The City of Los Angeles will haul away your old couch, mattress or fridge for free, but only if you book it the right way and only if LA Sanitation is your trash collector. This guide covers who qualifies, how to request a pickup, the items crews leave behind, and the free drop-off days most people never hear about.
Who LASAN's bulky pickup is for
LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) picks up bulky items at the curb for free, with no stated limit, for the homes it services. Its single-family pages cover homes with 1 to 4 units that LASAN collects from.[1] A bulky item, in LASAN's words, is anything non-hazardous that's too big for your black trash bin.[1]
Most of the Valley falls under this program because most of it is the City of Los Angeles. LA County lists North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Sun Valley, Encino, Tarzana, Reseda, Northridge, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Sylmar, Hollywood and Toluca Lake among the communities inside the City.[2]
Three nearby places are not covered:
- Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena run their own programs with different rules. See the guides for Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.
- Universal City is on the County's list of unincorporated areas,[3] and the County provides municipal services in those areas.[4] Some land that uses the Universal City name is under City of LA zoning,[5] so a Universal City address could go either way.
- Buildings LASAN doesn't service, such as larger apartment complexes with a private trash company, fall outside the City program. Ask your manager what the building's hauler offers.
The simplest test: if a City of Los Angeles truck empties your black, blue and green bins, you can book a bulky pickup.
How to book a pickup
Bulky items are collected on your regular trash day, and LASAN needs your request at least one business day before that day.[1] There are three ways to schedule: the MyLA311 online service request form, the MyLA311 app, or LASAN's 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489.[1]
| Channel | When it's open | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| MyLA311 online form (myla311.lacity.gov) | Any time, day or night[6] | Typing out a long item list |
| MyLA311 app | Anytime[1] | Booking from your phone |
| LASAN Customer Care, 1-800-773-2489 | 24 hours[1] | Questions about a specific item |
| 311 or (213) 473-3231 | Mon–Fri 7am–7pm, weekends and holidays 8am–5pm[6] | General City requests |
Write the list carefully. LASAN asks for an itemized list when you book,[1] and drivers can only pick up the specific items on their daily work order.[7] If you book "couch and two chairs" and then add a dresser on the curb, expect the dresser to stay behind.
Because the deadline is counted in business days, a Monday trash day means your request has to be in by the Friday before. Holidays push it back further.
Crews collect only what's on the work order.[7] Forgotten items don't get picked up, and a pile left sitting at the curb is the kind of thing neighbors report through MyLA311.[8]
What crews will take
LASAN's bulky pickup page lists furniture (couches, tables, chairs), mattresses and box springs, toilets and sinks, carpet that's rolled and tied, large wood pieces or doors, and electronic waste such as TVs, computers and monitors.[1] Its recycling page adds that tires and mattresses don't belong in the blue bin and should go out as a bulky pickup instead.[9]
Large metal appliances are a separate free service for homes with LASAN curbside collection: refrigerators and freezers, washers and dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and water heaters. It uses the same one-business-day notice, and fridge and freezer doors must come off before the unit goes to the curb.[7]
The electronics wrinkle
LASAN's own pages don't agree about electronics. The bulky page defines a bulky item as "non-hazardous and non-electronic", then lists TVs, computers and monitors as accepted two paragraphs later.[1] Separately, the S.A.F.E. Center page says large e-waste can go out through free curbside pickup booked on MyLA311 or at 1-800-773-2489.[10]
The practical takeaway: name every TV, monitor and computer on your request and ask the agent how to list it. If you'd rather not risk it, the S.A.F.E. Centers take electronics free every weekend (see below). Either way, wipe personal data off computers, phones and tablets first.[10]
What LASAN won't take, and where it goes
The curbside crew won't pick up auto parts or used oil, construction materials such as concrete, bricks and dirt, commercial appliances, paints, solvents or chemicals, medicines or needles, fluorescent lights, or cardboard unless you've booked a Move-In/Move-Out pickup.[1]
| Item | Where it can go instead |
|---|---|
| Paint, solvents, cleaners, pool chemicals, propane cylinders | Any S.A.F.E. Center, free[10] |
| Used motor oil and automotive fluids | S.A.F.E. Center[10] |
| Fluorescent tubes, batteries of every kind | S.A.F.E. Center; never a household bin[10] |
| Needles and other sharps | Not S.A.F.E. (no medical waste there);[10] order a free mail-back container at sharpstakebackcalifornia.org[11] |
| Commercial appliances | A scrap yard that takes large appliances, such as SA Recycling in Sun Valley[12] |
| Cardboard from a move | LASAN's Move-In/Move-Out extra pickup[13] |
Tires are also banned from the trash statewide,[14] and City residents can drop off up to four a year, without rims, at LASAN yards (more on that below).[15]
Cardboard and bags after a move
Move-out cardboard is the item people most often get wrong. LASAN runs a separate Move-In/Move-Out extra pickup for boxes and bags on your trash day, booked at least one business day ahead. Each bag, box or bundle has to weigh 30 pounds or less and measure no more than 2 by 3 feet, and all cardboard must be flattened and tied into bundles.[13]
That's a lot of cutting and tying for a two-bedroom move. If the stack is bigger than an evening's work, a paid pickup may be the faster path; see the hauler section at the end.
Free drop-off days and other City options
If you can load a truck yourself, LASAN has a few free drop-off options that don't depend on your trash day.
Monthly bulky drop-off events. Once a month, on a Saturday, LASAN opens five yards across the City from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for free bulky item drop-off. The two in the Valley are East Valley, 11050 Pendleton St. in Sun Valley, and West Valley, 8840 Vanalden Ave. in Northridge. The remaining 2026 dates are October 10, November 21 and December 12.[1] LASAN hadn't posted 2027 dates when this guide was checked, so look them up on the program page before you plan around one.
Tires. City residents may drop off up to four tires per calendar year, no rims, at LASAN yards, including the Sun Valley and Northridge yards. Bring a state photo ID and a current utility bill; the yards take tires Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.[15]
Brush and yard trimmings. Every LASAN-serviced household gets one free brush pickup a year. Bundles must be tied, no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 30 pounds, and you book it through MyLA311 or 1-800-773-2489.[16] Day to day, trimmings go in the green bin, which every City resident is required to use.[17]
S.A.F.E. Centers. These take household hazardous waste and e-waste free from City and County residents.[18]
| S.A.F.E. Center | Address | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| East Valley (Randall Street) | 11025 Randall St., Sun Valley 91352 | Sat–Sun, 9am–3pm[18] |
| North Valley (Nicole Bernson) | 10241 N. Balboa Blvd., Northridge 91325 | Sat–Sun, 9am–3pm[19] |
| Los Angeles–Glendale | 4600 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles 90039 | Saturday only, 9am–3pm; photo ID at the gate[20] |
Each visit is capped at 15 gallons or 125 pounds, and staff will ask what address the waste came from.[10] You stay in the car with the engine off while trained staff unload it.[10] Randall Street closes over the winter holidays, from December 24 to January 3,[18] and any center may close or shorten hours in bad weather.[18]
If items are set out wrong
LASAN's pages say "curbside" but don't publish detailed placement rules such as a set-out time or clearance from the sidewalk, so ask the agent when you book. What the pages do make clear:
- Unlisted items stay put. The driver works from the day's order and nothing else.[7]
- Refrigerators with doors attached don't meet LASAN's own instruction to remove them first.[7]
- Hazardous items mixed into the pile won't be taken; paint, chemicals and fluorescent lights are on the excluded list.[1]
- Anything put out with no request at all can be reported as illegal dumping at myla311.lacity.org or 800-773-2489.[8]
Illegal dumping has real costs. A 2021 City Controller audit summarized municipal-code fines of up to $200 for a first infraction and $250 for a second, with misdemeanor cases carrying up to $1,000 and cleanup costs.[21] Under state law, dumping waste on a public road or on private property without the owner's consent is unlawful,[22] with a mandatory fine of $250 to $1,000 on a first conviction.[22]
Give usable things a second life first
Before you book, pull out what someone else can use. The Salvation Army offers free donation pickup for furniture and other items, booked online by ZIP code or at 1-800-SA-TRUCK; what it accepts varies by area, so call first.[23] Out of the Closet's free pickup needs at least two large accepted furniture items or ten large bags or boxes.[24] In North Hollywood, Goodwill Southern California has a store at 5855 Lankershim Blvd.,[25] and Goodwill wants items in good, clean, sellable condition.[26]
Mattresses are harder to donate. If you're buying a new one, California law requires the retailer that delivers it to offer to take the old one back at no extra cost.[27] More options are in where to donate in the San Fernando Valley.
Before you book a LASAN bulky pickup
- Confirm a City of LA truck empties your bins (not a private hauler, not County service).
- Write down every item, including each TV or monitor, before you call or open MyLA311.[1]
- Book by the business day before your trash day.[1]
- Take the doors off any fridge or freezer.[7]
- Roll and tie carpet.[1]
- Set aside paint, chemicals, batteries and bulbs for a S.A.F.E. Center.[10]
- Wipe personal data from computers and phones.[10]
- Book a separate Move-In/Move-Out pickup for flattened, tied cardboard.[13]
When hiring a hauler is the better call
LASAN's pickup is hard to beat on price. It's the right choice when you can wait for trash day, carry everything to the curb yourself, and stay within what the crews accept. A paid hauler tends to make more sense when:
- the stuff is upstairs, in a back unit or deep in a garage, and getting it to the curb is the hard part;
- you're moving out this week and can't line the timing up with trash day;
- the pile mixes accepted items with ones LASAN won't touch, like cardboard, leftover remodel scraps or commercial gear;
- your building isn't serviced by LASAN, or you're in Universal City;
- you need the curb clear before an inspection, a showing or a new tenant.
Move-out cardboard is a good example. One customer wrote about it this way:
I needed an excessive amount of cardboard boxes removed from my recent move. They came out the day after calling, per my choice as they wouldve came out the same day. The guys were very nice, professional and gave me a price before removing anything. Such a big help, now I dont have to look at a stack of cardboard and try to move them each week to my tiny recycling bin.
Legacy Junk Removal is a family-run crew based on Victory Blvd in North Hollywood. Same-day service most days when you reach us by early afternoon; next-morning slots are common. Send a few photos of the pile and you'll get a price back by text.