Every city around the Valley offers some kind of free or low-cost bulky item pickup, and for a lot of people it's the right answer. It's also slower and more limited than most people expect. This page lines up the programs in Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena against hiring a private hauler, so you can tell which one fits your pile.
City pickup vs. a hauler at a glance
| Question | City bulky pickup | Private hauler |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free or low cost for eligible homes | Priced by load size and labor |
| Booking lead time | 1 business day to 2 weeks | Often same day or next day, depending on the schedule |
| Who carries it? | You, to the curb or parkway | The crew, from inside, upstairs or the yard |
| What it takes | Items on the city's list only | Most non-hazardous junk; ask about specific items |
| Who qualifies? | City trash customers, usually 1 to 4 unit homes | Anyone who books |
How the four city programs compare
| City | Book ahead | Limits and cost | Big exclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1 business day before trash day | Free, no stated limit | Construction materials, paint, chemicals, auto parts |
| Burbank | 2 business days online, 1 by phone | Free, but $12.14 per appliance, mattress or tire | Construction materials, yard waste, business items |
| Glendale | 3 business days | Appliances described as free; City list only | Construction materials, lumber, bags of trash |
| Pasadena | 2 weeks | 2 free a year, about 3 cubic yards each | E-waste, fridges, AC units, yard waste |
Los Angeles
LA Sanitation (LASAN) picks up bulky items at the curb for free, with no limit, for the 1 to 4 unit homes it services.[1] Pickup happens on your regular trash day, and you book at least one business day before.[1] You can book through the MyLA311 website or app, or by calling 1-800-773-2489, and LASAN wants an itemized list.[1] That list matters: crews can only take what's on the day's work order.[2] Large metal appliances like fridges, washers and water heaters are collected free too, with fridge and freezer doors removed.[2]
More detail: bulky item pickup in Los Angeles.
Burbank
Burbank books through the Our Burbank 311 portal or app at least two business days ahead (a photo is required),[3] or by phone at (818) 238-3800 at least one business day ahead.[3] Couches, dressers, tables, chairs, TVs and similar items carry no fee.[3] Since July 1, 2025, though, appliances, mattresses, box springs, tires and gas lawn equipment cost $12.14 each, billed to the Burbank Water & Power account, and only the account holder can book them.[3]
More detail: bulky item pickup in Burbank.
Glendale
Glendale's City pickup serves single-family homes and buildings of 1 to 4 units.[4] You request it at least three business days ahead through the City's form or the Recycle Coach app.[4] The cutoffs are fixed: for a Monday pickup, request by Wednesday; for a Friday pickup, by Tuesday.[5] The City takes only items on its list, and mattresses must be bagged or wrapped.[5],[6] The City describes bulky pickup of major appliances as free for residents.[4]
More detail: bulky item pickup in Glendale.
Pasadena
Pasadena's City refuse customers get two free bulky pickups a year, booked at least two weeks before trash day through the Citizen Service Center (626-744-7311).[7] Each free pickup is capped at what fits in a 3 cubic yard bin, and no item can be heavier than two people can safely lift.[8]
More detail: bulky item pickup in Pasadena.
Cost: where free stops being free
City pickup is paid for through your trash service, so for most furniture it costs nothing extra. The exceptions add up on bigger jobs:
- Burbank's per-item fee. A move-out with a fridge, a washer, a dryer and two mattresses would be five items at $12.14 each.[3]
- Pasadena's third pickup. After the two free ones in a calendar year, the City charges based on how much you set out, and its page doesn't list the price.[8]
- Altadena, which isn't Pasadena. County customers there get four free on-call pickups a year; more cost $25.73 each per a July 2023 rate sheet that may have changed.[9]
- Glendale's extras. Extra carts and "special pick-up" of excess trash cost more.[10]
A private hauler charges for every job. At Legacy, the price depends on how much truck space your items use and how much labor it takes, and you get it before any work starts. Where a hauler saves money is indirect: no missed work day waiting on a truck, no second trip for leftovers, no rental truck for the items the city won't take.
Lead time: how long you'll wait
This is usually what decides it. City lead times run from one business day in LA to at least two weeks in Pasadena,[1],[7] and the pickup only happens on your trash day. If you book late on a Friday for a Monday trash day in Glendale, you've already missed that week.[5]
Big items can also slip. In Burbank, anything too large or heavy for the regular crew on trash day is tagged and picked up the following Friday.[3]
A hauler books by the clock, not the trash route. Here's what that looked like for one customer:
Legacy was great, I called at 9:30 in the morning, they showed up at 11 and hauled all the furniture out of my guest house in 30 minutes. They were very professional and polite. I highly recommend them.
Carrying: city crews stay at the curb
City programs collect from the curb or parkway, and getting items there is your job. Each city has its own set-out rule:
- LA: curbside pickup on trash day.[1]
- Burbank: out no earlier than the night before, at least 5 feet from fixed objects, and fridge doors removed.[3]
- Glendale: at the curb after 6 p.m. the night before, fully off private property.[4]
- Pasadena: on the parkway by 7 a.m., no more than 24 hours early.[8]
If you live in a second-floor unit, have a sectional in a back room, or can't lift a treadmill with the help you have, the curb is the hard part. A hauler's crew does the carrying, down stairs and through tight doorways.
What the city won't take
Every program has an exclusion list, and a single garage often holds a bit of everything.
- LA won't take auto parts or used oil, construction materials like concrete, bricks and dirt, commercial appliances, paint, solvents or chemicals, medicines or needles, fluorescent lights, or cardboard outside a scheduled Move-In/Move-Out pickup.[1]
- Burbank won't take construction materials, auto parts,[3] hazardous waste, paint, yard waste, extra bags of trash or fire-damaged items.[3] Items from a business don't qualify, and the City itself points businesses to donation, a temporary dumpster or a junk removal service.[3]
- Glendale won't take cardboard, hazardous waste, bags of trash or recycling, construction materials or lumber.[5] Glass pieces like mirrors must be wrapped, and BBQ propane tanks are refused.[4]
- Pasadena won't take e-waste, construction or roofing material, hazardous materials, landscaping debris, refrigerators, air conditioners, or auto parts beyond two rimless tires.[8]
Hazardous items don't go with a hauler to a landfill either. Paint, chemicals, batteries and e-waste go to a free S.A.F.E. Center, open to any LA County resident.[11] The Randall Street center in Sun Valley and the Balboa center in Northridge are open weekends, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.[11]
Who can't use city pickup at all
- Apartment buildings with 5 or more units. In Glendale and Pasadena, those buildings use private haulers.[4],[12] Pasadena residents in that situation ask their building's hauler.[8] Glendale properties of that size get up to four free appointments a year, each capped at 4 bulky items.[13]
- Businesses. Burbank excludes business items from its bulky program.[3]
- Anyone outside the city's service. LA's program is for homes LASAN services,[1] and Pasadena's is for City refuse customers only.[8]
Putting things out without a booking isn't a workaround. Pasadena can cite you for unscheduled items on the parkway,[7] and under state law a first illegal dumping conviction carries a fine of $250 to $1,000.[14]
Using both: a practical split
You don't have to choose one for everything. Plenty of people use the city for what's easy and pay for the rest:
- Book the city pickup for a couch or mattress you can get to the curb, if the wait works.
- Take hazardous items to a S.A.F.E. Center on a weekend.
- Drop off extras yourself if you have a vehicle. LASAN runs free monthly Saturday bulky drop-off events, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the two Valley locations are the East Valley yard on Pendleton Street in Sun Valley and the West Valley yard on Vanalden Avenue in Northridge. The remaining 2026 dates are Oct 10, Nov 21 and Dec 12.[1],[15]
- Hire a hauler for the rest: the heavy items inside, the mixed pile, the things on a deadline.
Before you book the city
- Check that the City collects your trash (not a private building hauler).
- Write an itemized list; LA and Glendale go by it.
- Note your trash day and count back the required business days.
- Wrap glass and bag mattresses if you're in Glendale.
- Plan who will carry each item to the curb, and when.
- Set aside anything hazardous for a S.A.F.E. Center trip.
When to call a hauler
The city program is hard to beat on price when you can wait, the items are curb-ready and they're all on the list. A hauler makes more sense when the move-out date is fixed, the heavy pieces are upstairs, the pile mixes furniture with yard debris and boxes, or you've used up Pasadena's free pickups for the year.
Legacy Junk Removal works in LA, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena from our yard on Victory Blvd in North Hollywood. Same-day service most days when you reach us by early afternoon; next-morning slots are common. Snap a few photos of the pile and text them to us for a price.