What we found
- 42 of 64 cities collect bulky items from homes at no extra charge. 6 charge for every pickup, 3 do not collect from homes at all, and 13 do not publish a price for it.
- Free allowances run from 1 a year (Fresno, Oakland and Tampa) to 12 a year (Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Long Beach and Oklahoma City), among the 31 cities that publish a yearly count.
- In 9 cities the city service stops at small buildings — larger apartment buildings have to hire a private hauler: Washington at 3 units; Austin, Bakersfield, Chicago, Portland and Tampa at 4 units; Boston, Kansas City and Philadelphia at 6 units.
- Where every pickup is paid: El Paso $35 / pickup up to 5 cubic yards; Mesa $31 / load; Portland $18 / trip, plus a per-item charge; Raleigh $35 / bulky load; Seattle $31 / item; Tulsa $10 / 8 cubic yards.
- 34 cities say they take mattresses from homes; in San Diego a mattress left at the curb is not collected.
City by city
A dash means the city does not publish that number — not that it is zero or free. “Free” appears only where the city itself says there is no extra charge.
| City | Home pickup | Free pickups a year | Per pickup | Buildings covered | Price when you pay | Mattress | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | Free | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-27 |
| Anaheim, CA | Free | 3 | 20 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Arlington, TX | Free | — | 2 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-16 |
| Atlanta, GA | Free | 12 | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-03 |
| Austin, TX | Free | 3 | — | up to 4 units | — | — | 2026-09-04 |
| Bakersfield, CA | Free | 4 | 2 items | up to 4 units | — | — | 2026-09-16 |
| Baltimore, MD | Free | 12 | 3 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Boston, MA | Price not published | — | — | up to 6 units | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Charlotte, NC | Price not published | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-03 |
| Chicago, IL | Price not published | — | — | up to 4 units | — | — | 2026-09-03 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | No home pickup | — | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-04 |
| Columbus, OH | Free | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Costa Mesa, CA | Free | 3 | 10 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Dallas, TX | Free | 12 | 10 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-15 |
| Denver, CO | Price not published | — | 5 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Detroit, MI | Free | — | 2 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-16 |
| El Paso, TX | Paid per pickup | — | — | — | $35 / pickup up to 5 cubic yards | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Free | 12 | 10 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-15 |
| Fresno, CA | Free | 1 | 10 yd³ | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Garden Grove, CA | Free | 3 | 10 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Houston, TX | Price not published | — | 8 yd³ | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-09 |
| Huntington Beach, CA | Free | 4 | 10 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Free | 12 | 2 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-04 |
| Irvine, CA | Free | 4 | 4 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-02 |
| Jacksonville, FL | Price not published | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-04 |
| Kansas City, MO | Free | — | 15 items | up to 6 units | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Laguna Beach, CA | Free | 4 | 10 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Laguna Niguel, CA | Free | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Lake Forest, CA | Free | 3 | 10 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Long Beach, CA | Free | 12 | 8 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Free | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| Louisville, KY | Price not published | — | 4 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-16 |
| Memphis, TN | Price not published | — | 10 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-15 |
| Mesa, AZ | Paid per pickup | — | — | — | $31 / load | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Miami, FL | Price not published | — | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-16 |
| Milwaukee, WI | Free | — | 1 yd³ | — | $75 / special pickup, 1-4 cubic yards | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Free | — | 2 items | — | — | — | 2026-08-27 |
| Mission Viejo, CA | Free | 3 | 5 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Nashville, TN | No home pickup | — | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-04 |
| New York, NY | Free | — | 6 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-04 |
| Newport Beach, CA | Free | 5 | 5 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Oakland, CA | Free | 1 | 4 yd³ | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | Free | 12 | 4 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-04 |
| Omaha, NE | Price not published | — | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-16 |
| Orange, CA | Free | 6 | 4 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Free | — | 2 items | up to 6 units | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| Phoenix, AZ | Free | 4 | 10 yd³ | — | — | — | 2026-09-09 |
| Portland, OR | Paid per pickup | — | — | up to 4 units | $18 / trip, plus a per-item charge | Taken | 2026-09-19 |
| Raleigh, NC | Paid per pickup | — | 4 yd³ | — | $35 / bulky load | Taken | 2026-08-27 |
| Sacramento, CA | Free | 2 | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| San Antonio, TX | Free | 2 | 8 yd³ | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| San Clemente, CA | Free | 4 | 4 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| San Diego, CA | No home pickup | — | — | — | — | Not at the curb | 2026-08-19 |
| San Francisco, CA | Free | 2 | 10 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| San Jose, CA | Free | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-08-19 |
| Santa Ana, CA | Free | 4 | 4 items | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
| Seattle, WA | Paid per pickup | — | — | — | $31 / item | Taken | 2026-09-19 |
| Tampa, FL | Free | 1 | 10 yd³ | up to 4 units | $18.12 / cubic yard | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Tucson, AZ | Free | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-15 |
| Tulsa, OK | Paid per pickup | — | — | — | $10 / 8 cubic yards | Taken | 2026-09-16 |
| Tustin, CA | Free | 4 | 4 items | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-10 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Price not published | — | — | — | — | Taken | 2026-09-15 |
| Washington, D.C. | Price not published | — | 7 items | up to 3 units | — | — | 2026-09-09 |
| Yorba Linda, CA | Price not published | — | — | — | — | — | 2026-09-10 |
How this was compiled
Each city’s own sanitation or public works pages were read directly — not summaries, not third-party schedule sites — and every fact carries the page it came from and the date it was checked. The “Checked” column links to that source.
A number goes into this table only if the city publishes it. We do not convert a stated size into cubic yards, do not count a subsidised disposal rate as free, and do not treat a missing price as no price. Neighborhoods that follow their parent city’s rules are not counted as separate cities.
“Free pickups a year” counts collections a household gets without paying extra. Cities that collect weekly, or that publish no yearly cap, show a dash there even when the service itself is free — the “Home pickup” column tells you that.
Limitations — read this before citing
This covers 64 cities, not every US municipality, and it describes city-run collection for households. Private haulers, HOAs and property managers set their own rules. City rules change — cite the checked date, and if a city page no longer matches, the city page is right.
Using this data
Quote it, chart it or republish it — including commercially — with credit to JunkerClub and a link to this page. No permission needed. Found a city that changed its rules? Tell us and we will re-check it against the source.