Home › By item › Water heater › Portland
A public resource guide
Free water heater removal in Portland, OR
Free at Metro or a scrap yard.
Checked against City of Portland
Home › By item › Water heater › Portland
A public resource guide
Free at Metro or a scrap yard.
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
Every route for a water heater 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: water heaters
Hauler pickup, $18 trip + per itemA water heater is $18 plus $6 through your hauler, or free at Metro and scrap yards.
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: water heaters
FreeMetal appliance.
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 water heaters, 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 water heaters: A water heater is $18 plus $6 through your hauler, or free at Metro and scrap yards.
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 water heaters are different from ordinary bulk. The weight problem is entirely water. People try to tip a tank that has not fully drained and discover that 30 remaining gallons weigh 250 pounds. Sediment at the bottom can also clog the drain valve, leaving the tank heavier than it looks. Flushing with the cold supply on for a minute often clears it.
Three mistakes that get water heaters left at the curb:
Paid options come into play for basement tanks with difficult stairs, heat pump units, and situations where no replacement is being installed.
Self-haul to a transfer station or scrap yard
Free to $15A drained tank lies flat in a pickup bed or a large SUV. Scrap yards take them free; transfer stations may charge a small bulky item fee.
Strap it down. An empty tank rolls.
LoadUp paid water heater 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 water heater. 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 water heater 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 water heater 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 water heaters for free?
Not free curbside ($18 plus $6). Free at Metro or a scrap yard.
How much does paid water heater removal cost in Portland?
Through the LoadUp marketplace, a single water heater 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.
How do I drain a water heater before disposal?
Turn off the gas or the breaker and shut the cold water supply. Connect a garden hose to the drain valve and run it to a floor drain or outside. Open a hot tap upstairs and the T&P valve to let air in. When the flow stops, open the cold supply briefly to flush sediment, then close it and let the tank finish draining. Expect 20 to 40 minutes for a 50 gallon tank.
Can a water heater go out with bulk trash?
In most cities, yes, as long as it is drained. Some cities treat it as an appliance with its own appointment. Check the local rule in the directory below.
Will a scrap yard pay for an old water heater?
Usually a few dollars for the steel, more for a tankless unit with a copper heat exchanger. Most yards require the tank to be fully drained and some ask that the drain valve be removed.
Is there anything hazardous in a water heater?
Standard gas and electric tanks contain no refrigerant or regulated materials. Heat pump water heaters contain refrigerant in the compressor and must be handled like a refrigerator. The glass lining and the magnesium or aluminum anode rod are inert.
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.