Bulk Trash Pickup in Columbus, OH: Rules, Limits and Fees
What Columbus picks up at the curb, how many items you get, what needs an appointment, and what it costs. Straight from the city, checked and dated.
What Columbus collects, and what you do with the rest
Every city route below is capped. Read the last two columns first: they decide whether the city takes your load at all, or only part of it.
| Route | What it costs | How much it takes | The condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booked city collection | Free for city refuse customers. | No yearly cap is published. What the city does publish is what counts as bulk: furniture, carpet, mattresses, and appliances that have no refrigerant in them. | Every bulk item. Nothing is collected unless the collection has been booked first — the city says so in as many words. |
| the Alum Creek and Georgesville Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers | Free for Columbus residents dropping off bulk items. | — | — |
| Hire a hauler | You pay — quotes come from local companies bidding against each other. | No item cap and no wrapping, residency or vehicle rule. | They carry it out; nothing has to reach the curb under its own steam. |
Booking a city pickup
Every bulk item. Nothing is collected unless the collection has been booked first — the city says so in as many words.
- How many items
- No yearly cap is published. What the city does publish is what counts as bulk: furniture, carpet, mattresses, and appliances that have no refrigerant in them.
- How to book
- Book through 311 at 311.columbus.gov or on (614) 645-3111. The pickup then happens on the specially scheduled day, not on your regular trash day.
- What it costs
- Free for city refuse customers.
- Good to know
- Curbside households put the items in front of the house clear of obstructions; alley households put them on the property edge at the alley line. Carpet is rolled into a bundle four feet long and two feet across and tied with rope, furniture is left assembled, and glass has to be taped — and clearing any glass residue left on the ground is the resident's job. Bags, boxes, storage tubs, luggage and open containers of trash are not bulk: they go inside the refuse container, and containers left out with the pile are treated as discarded. Items put out because of an eviction, set-out or foreclosure are not collected. Not taken at all: hazardous, flammable or explosive material, auto parts and tires, excavating and building material, anything with refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, water coolers, air conditioners), furnaces, pianos, spas, hot tubs and pool tables — for those the city tells residents to call a private hauler.
Dropping it off yourself: the Alum Creek and Georgesville Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers
2 sites across Columbus.
- What it costs
- Free for Columbus residents dropping off bulk items.
- Opening hours
- Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sites are 2100 Alum Creek Drive and 1550 Georgesville Road.
Or have someone take it
City routes are cheap but slow, and they all assume you can get the item to the curb yourself. If it is upstairs, if it is heavy, or if you need it gone this week, a local pro is the faster answer.
Post the job free, and local pros in Columbus bid on it. You pick the offer you like and pay your pro directly — JunkerClub takes no cut of the price.
See what mattress removal costs in Columbus →
What people actually pay — measured, not estimated
And a flat rate is only one company's number. When we put one real job out to bid, 12 local pros priced the same pile from the same photos: $225 to $1,250, median $525. Nobody else publishes this, because nobody else runs the auction.
Bulk pickup in Columbus — common questions
What needs an appointment in Columbus instead of going out with the trash?
Every bulk item. Nothing is collected unless the collection has been booked first — the city says so in as many words.
How do I book a bulk pickup in Columbus?
Book through 311 at 311.columbus.gov or on (614) 645-3111. The pickup then happens on the specially scheduled day, not on your regular trash day. No yearly cap is published. What the city does publish is what counts as bulk: furniture, carpet, mattresses, and appliances that have no refrigerant in them.
What does a bulk collection cost in Columbus?
Free for city refuse customers.
Where and when do I put the items out in Columbus?
Curbside households put the items in front of the house clear of obstructions; alley households put them on the property edge at the alley line. Carpet is rolled into a bundle four feet long and two feet across and tied with rope, furniture is left assembled, and glass has to be taped — and clearing any glass residue left on the ground is the resident's job. Bags, boxes, storage tubs, luggage and open containers of trash are not bulk: they go inside the refuse container, and containers left out with the pile are treated as discarded. Items put out because of an eviction, set-out or foreclosure are not collected. Not taken at all: hazardous, flammable or explosive material, auto parts and tires, excavating and building material, anything with refrigerant (refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, water coolers, air conditioners), furnaces, pianos, spas, hot tubs and pool tables — for those the city tells residents to call a private hauler.
Does it cost anything to drop a mattress off in Columbus?
Free for Columbus residents dropping off bulk items.
When is the Columbus drop-off site open?
Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sites are 2100 Alum Creek Drive and 1550 Georgesville Road.
Where this comes from
Checked against official sources on 2026-09-15. City rules change — if something here does not match, the city page wins.
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