Charlotte Bulk Item Pickup: How CLT+ Works and What Gets Rejected

The city of Charlotte will pick up your old couch, your broken TV, and your washing machine. All you have to do is ask first.

That’s the part most people miss. The city’s bulk item program is free, unlimited, and one of the few in the country that accepts electronics as part of the standard service. But nothing leaves your curb until you’ve scheduled a pickup through CLT+, the city’s service request app. Items placed without a confirmed request don’t get collected. They stay.

Charlotte’s program is one of the most useful and easy to navigate in the Southeast. The rules just aren’t obvious until you’ve learned them.

Here’s how it works, what items qualify for pickup, and what the city simply just won’t take.

Charlotte Solid Waste Services provides free curbside bulk item pickup for eligible residential addresses. Eligible means you currently receive garbage collection from the City of Charlotte. There is no annual limit on pickup requests.

How to schedule

Every bulk item request must be scheduled before anything goes at the curb. Three ways to do it:

• CLT+ app (free, iOS and Android): search “CLT+” in your app store, or visit charlottenc.gov for the download link
• Online: servicerequest.charlottenc.gov/service/BULKITEM
• Phone: 311 or 704-336-7600

After scheduling, allow up to 5 business days for collection. To cancel or change an existing request, call 311 by noon on the business day before your scheduled pickup.

Setout rules

• Items go at the curb no earlier than the night before your scheduled collection day
• Everything must be in place by 6 AM on your scheduled collection day
• Leave at least 3 feet of space between items
• Items placed without a confirmed request will not be collected

Two trucks, two categories

Charlotte uses separate trucks for different types of bulk items. One crew collects recyclable materials (appliances, electronics, scrap metal). A second crew collects non-recyclable bulk items (furniture, carpet, mattresses). Scheduling through CLT+ routes your request correctly, so both item types get picked up as needed.

Finding your collection day

Use the My Charlotte Lookup tool at charlottenc.gov to find your garbage collection day, recycling week, and service zone. The CLT+ app also shows this when you enter your address.

Charlotte’s official bulk item eligibility list covers a wide range of household items. Here are the most common with their key prep requirements.

Most cities either exclude electronics entirely or route them to separate drop-off facilities. Charlotte does something different.

Electronics (TVs, computers, printers)

TVs, computers, monitors, printers, and computer accessories are accepted through Charlotte’s scheduled bulk item program. The city uses a separate truck and crew to handle recyclable bulk items. Electronics go on that truck, not the furniture truck. Schedule through CLT+, the online portal, or 311, and the right crew gets dispatched.

North Carolina state law makes this the right approach regardless. The Mecklenburg County e-waste page confirms: it is illegal in North Carolina to dispose of a TV or computer in a landfill. Putting electronics in your regular trash cart is not an option. Scheduling through CLT+ is.

TV prep: weight limit of 75 pounds (most flat-screen TVs qualify), and tape an X over the screen before setout.

For electronics that need to be removed from inside the home rather than just placed at the curb, LoadUp handles electronics removal in Charlotte from wherever the items actually are.

Refrigerators and freezers

Refrigerators and freezers are accepted. They must be completely empty, and the door must be removed before placement at the curb. This is a child safety requirement. Place the door alongside the unit. Both pieces go with the same pickup.

Window AC units and central AC systems

Window air conditioners are accepted through the standard scheduling process. Schedule through CLT+ and set them out the same way as any other appliance.

Central air conditioning units, heat pumps, and furnaces are not accepted. The city’s eligibility list explicitly excludes them. Homeowners replacing a central AC system should confirm disposal with their HVAC contractor. For central AC removal, LoadUp handles AC unit removal in Charlotte including refrigerant-containing systems.

Charlotte’s eligibility rules are unusually detailed. Items that aren’t properly prepared will be left behind.

Size and weight limits

Many items have a 75-pound weight limit per piece. Items over this limit must be cut down or dismantled before setout. Length limits also apply by item type:

• Boards and lumber: max 8 feet
• Tables: max 5 feet
• Ladders: max 5 feet
• Rugs and carpet: max 6 feet (max 4 feet if also over 75 lbs)
• Fencing and gutters: max 4 feet

If something is too big, cut it down. The crew will not take oversized pieces.

Dismantling requirements

Several common items must be broken down before setout:

• Bed frames and metal beds: must be dismantled
• Dressers: must be empty with doors removed
• Trampolines: must be broken down
• Basketball goals: concrete base must be removed first
• Pianos: must be broken down to under 75 lbs
• Dog houses: must be broken down; under 75 lbs

Glass items

Mirrors, glass tabletops, doors, and windows that are intact and accepted must have an X taped over both sides and be placed in a box labeled “glass” before setout. Broken glass shards are not collected through bulk pickup. Bag and place broken glass in the regular rollout cart.

Appliance prep

All appliances must be completely empty. Any glass component (oven door, shelf, screen) must have an X taped over it. Refrigerators and freezers: remove the door. Lawnmowers: remove the battery and drain the gas tank. Grills: remove the propane tank.

A few categories trip up more residents than any others. These are the items people assume qualify and discover don’t.

Central AC units and heat pumps: Not accepted. Explicitly listed as not eligible on the official eligibility document. This is a meaningful distinction from window units, which are accepted.

Contractor-generated debris: Any materials resulting from work performed by a commercial contractor are never collected. It doesn’t matter how small the amount. If a contractor did the work, the debris is the contractor’s responsibility.

Hard construction materials: Concrete, cinderblocks, bricks, drywall, sheetrock, siding, roofing shingles, ceramic tile, and granite or marble countertops are all excluded. Small amounts of homeowner-generated wood or lumber may qualify if properly cut, but hard construction waste does not. For construction debris removal in Charlotte, a private hauler is the right option.

Other excluded items: Chain link fencing, cast iron bathtubs, satellite dishes, propane or oxygen tanks, fire extinguishers, paint and hazardous waste, and broken glass shards are all not eligible for bulk collection.

The Charlotte bulk item program serves addresses within City of Charlotte limits that receive City garbage collection. The metro area includes a large number of surrounding municipalities and unincorporated areas that use different systems.

Mecklenburg County full-service recycling centers

All Mecklenburg County residents (including those in unincorporated areas and surrounding towns) can use four Mecklenburg County full-service recycling centers for drop-off. Open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 4 PM. Bring a driver’s license or ID showing Mecklenburg County residency. Electronics accepted (limit of 2 TVs or monitors); household hazardous waste accepted; bulk furniture accepted.

Note: North Mecklenburg is currently undergoing improvements. Business loads and dump trailers are not permitted there on Saturdays during the construction period; residential drop-off continues as normal.

Unincorporated Mecklenburg County

If you live in an unincorporated area of Mecklenburg County, the county does not provide curbside trash or recycling collection. You need to contract with a private licensed hauler. The county’s full-service recycling centers above are available for drop-off regardless.

Surrounding towns

Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mint Hill, Pineville, and Matthews each have their own separate collection programs. Check your town’s official website or call your town hall for bulk item pickup rules and scheduling in your municipality.

Free and unlimited is a strong offer. But five business days, specific prep requirements, and a long exclusion list leave real gaps.

• You need something gone before the 5-business-day wait
• You have a central AC unit or heat pump, which the city won’t take
• You have construction or renovation debris: any contractor-generated material is never collected
• An item fails the size or weight limit and cutting it down isn’t practical
• You need items removed from inside the home, not just placed at the curb
• You live in Huntersville, Matthews, or another surrounding municipality without City of Charlotte service

If the timing doesn’t work or the items don’t qualify, LoadUp provides junk removal across Charlotte and the surrounding metro with same-day and next-day availability, with upfront, guaranteed pricing before you book.

For furniture and household items in good 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.

LoadUp runs 20-30% below what most junk removal companies charge for comparable work in Charlotte.