Water Heater Removal Cost in Columbus, OH

Water Heater Removal in Columbus: where the city stops and a hauler starts

The free route in Columbus has hard edges, and they are the reason people end up paying: 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. Free for city refuse customers.

Past those limits the city is not an option at all — not slower, not pricier, simply unavailable. That is the line a hauler exists for, and it is worth knowing exactly where it sits before you start carrying anything.

Collection in Columbus is run by City of Columbus Refuse Collection. Below is what they will take, straight from their own rules — and where each route runs out.

Booked bulky pickup

Every bulk item. Nothing is collected unless the collection has been booked first — the city says so in as many words. 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. Free for city refuse customers. 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. 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.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-15. Source

Taking it yourself

The public drop-off is the Alum Creek and Georgesville Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers. Free for Columbus residents dropping off bulk items. Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sites are 2100 Alum Creek Drive and 1550 Georgesville Road.

Checked against the operator’s own page on 2026-09-15. Source