Chicago Bulk Item Pickup: DSS Rules, Accepted Items & Alternatives

That old couch may be easy to get rid of in Chicago. The TV sitting next to it is another story.

Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, or DSS, provides free large-item collection for single-family homes and residential buildings with four or fewer units. Furniture, mattresses, and many major appliances qualify, while electronics, construction debris, tires, and household hazardous waste need a different disposal plan.

There’s also an important building-size cutoff. If your property has five or more units, the city doesn’t provide residential garbage or bulk-item pickup. Your building uses a private waste hauler instead.

Here’s how Chicago bulk pickup works, what DSS takes, and what to do when the city program doesn’t cover your items.

DSS serves single-family homes and residential buildings with four or fewer units. The service is included with regular city garbage collection.

For a couch, dresser, mattress, appliance, or another item too large for the black garbage cart, arrange collection before moving it to the alley or curb. You can:

• CHI311 app or website: Submit a service request at 311.chicago.gov
• Phone: Call 312-744-5000
• 311: Dial 3-1-1 from any phone within Chicago

Pickup timing can vary by request type and workload, so give yourself some room if you’re working around a move, closing date, or other deadline.

Your regular garbage day is based on your address. Use Chicago Recycles or the CHI311 app to check your collection schedule rather than relying on your ward or neighborhood.

Alley or curb?

It depends on the property. Many Chicago homes have garbage collected from the alley behind the building. Others use front curb collection. Follow the placement instructions provided for your address when you request a pickup service.

Whichever side of the house your pickup happens on, bulky items shouldn’t block the alley, sidewalk, fire hydrants, water access, or other public space.

Most common household bulk items qualify for city collection. Furniture is one of the more straightforward categories, but some items have extra rules worth knowing before you drag them outside.

All major appliances require a 311 request before they go to the curb or alley. This includes refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, and window AC units. Schedule the pickup first, then follow the placement instructions you receive.

Refrigerators and freezers need extra prep

Chicago requires doors or lids to be removed from discarded refrigerators and freezers before collection. That safety rule is included in the city’s sanitation ordinance guidance.

Remove the doors or lids before putting the appliance outside. There’s no need to turn this into a bigger DIY project than it is. The important part is that the appliance is prepared before the city crew arrives.

If getting a refrigerator, washer, or other appliance out of the house is the harder part, LoadUp offers appliance removal in Chicago with pickup from inside your home.

Check ComEd for working appliances

ComEd, the Chicago-area utility company, runs an appliance recycling program that has historically offered rebates for recycling working refrigerators and freezers. Check comed.com for current rebate amounts and eligibility before assuming the city pickup is your only option.

TVs, computers, monitors, laptops, printers, video game consoles. None of them can go to the curb with bulk items, in the garbage can, or in the blue recycling cart.

This isn’t a DSS preference. It’s state law.

Use the HCCRF for electronics and household chemicals

Chicago residents can take many electronics to the city’s Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility, often shortened to HCCRF.

The facility is located at: 1150 N. North Branch Street, Chicago

Current published hours are:

• Tuesday: 7 AM to 12 PM
• Thursday: 2 PM to 7 PM
• First Saturday of each month: 8 AM to 3 PM

Because facility hours can change, check the city page before making the trip.

The HCCRF accepts many items that shouldn’t go into regular trash, including TVs, computers, monitors, printers, rechargeable batteries, oil-based paint, motor oil, and household chemicals. Latex paint is not accepted there.

Other electronics recycling options

Some electronics retailers offer take-back programs, although accepted items and fees can vary. Chicago also holds seasonal or neighborhood recycling events. Check CHI311 or Chicago Recycles for current options.

If the bigger problem is getting a TV or computer out of the house and to a recycling site, LoadUp offers electronics removal in Chicago for all types of e-waste.

Mattresses and box springs are accepted through Chicago’s standard residential bulk item pickup process. No bag required for a regular, uninfested mattress. Place it next to the cart on garbage day or include it in a 311 request with other items.

The exception: if a mattress is infested with bed bugs, it must be completely sealed in a plastic bag and clearly labeled as bed bug infested before it goes to the curb. This protects DSS workers and neighboring properties. An unlabeled, infested mattress will not be collected.

Chicago has no statewide mattress recycling program like some cities do. The Salvation Army offers free furniture pickup for items in good condition but does not accept used mattresses. If the mattress is upstairs, in a basement, or simply too awkward to move yourself, LoadUp offers mattress removal in Chicago from inside your home and handles disposal for you.

Yard waste has its own seasonal collection program. DSS offers a separate bagged yard waste pickup from April 1st through November 30th each year. Request it through 311 or the CHI311 app. Illinois state law requires keeping yard waste out of regular garbage, so this is worth knowing about if you have a lawn, garden, or trees.

Common yard waste includes:

• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Brush
• Shrub trimmings
• Garden plant material
• Small branches

Dirt, rocks, gravel, tree stumps, and lumber are excluded.

Paper yard waste bags are the simplest option because they can be composted with the contents. Keep bags and bundled branches outside your black and blue carts so the collection crew can see them.

Larger piles of branches or storm-damaged tree debris may need a separate Tree Debris Removal request through 311 or a private debris removal hauler.

Chicago’s city service works well for routine household items, but several jobs fall outside the program.

Construction and renovation debris

This is the most common gap between what residents expect and what the city actually does. Construction and remodeling debris is not part of Chicago’s regular residential bulk pickup service under any circumstances.

This includes:

• Concrete
• Bricks
• Drywall
• Construction lumber
• Roofing material
• Other remodeling debris

The city’s sanitation code is clear: “If remodeling, you are responsible for removing discarded building materials.” If a contractor did the work, the debris removal falls on them. If it’s your own DIY project, you’ll need a private hauler.

Chicago’s alleys make improperly dumped renovation debris a persistent problem, and the city takes enforcement seriously. If you have renovation debris to remove, book a private debris hauler before any of it goes to the alley.

Tires

Chicago DSS doesn’t collect tires through regular residential bulk pickup. Many tire shops and retailers accept old tires for recycling, especially when you’re buying replacements. Policies and fees vary, so call before bringing them over.

Household hazardous waste

Oil-based paint, pesticides, automotive fluids, solvents, and other household chemicals shouldn’t go into regular garbage. Many of these products can be taken to the HCCRF.

Latex paint is handled differently. Once it is completely dried and solid, it can generally be placed with regular trash. The HCCRF does not accept latex paint.

Buildings with five or more units

DSS provides residential garbage service to buildings with four or fewer units. Buildings with five or more units use private waste collection. If you live in a larger apartment building in Lakeview, Wicker Park, Pilsen, or anywhere else in Chicago, ask your property manager or landlord how bulky items are handled. Don’t assume the city truck will take something just because the building sits on a DSS collection route.

Chicago’s city service is a good option when your property qualifies, the item is accepted, and you can get it outside. There’s no reason to pay for removal when the city already handles the job.

If Chicago’s city service doesn’t fit the job, LoadUp provides junk removal across Chicago. You can see your price before booking, and the crew handles the lifting from wherever the items are.

When furniture or household items are still usable, donation may be an option depending on their condition, your location, and what nearby organizations can accept. LoadUp works with donation partners and prioritizes donation or recycling when local options allow, but acceptance can’t be guaranteed.