Junk removal in Van Nuys

Van Nuys is the Valley's civic center and one of the closest neighborhoods to our North Hollywood yard. This page covers what the City of LA will haul for free, where the rest can go, and when paying a crew is the faster route.

What jobs look like in Van Nuys

Van Nuys is mostly a renters' neighborhood. In ZIP 91405, about 73% of occupied homes are rented, and about 66% of housing units sit in buildings with five or more units. Only about a quarter are detached single-family houses.^[1] The housing there is older too, with a median build year of 1973.^[1]

The west side, ZIP 91406 (Van Nuys and Lake Balboa), is more mixed: about 59% rented, and about 42% detached houses against 49% in larger buildings. Its median build year is 1965.^[2] City Planning describes the pattern well. Most residential blocks are single-family homes, with apartments concentrated around the Civic Center and along the big boulevards.^[3]

So a Van Nuys job is often one of two things:

• An apartment move-out. A couch, a bed frame, a dresser and a stack of boxes, sometimes from an upper floor. What we need to know: the floor, whether there's an elevator, and where a truck can stop. Check the posted street-sweeping signs, since LA sweeps posted routes every other week and tickets cars in the restricted zone.^[4]
• A house or garage cleanout on one of the single-family streets, where the pile is bigger and the carry is shorter.

There's also a commercial side. Van Nuys has two significant industrial areas, one along the Orange Line between Van Nuys and Sepulveda and one along the Metrolink tracks.^[3] If you run a shop or small warehouse there, old shelving, desks and equipment fall outside the city's residential bulky program. See commercial junk removal and the office furniture guide.

Local rules that affect your junk

Van Nuys is inside the City of Los Angeles,^[5],[6] so LA Sanitation (LASAN) and citywide rules apply. The short version for renters and owners here:

• Bulky items. LASAN picks up furniture and other oversized items at the curb for free, with no stated limit, for homes of 1 to 4 units it services.^[7] You have to book at least one business day before your regular trash day.^[7] Full details: bulky item pickup in LA.
• Moving boxes. A separate Move-In/Move-Out pickup takes bags and boxes on trash day if you call a business day ahead. Each piece has to weigh 30 pounds or less and measure no more than 2 by 3 feet, with cardboard flattened and tied.^[8] Our moving-out checklist covers the rest of the last week.
• Landlords. When a tenant leaves things behind, the rules on abandoned property come first. Our landlord cleanout guide links to the official resources.
• Fridges and washers. LASAN's metal appliance pickup is free for its curbside customers; list each item and take fridge and freezer doors off first.^[9] Refrigerant can only be removed by a state-certified appliance recycler or an EPA-certified technician.^[10],[11]
• Mattresses. They go out as bulky items,^[7] or to a free Bye Bye Mattress drop-off site.^[12]
• Paint, batteries and chemicals never go in a bin; they go to a S.A.F.E. Center (below).^[13],[14]
• Remodel debris isn't bulky waste. Concrete, bricks and dirt are on LASAN's won't-take list.^[7]

City pickup or a hauler in Van Nuys

The free city service is good. It just runs on its own schedule and needs everything at the curb.

If you can wait and you can get the items to the curb, book LASAN. If you're on a deadline, upstairs, or not on LASAN service, that's where we fit. More on the trade-off in city bulky pickup vs. a private hauler.

Getting a dumpster in Van Nuys

If you need temporary no-parking signs to hold the space, LADOT's Special Traffic Control Division handles those at (213) 485-2298.^[15]

In an apartment neighborhood, the simplest option is often a spot on a private driveway or lot, with the owner's OK. For sizes and how our bins work, see dumpster rental.

Where things can go near Van Nuys

General local information, not a list of our partners:

• Hazardous waste and e-waste: the East Valley S.A.F.E. Center at 11025 Randall Street, Sun Valley, open Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.^[16] It's free for City of LA and LA County residents, up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit.^[13],[16]
• Free bulky drop-off: once a month on a Saturday, LASAN opens its East Valley yard at 11050 Pendelton St., Sun Valley, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; this year's last three are October 10, November 21 and December 12.^[7]
• Tires: City residents can bring up to four a year, without rims, to a LASAN yard on weekday mornings.^[17]
• Donations: Goodwill at 14760 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks^[18] and Goodwill's San Fernando Valley outlet at 14565 Lanark Street, Panorama City.^[19] Goodwill won't take mattresses or major appliances.^[20]
• Towels and blankets: LA Animal Services' East Valley center is at 14409 Vanowen St. in Van Nuys,^[21] and linens are on its always-needed list.^[21]
• Cans and bottles: CalRecycle lists JD Recycling at 14411 Victory Blvd. as a CRV recycling center.^[22]

More options by neighborhood are in where to donate in the San Fernando Valley.

When a crew makes more sense

Book the city pickup when time is on your side. Call a crew when the lease clock is running, the stairs are the hard part, or the load mixes furniture, boxes and a few things LASAN won't take. We come from Victory Blvd, a short hop from most of Van Nuys. Send photos of the pile and we'll reply by text with a price.

Text photos for a priceor call (909) 566-3090