Burbank's bulky item pickup looks like Los Angeles' at first glance, but it has two twists: a per-item fee on appliances, mattresses and tires, and a photo requirement when you book online. Here's how the City's program works, what it refuses, and where Burbank residents can drop things off themselves.
Who the City picks up for
Burbank is its own charter city, not part of Los Angeles.[1] Under its municipal code, the City itself collects garbage, green waste and recyclables.[2] Every resident and business now gets trash, recycling and organics from one provider.[3]
A "Burbank" mailing address isn't always a Burbank address. On the City's ZIP code map, the areas inside city limits are 91501, 91502, 91504, 91505 and 91506, plus the studio ZIPs 91521 to 91523. Neighboring 91601, 91602, 91605 and 91606 (North Hollywood and nearby) sit outside the city line.[4] If you're on the Los Angeles side, use the LA bulky pickup guide instead.
Two ways to book
| Method | Deadline | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Our Burbank 311 portal or app | 2 business days before trash day, holidays excluded | A photo of each item[5] |
| Phone, (818) 238-3800 | 1 business day before trash day, holidays excluded | Call Mon–Fri, 7:30am–4:00pm[5] |
The phone route gives you an extra day, but only during office hours. The app works any time, as long as you plan two business days out and have photos ready.
If an item turns out to be too big or too heavy for the crew on your trash day, they tag it and collect it on the Friday after.[5]
Which items are free and which carry a fee
Burbank splits bulky items into two groups.
| No Special Handling Fee | $12.14 per item since July 1, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Bed frames, chairs, couches, cribs, dressers, tables | Refrigerators, freezers, stoves, dishwashers |
| TVs, rugs, metal furniture, large plastic toys | Washers, dryers, water heaters, water softeners |
| Furnaces | AC units, compressors, drinking fountains |
| Propane or oxygen tanks, emptied with the valve removed | Mattresses and box springs |
| Up to two pallets in good condition | Tires (up to 4), gas lawnmowers, chainsaws and leaf blowers |
Sources for the table: the City's bulky pickup page.[5]
The fee is charged to your Burbank Water & Power account, and only the BWP account holder can schedule the fee items.[5] If you rent, that usually means asking whoever's name is on the utility account to book the fridge or mattress for you.
The fee adds up on a move-out. A fridge, washer, dryer, mattress and box spring is five items, which means five separate fees on the BWP bill.
Setting items out on pickup day
Burbank's set-out rules are short:[5]
- Don't put bulky items out until the night before your trash day.
- Keep them at least 5 feet from fixed objects like poles, trees, mailboxes and parked cars.
- Take the doors off any refrigerator.
Business items don't qualify. A sofa from a furniture store, a fridge from a restaurant or a washer from a laundromat can't go out for City bulky pickup. For business items, the City tells people to donate them, rent a temporary dumpster or call a junk removal service.[5]
What the City won't take, and where it goes
Bulky pickup excludes construction materials: bricks and cinder blocks, concrete, tile, sand, dirt and rocks, fencing, roofing, drywall and plaster, carpet and other floor coverings, countertops and similar material. It also excludes auto parts.[5] On top of that, it won't take hazardous waste, paint, yard waste, extra bags or boxes of trash, fire-damaged items, smoke detectors, ammunition or dead animals.[5]
| Item | Where it can go |
|---|---|
| Bricks, tile, drywall, dirt | The City's small rental bins (see below) |
| Paint | A PaintCare drop-off site; the Recycle Center doesn't take it[6] |
| Solvents, pool and garden chemicals, motor oil, medicine | East Valley S.A.F.E. Center, 11025 Randall St., Sun Valley, Sat–Sun 9am–3pm[6] |
| Railroad ties and other treated wood | A S.A.F.E. Center; Burbank counts them as hazardous waste[6] |
| Sharps | S.A.F.E. Center, a pharmacy, or a free mail-back container[6] |
| Branches, leaves, grass | Your green cart, which takes yard trimmings, trees and food scraps[7] |
The Sun Valley S.A.F.E. Center is free to LA County residents,[8] and it's the site Burbank itself sends residents to for paint thinners, solvents, oil and pool chemicals.[6]
Small remodel jobs: the City's temporary bins
For construction debris, Burbank rents its own temporary bins to anyone named on an active BWP account. A 2-yard bin is $145 per collection and a 3-yard bin is $175, and skipping a week's collection costs $60.[9] Every City bin tops out at 1,000 pounds. The 2-yard bin can hold heavy material like dirt, concrete or tile only up to 12 inches deep, and the 3-yard bin takes no heavy material at all.[9] Bins arrive within 1 to 3 business days of the signed application.[9]
The Burbank Recycle Center and its Drop Zone
The Recycle Center at 500 S. Flower St. is the City's drop-off point for things that shouldn't go in any cart. Its Drop Zone serves Burbank residents and small businesses, and it takes antifreeze, batteries, computers and laptops, TVs and monitors, e-bikes and hoverboards, wires and power strips, light bulbs and tubes, and brand-name toner and ink cartridges. Staff may ask for proof of Burbank residency.[6]
Know the limits before you load the car:[6]
- 100 pounds of e-waste per household per year
- 10 fluorescent tubes or bulbs per household per year
- 2 gallons of antifreeze, and none accepted between noon and 1 p.m.
- No loose e-bike batteries
The Drop Zone does not take motor oil or filters, paint, chemicals, medicines, sharps or asbestos. It stopped accepting used motor oil after December 31, 2025.[6]
The City's own pages list different Drop Zone hours. The hazardous waste page says Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed weekends and City holidays; the Recycle Center page says 9 to noon and 1 to 5 on weekdays.[6] Call (818) 238-3900 before you drive over.[6]
Mattresses. Residents can drop off a mattress and a box spring at the Recycle Center Monday through Saturday without the Special Handling Fee, limited to one of each per household. Burbank businesses pay $6 each.[5] If you're buying a new mattress with free delivery, the retailer (online sellers included) has to offer to take the old one. Wet, heavily soiled or bedbug-infested mattresses don't qualify for free Bye Bye Mattress drop-off.[6]
Bottles and cans. CalRecycle lists the same Flower Street address as a CRV recycling center.[10]
Where Burbank's bulky items end up
The City is upfront about it: most bulky item collections go to the landfill and are not recycled. Electronics, metal appliances, mattresses and box springs are the exceptions. Burbank asks residents to use the pickup last, after donating or selling what they can.[5]
A few places to start:
- Goodwill Southern California, 3226 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank.[11] Items need to be in good, clean, sellable condition, and Goodwill doesn't take mattresses or major appliances.[12]
- The Salvation Army schedules free donation pickups by ZIP code at 1-800-SA-TRUCK; call to confirm what your area accepts.[13]
- Old blankets and bedding: Burbank's recycling guide notes that animal sanctuaries and shelters often take bedding in good condition, even though many thrift stores won't.[14]
Parking and loading on Burbank streets
If a friend's truck, a rental or a hired crew is doing the loading, two Burbank street rules matter:
- Street sweeping runs Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except City holidays.[15] Check the posted signs on your block before parking a truck out front.
- Curb colors: red means no stopping or parking at any time. A yellow curb allows loading of materials for up to 20 minutes between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., unless the sign says otherwise.[16]
Before your Burbank pickup
- Check that your ZIP is inside Burbank city limits.[4]
- Take a photo of each item if you're booking on Our Burbank 311.[5]
- Book two business days ahead online, or one business day ahead by phone.[5]
- For fees on appliances, mattresses or tires, have the BWP account holder make the request.[5]
- Remove refrigerator doors.[5]
- Set items out the night before, 5 feet from anything fixed.[5]
- Pull paint, chemicals and treated wood out of the pile.[5],[6]
- Offer usable furniture for donation first.[5]
When a private hauler makes more sense
Burbank's pickup works well for a couch or a dresser you can carry to the curb. It gets less attractive when:
- the list is mostly fee items, like a kitchen's worth of appliances or several mattresses;
- you're a renter and the BWP account isn't in your name;
- the job is inside: a garage, a back house, a second-floor unit or a storage unit;
- the pile includes things the City excludes, such as cardboard or bagged trash;
- the items came from a business, which the City won't collect at all.[5]
Legacy Junk Removal works in Burbank from its base on Victory Blvd in North Hollywood, a short drive away. Here's how one Burbank customer put it:
Within burbank area they are the most cost efficient. Carlos and brian did a fast and clean job. Definitely recommend.
If that sounds like your situation, snap a few pictures of what's going and text them over for a quote.