_calendar (City) or wmr.saccounty.gov (County). Mobile apps provide personalized calendars and push reminders.
Sacramento'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 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year (City), already used the annual County Bulky Pickup, need same-day service, live in apartments using private dumpsters, or have items the city won't take, paid options are available. Note: Sacramento's combination of annual Junk Pickup + Free Dump Day + annual Free Dump Coupon = 3 free disposal options per year. Plan ahead and most households can avoid paid hauling entirely.
LoadUp paid pickup
$80+For households who already used their free annual options, need winter pickup (when Household Junk Pickup is unavailable), can't wait for next year's free service, live in apartment buildings without included service, or have items the city won't take, LoadUp offers professional removal in Sacramento 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-item cleanouts, items the city won't accept, winter pickups when free service is unavailable.
Other paid services in Sacramento: 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 Sacramento pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Different items have different rules in Sacramento. Here's a quick reference for the most common things people need to dispose of.
Sacramento residents can dispose of household hazardous waste at Sacramento County HHW drop-off facilities, free for County residents. Drop off paint, chemicals, batteries, motor oil (beyond the weekly curbside option), automotive fluids, pesticides, household cleaners, fluorescent bulbs, and propane tanks at no charge. 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 and SB 1383 for organics) restricts disposal of e-waste, batteries, and food scraps in regular trash.
To report illegal dumping in Sacramento, call 3-1-1 (City) or 916-875-5555 (County) or use the Sac311 mobile app. Sacramento offers up to a $1,000 reward for tips that lead to administrative civil penalties, citations, or arrests of illegal dumpers. Reports can also be filed online at cityofsacramento.gov or wmr.saccounty.gov. Include the location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. Sacramento actively investigates dumping reports through code enforcement. If you're considering dumping because of cleanout volume, please use the THREE free disposal options Sacramento offers each year: Household Junk Pickup (Feb-Oct), Free Dump Day (May), and the Free Dump Coupon (mailed June). Most cleanouts can be handled free with planning. For urgent timelines, paid haulers like LoadUp at $80+ are dramatically cheaper than illegal dumping fines under California law.
Is there really free junk removal in Sacramento?
Yes, Sacramento offers THREE free disposal options per year. (1) City of Sacramento residents get 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year, available February through October only (no winter pickups). (2) Annual Free Dump Day event, typically the first Saturday in May, where residents can drop off bulky waste at the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station free. (3) Annual Free Dump Coupon mailed each June, allowing free self-haul to the transfer station any time of year. Sacramento County residents (unincorporated areas) get 1 bulky waste pickup every 12 months (5 cubic yards) included in their service rate. SB 1383 mandates free curbside organics composting. Free weekly used motor oil pickup. Free County HHW disposal. Donation pickup through Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, Goodwill, and St. Vincent de Paul is also free for usable items.
Why is Household Junk Pickup only available February-October?
The City of Sacramento's free Household Junk Pickup service runs February through October only, no pickups November through January. This is a seasonal staffing and budget decision; the City concentrates bulky pickup capacity during the months when most cleanouts happen (post-holiday spring cleaning, summer move-outs, and fall yard cleanups). For winter cleanouts (November-January): use the Free Dump Coupon (which is valid year-round once mailed in June), self-haul to the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station, donate via Habitat ReStore or Salvation Army (both run year-round), or hire a paid hauler.
What's the difference between City and County service?
The City of Sacramento (incorporated city limits) and Sacramento County (unincorporated areas) operate two separate waste services with different rules. City customers: served by City of Sacramento Department of Public Works, three-cart system (gray/blue/green), 1 free Household Junk Pickup per year (Feb-Oct). Contact 3-1-1. County customers: served by Sacramento County WMR (Department of Waste Management & Recycling), 3-cart system, 1 free bulky pickup every 12 months (5 cu yd, year-round). Contact 916-875-5555. Many residents are unsure which they have, the easiest way to check is to call 3-1-1 first; if they don't serve your address they'll redirect you to the County. Both follow California SB 1383 mandatory composting rules.
Can I really compost meat and dairy in my green cart?
Yes, California SB 1383 (effective January 1, 2022) requires all food scraps to go in the green organics cart, including meat, fish, bones, shellfish, and dairy. Sacramento'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. The City provides a free kitchen pail for collecting food scraps in your kitchen. Putting food scraps in the gray trash cart violates state law and can result in fines.
How do I qualify for Freemoval in Sacramento?
Freemoval works through partner communities, typically affordable housing operators, public housing authorities, and select municipal partnerships. We’re actively expanding partnerships in Sacramento 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 Sacramento, contact us to discuss adding your community.
How does the County Bulky Pickup work for special items?
When scheduling a Sacramento County Bulky Waste Pickup, you must indicate any special items at the time of booking: appliances (must be empty of trash, doors taped/tied closed for child safety), e-waste (TVs, monitors, mobile phones, smaller devices in a cardboard box), fluorescent tubes (4 feet or less, no ballasts, ballasts are HHW), clean lumber/tree/shrub trimmings (max 4 inches diameter, 5 feet length, no treated wood mixed), and tires. These special items are collected by a SEPARATE TRUCK on your appointment day, set them to ONE SIDE of your bulky waste pile. If you don't indicate them when scheduling, they may not be collected. Schedule via 916-875-5555, online form, or the SacGreenTeam app.
How do I report illegal dumping in Sacramento?
Call 3-1-1 (City) or 916-875-5555 (County) or use the Sac311 mobile app. Sacramento offers up to a $1,000 reward for tips that lead to administrative civil penalties, citations, or arrests of illegal dumpers. 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 Sacramento partner properties through 2026. Reach out to prioritize your community.
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