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A public resource guide
Free air conditioner removal in Portland, OR
Every free and paid way to get rid of a air conditioner in Portland, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Portland
Home › By item › Air conditioner › Portland
A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of a air conditioner in Portland, verified October 2026.
Checked against City of Portland
$18
pickup fee per trip through your assigned garbage company
$21 to $29
per piece of furniture or mattress on top of the trip fee
Free
mattress and electronics drop-off at Metro transfer stations under Oregon programs
$30
Metro Central and Metro South transfer stations, $30 per coolant appliance
Every route for a air conditioner in Portland, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full Portland guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in Portland, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
Portland bulky waste pickup through your garbage company: air conditioners
Hauler pickup, $18 trip + per itemAir conditioners are coolant appliances: $18 plus about $51 through your hauler or $30 at Metro.
Who qualifies: Residential customers of Portland's franchised garbage companies. There is no free city bulky program; every address has an assigned hauler that charges city-set rates.
How to schedule: Call your assigned garbage company (find it at portland.gov) at least a week ahead. The hauler must collect within 7 days of the request. Cost is an $18 pickup fee per trip plus a per-item charge set by the city: $29 for extra-large items, $21 for large, $6 for appliances and electronics, more for coolant appliances.
Limits: No item limit, but each item is charged. Use the city's bulky waste cost calculator before booking.
Set-out: At the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled day and no more than 24 hours before. Miss the window and you pay the trip fee twice. Early set-outs soak up rain and attract dumping.
Metro Central and Metro South transfer stations: air conditioners
$30 per coolant applianceLimit 5 per day.
Where: Metro Central: 6161 NW 61st Ave, Portland. Metro South: 2001 Washington St, Oregon City.
How it works: Self-haul, $30 minimum for public loads weighed by the ton. Mattresses and electronics (up to 7 items a day) are free under Oregon state programs. Coolant appliances $30 each, limit 5 a day. Other metal appliances free. Household hazardous waste free. Tires accepted for a per-tire fee.
Freemoval (free pickups through partner organizations)
FreeFreemoval funds free junk removal and cleanouts for households referred by trusted partner organizations, such as nonprofits, housing programs, and senior services. Families don’t apply directly. A partner submits the request and vouches for the need.
Status in Portland: Not yet available. Freemoval currently serves metro Atlanta and plans to expand nationwide.
How it works where it operates: One free pickup per household, covering air conditioners, furniture, appliances, and bulk household items within standard LoadUp marketplace service. Funded by LoadUp customer round-ups and direct contributions, spent at standard LoadUp rates.
If you run a nonprofit or housing program in Portland: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
Portland’s system is genuinely different from every other major U.S. city covered: there is no city-run bulky item pickup program. Each property is assigned to a specific garbage hauler by neighborhood, and bulky items are picked up by that hauler at City-set rates. Portland also runs the only major U.S. 4-stream curbside collection, trash, recycling, glass (separate yellow bin), and compost, with garbage collected biweekly while the others are weekly. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The Portland rule for air conditioners: Air conditioners are coolant appliances: $18 plus about $51 through your hauler or $30 at Metro.
Program basics: No item limit, but each item is charged. Use the city's bulky waste cost calculator before booking. At the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled day and no more than 24 hours before. Miss the window and you pay the trip fee twice. Early set-outs soak up rain and attract dumping.
What the city will not take: Nothing is free curbside. Hazardous waste, tires, and construction debris go to Metro transfer stations instead. Mattresses and electronics are free at Metro stations under Oregon programs.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of Portland BPS: Bulky waste collection rates, Metro: Garbage, recycling, and hazardous waste disposal (transfer stations). Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in Portland. Portland residents can dispose of household hazardous waste at Metro’s two Hazardous Waste Facilities, Metro Central (Portland) and Metro South (Oregon City). Accepted: paint, pool/spa chemicals, pesticides, automotive products, solvents, household cleaners, batteries, propane tanks, mercury thermometers/thermostats. Nominal fees apply but are typically less than $25 for residential loads. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries (or use the free curbside next-to-glass-bin option), Best Buy for electronics, and most pharmacies for unused medications. Used motor oil and cooking oil are picked up FREE curbside, just place sealed jugs next to your yellow glass bin.
Why air conditioners are different from ordinary bulk. The refrigerant is the whole story. Older units use R-22, which was phased out of production in 2020; newer ones use R-410A, which is itself being phased down under the AIM Act. Both are potent greenhouse gases and both must be captured, which is why landfills refuse ACs and why some cities charge a small refrigerant recovery fee.
Three mistakes that get air conditioners left at the curb:
Paid options matter when the unit is a heavy central condenser with no contractor involved, or when the city only offers a drop-off you cannot get to.
HVAC technician refrigerant recovery
$50 to $150An EPA-certified technician can recover the refrigerant from a window unit or condenser at your home and tag it. After that, the unit is ordinary scrap metal and any recycler or bulk program will take it.
Worth it for central condensers that need to be moved by a general hauler rather than an HVAC company.
LoadUp paid air conditioner pickup
$80+For households who need same-day service, want full-service in-home pickup (no curbside drag-out), live in 5+ unit buildings, or have items their hauler won’t accept, LoadUp offers professional removal in Portland with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
What’s included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal of your air conditioner. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes.
Pricing: Starts around $80 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
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 air conditioner pickup in Portland with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside Portland proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete Portland junk removal guide (every item type, city services, hazardous waste, and how to report dumping) and the national air conditioner disposal guide with rules for all 117 cities we cover.
Other free removal guides for Portland: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does Portland pick up air conditioners for free?
Not free. About $69 through your hauler or $30 at Metro.
How much does paid air conditioner removal cost in Portland?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single air conditioner pickup in Portland starts around $80 to $100 with upfront pricing, and full-truck loads run $300 to $600 depending on volume. For households who need same-day service, want full-service in-home pickup (no curbside drag-out), live in 5+ unit buildings, or have items their hauler won’t accept, LoadUp offers professional removal in Portland with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal.
Can I throw a window air conditioner in the trash?
No. Air conditioners contain refrigerant regulated under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, and landfills and transfer stations refuse them. Use a city appliance pickup, a scrap recycler with recovery equipment, or a retailer or utility takeback.
Do I have to remove the refrigerant myself?
You cannot legally do it without EPA certification. City programs, scrap yards with recovery equipment, and HVAC technicians handle it. Your job is to deliver the unit intact with the lines uncut.
Is there a fee to dispose of an air conditioner?
Many cities collect ACs free with appliance pickup. Some charge $10 to $30 for refrigerant recovery, and a few require drop-off at a solid waste facility. Scrap yards are usually free. HVAC technicians charge $50 to $150 for on-site recovery.
What about portable air conditioners on wheels?
Same rules. Portable units contain refrigerant and go through the same appliance channels as window units. Drain the condensate tank before moving it.
Is this Portland page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full Portland guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.