Seattle Bulk Item Pickup: SPU Rules, Costs, and What the City Won’t Take

In most cities, putting a sofa at the curb for bulk pickup costs nothing. In Seattle, it costs $30. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) charges per item for large furniture, appliances, mattresses, and TVs. That surprises a lot of residents who assumed the program worked like it does elsewhere.

A free annual pickup tier launched in April 2026, but it covers a bag of batteries and a small box of hard-to-recycle items. Furniture, appliances, and mattresses are still $30 each.

Two Washington state rules shape how disposal works here. Electronics have been banned from Seattle’s garbage since January 2024, so they go to E-Cycle Washington drop-off sites for free instead. And unlike California and Oregon, Washington doesn’t have a free statewide mattress recycling program.

Here’s how Seattle’s SPU bulk item pickup works, what it charges, and what to do when the program doesn’t cover what you need.

Seattle Public Utilities’ Special Item Pickup is an appointment-based service. Items are collected on your next regular garbage collection day after SPU confirms the request. You have to schedule a pickup before anything goes at the curb, and any items placed outside without a confirmed appointment are considered illegal dumping.

How to schedule

• Online: Log in to your SPU account at seattle.gov/utilities and select “Special Item Pickup”
• Phone: (206) 684-3000, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 6 PM

Setout rules

• Items must be at your regular collection point by 7:00 AM on your scheduled collection day
• Surface must be flat, level, and accessible from the street. No stairs.
• The utility account holder must make the scheduling request

Size limits

• Large furniture and appliances: Up to 300 pounds; up to 8 feet long or 4 feet in diameter
• Small items box: Must fit in a box no larger than 2 x 2 x 2 feet, maximum 60 pounds

Free annual pickup (starting April 2026)

Starting April 2026, every SPU residential account gets one free pickup per calendar year. The free pickup covers a 1-gallon bag of household batteries and one Special Item Box (up to 2 x 2 x 2 feet, 60 lbs) containing small electronics, CFLs, small propane canisters, and similar items. Large furniture, appliances, mattresses, and TVs are not included in the free tier and are billed at standard rates.

Utility Discount Program (UDP) customers in single-family homes with an SPU bill in their name get two free special item pickups per year plus two free transfer station passes. Learn more and apply at seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/discounts-and-incentives.

Costs vary by item type and appear on your combined utility bill after pickup. Here’s the full schedule.

Charges appear on your combined utility bill after pickup.

Electronics cannot go in Seattle’s garbage carts. The city banned them from residential trash service in January 2024. TVs, computers, monitors, laptops, and phones all need to go somewhere else.

E-Cycle Washington (free statewide)

The easiest option for most Seattle residents is E-Cycle Washington, a free statewide electronics recycling program funded by electronics manufacturers. It covers TVs, computers (desktops and laptops), monitors, and cell phones. Find a drop-off location at ecyclewa.org. In Seattle, Goodwill stores are often the most convenient participating locations.

Note: Computer peripherals like keyboards, mice, and printers are not covered by the base E-Cycle program, though some participating locations accept them. Call ahead to confirm.

SPU Special Item Pickup for electronics

An alternative to E-Cycle drop-off: schedule through SPU. Cost is $20 for the Special Items Box (small electronics that fit within 2x2x2 feet) or $30 for a large TV. Collected on your next regular garbage day.

For electronics that need to be removed from inside your home rather than transported to a drop-off site, LoadUp handles full electronics removal without requiring a trip to an E-Cycle location.

Household hazardous waste

The King County HHW facilities accept electronics in addition to paint, chemicals, and other hazardous materials. Both Seattle sites are free for King County residents with no appointment needed:

• North HHW Facility: 12550 Stone Ave N, Seattle 98133; Sunday through Tuesday, 9 AM to 5 PM
• South HHW Facility: 8100 2nd Ave S, Seattle; Thursday through Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM

Closed July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Check hazwastehelp.org for current hours and accepted items before visiting.

Washington state doesn’t have a free statewide mattress recycling program. California and Oregon both do, run by the Mattress Recycling Council. Washington tried. Legislation came up in 2025 and again in 2026 and didn’t make it through. Until that changes, Seattle residents pay to get rid of mattresses.

Options for mattress disposal

• SPU Special Item Pickup: $30 per mattress or box spring. Schedule at seattle.gov/utilities or call (206) 684-3000. Collected on your next regular garbage day.
• SPU Transfer Stations: Self-haul to North or South Transfer Station. Fees are weight-based; call (206) 684-8400 for current rates before your trip.
• Retailer take-back: If you’re buying a new mattress, ask the retailer whether they’ll remove the old one at delivery. Some do, some don’t. Worth asking before scheduling through SPU.

Seattle’s Pacific Northwest climate creates a specific challenge here. Mattresses stored in garages or crawl spaces can absorb moisture over time, making them ineligible for donation programs. SPU and the transfer stations accept them regardless of condition. For a mattress that needs to come out of a storage space or upper floor, LoadUp carries it from wherever it is.

When curbside SPU pickup isn’t the right fit, Seattle’s two transfer stations accept self-haul loads for a fee. Fees are weight-based.

Accepted items: household garbage, yard waste, vehicle tires, appliances (no commercial appliances), scrap metal, vehicle batteries.

Not accepted: household hazardous waste, radioactive materials, ammunition.

The HHW facilities are separate buildings from the transfer stations (see the electronics section above for addresses and hours). The North Transfer Station does not accept HHW. Take hazardous materials to the 12550 Stone Ave N facility one block east.

SPU covers Seattle city limits only. The Eastside cities each contract with their own haulers, completely independent of Seattle’s program.

Bellevue

Bellevue’s hauler is Republic Services. Large item pickup is available by appointment; call (425) 452-4762. Republic Services also operates a drop-off recycling center at 1600 127th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005, open Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM, useful for self-haul of appliances and recyclable materials. For private hauling in Bellevue, LoadUp provides junk removal in Bellevue.

Kirkland

Kirkland’s hauler is Waste Management. Kirkland residential customers receive one free curbside bulky item pickup per year. Schedule through WM customer service at (425) 587-0040 (Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM; Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM). Additional pickups are available for a fee. For private hauling, LoadUp serves Kirkland for all junk removal needs.

Redmond

Redmond uses Waste Management with its own separate schedule and rules from Kirkland’s. Contact WM directly for current Redmond guidelines. LoadUp serves Redmond with the same same-day availability as Seattle.

SPU works well for one or two items at standard rates on your next garbage day. It gets harder when the load is larger, the items are inside the house, or the timeline doesn’t fit.

• The item is inside a garage, basement, or upper floor. SPU won’t enter your home for any pickup
• Five large items at $30 each is $150 in SPU fees; a single job quote from LoadUp is often less
• You need same-day removal; SPU schedules for the next regular garbage day
• You have construction or renovation debris: not accepted through SPU
• The item is moisture-damaged from a Seattle garage or crawl space and needs to come out regardless of condition
• You’re in Bellevue, Kirkland, or Redmond and want a single service without navigating a separate program

For situations like these, LoadUp provides junk removal pickup across Seattle and the surrounding Eastside with same-day and next-day availability. No per-item fees stacking up. Upfront pricing before anyone shows up.

For furniture and household items still in usable condition, LoadUp routes eligible pieces to donation partners including Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the Furniture Bank Association of North America before anything goes to disposal. Through the Plant with Purpose program, every LoadUp pickup contributes to reforestation efforts nationwide.

LoadUp typically runs 20-30% below what most junk removal companies charge for comparable work in Seattle, and offers a price match guarantee for any written quote for the same service.