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A public resource guide
Every free and paid way to get rid of a air conditioner in San Antonio, verified October 2026.
Checked against San Antonio SWMD
2
bulky collection weeks a year, plus 2 separate brush weeks
8 cu yd
maximum pile, within 8 feet of the curb
4
Bulky Waste Collection Centers, free with your CPS Energy bill
Every route for a air conditioner in San Antonio, checked in October 2026 against the city’s current rules and the drop-off sites named. The full San Antonio guide covers every other item.
Here is how each route works in San Antonio, starting with the city program and ending with paid pickup.
San Antonio curbside bulky item collection: air conditioners
FreeAC units are on the centers' accepted list and count as large appliances for the bulky pile. Central units replaced by a contractor are the contractor's to haul.
Who qualifies: City of San Antonio residential solid waste customers (the city-cart households). Apartment complexes use private haulers.
How to schedule: No appointment. Bulky collection comes twice a year and brush collection twice a year, on separate weeks. A door hanger arrives 7 to 10 days ahead with your set-out date; Find My Collection Day on sa.gov gives an estimate. Need it sooner? Request an out-of-cycle collection through 311 or 210-207-6000 for a fee estimate.
Limits: Up to 8 cubic yards per pile. Brush and bulky are separate services: a bulky pile that contains brush can be fined up to $2,000 a day plus a collection fee.
Set-out: Pile at the curb in front of your house (even if your garbage is collected in the alley), within 8 feet of the curb, by 7 a.m. Monday of your collection week, clear of parked cars, fences, trees, and meters. Crews can take all week to come through.
Bulky Waste Collection Centers: air conditioners
Free with CPS bill and IDAC units are specifically accepted.
Where: Four centers around the city; addresses and hours on sa.gov (Bitters is accessed from Jones Maltsberger and Wurzbach Parkway)
How it works: Residential customers only. Bring a recent CPS Energy bill showing the environmental fee and a photo ID, and the visit is free. Limits: 4 cubic yards of bulky items, 1 cubic yard of construction material, 6 tires with no rims. No household trash, no commercial loads.
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 San Antonio: 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 San Antonio: you can start the conversation now through the For partners page.
San Antonio runs a tightly structured but generous system: biannual curbside Brush & Bulky pickup (twice each per year, so 4 collections total spread throughout the year) with door-hanger notifications about 7-10 days before your week, a three-cart system (brown trash weekly, blue recycling weekly, green organics/composting weekly), and four FREE Bulky Waste Collection Centers open year-round for residents. The trade-off is the strict Tarp Law (Ordinance No. 2015-09-10-0760) requiring residents to cover brush loads or face a $5 penalty. Annual Free Landfill Day on Saturday, February 14, 2026 (8 AM-1 PM) offers an additional free disposal opportunity. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
The San Antonio rule for air conditioners: AC units are on the centers' accepted list and count as large appliances for the bulky pile. Central units replaced by a contractor are the contractor's to haul.
Program basics: Up to 8 cubic yards per pile. Brush and bulky are separate services: a bulky pile that contains brush can be fined up to $2,000 a day plus a collection fee. Pile at the curb in front of your house (even if your garbage is collected in the alley), within 8 feet of the curb, by 7 a.m. Monday of your collection week, clear of parked cars, fences, trees, and meters. Crews can take all week to come through.
What the city will not take: Brush in the bulky pile, construction debris, glass and mirrors, household hazardous waste, auto parts, and anything from a business.
How we checked this. The rules on this page were verified in October 2026 against: City of San Antonio SWMD: Curbside Brush and Bulky Item Collection, City of San Antonio SWMD: Bulky Waste Collection Centers. Programs change; confirm fees and limits before you go.
Hazardous and regulated components in San Antonio. San Antonio residents have multiple free HHW disposal options: (1) ONE permanent HHW center (Tue-Fri 8 AM-5 PM, Sat 8 AM-12 PM), (2) ONE monthly drop-off center on the first Friday/Saturday of each month (8 AM-12 PM), and (3) THREE quarterly mobile HHW collection events at rotating locations. All FREE for residents. Limits: paint and liquid waste 5 cans of 5-gallon size and 25 cans of 1-gallon size, with 220-lb max per container. 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, Walgreens for unused medications. The San Antonio River Authority hosts six free Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events each year in Wilson, Karnes, and Goliad counties (semi-annual events in spring and fall) for those county residents.
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, can’t wait until next Brush & Bulky week, exceed Bulky Center limits, have items the city won’t accept, live in apartment buildings, or want full-service in-home pickup, LoadUp offers professional removal in San Antonio 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 San Antonio with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Rules change at city limits. If you are outside San Antonio proper, start with the guide for your own city:
Related guides: the complete San Antonio 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 San Antonio: mattress, couch, refrigerator, washer and dryer, furniture, tv and electronics, dresser, bed frame and box spring.
Does San Antonio pick up air conditioners for free?
Yes, window units on your bulky week or at a center.
How much does paid air conditioner removal cost in San Antonio?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single air conditioner pickup in San Antonio 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, can't wait until next Brush & Bulky week, exceed Bulky Center limits, have items the city won't accept, live in apartment buildings, or want full-service in-home pickup, LoadUp offers professional removal in San Antonio 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 San Antonio page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource alongside the full San Antonio guide. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated October 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.