Los Angeles Bulky Item Pickup: LASAN Rules, Accepted Items & Alternatives

Los Angeles Sanitation runs one of the better bulk item pickup programs in the country. Free, unlimited pickups with no annual cap. Electronics accepted at the curb. Mattresses taken without any bag requirement. Most people assume it’s more complicated than it is.

The program is run by LASAN (Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment) and it serves single-family homes in the City of Los Angeles. That last part is the catch. Many areas people call “LA” are not actually in the City of Los Angeles.

Pasadena, Glendale, Santa Monica, West Hollywood. All separate cities, none served by LASAN. And construction debris, automotive parts, and hazardous products are excluded no matter where you live.

Here’s exactly how it works, what the program takes, and what to do when it doesn’t cover what you have.

LASAN provides free curbside bulky item pickup for residential customers with one to four units in the City of Los Angeles. The service is unlimited at no additional charge, included in what you already pay on your refuse bill.

Pickups happen on your regular trash collection day. You must schedule at least one business day in advance. Three ways to do it:

• MyLA311 app or website: Submit a service request at myla311.lacity.gov
• Phone: Call the 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489
• 311: Dial 3-1-1 from any phone in the city

When you schedule, have a quick itemized list ready, something like “one sofa, one dresser, two chairs.” LASAN uses that to send the right size truck. Items must be placed at the curb in plain view by 7 AM on your collection day. They can’t be on private property, and they can’t block the sidewalk.

One practical thing to know: wait times vary. In some neighborhoods you’ll get pickup within a few days. In others, especially during busier periods, it can take a week or two. If timing matters, plan ahead or use one of the drop-off options below.

Free monthly drop-off events

If you don’t want to wait for your next collection day, LASAN opens five locations across the city one Saturday per month from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. Furniture, carpet, yard trimmings, and wood are accepted.

2026 dates: Jan 10, Feb 14, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug 8, Sept 19, Oct 10, Nov 21, Dec 12

Locations:

• East Valley: 11050 Pendelton St., Sun Valley, 91352
• West Valley: 8840 Vanalden Ave., Northridge, 91234
• Harbor: 1400 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, 90731
• West LA: 2027 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles, 90025
• Central LA: 2201 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, 90021

LASAN’s accepted list covers most of what people need to get rid of. Here’s a clear breakdown.

One thing worth noting: refrigerators and appliances with refrigerant are accepted through the standard LASAN bulky item pickup. LASAN handles refrigerant removal as part of the service, so you don’t need a separate appointment.

Getting rid of old electronics is harder than it should be in most states. In LA, it’s not. LASAN customers have a free curbside option, drop-off sites open every weekend, and California law means you’ve already paid for disposal when you bought the device.

Curbside e-waste pickup

LASAN offers free curbside pickup for large electronics like TVs, computers, and monitors. It runs as a separate service type from your regular bulky item pickup. When you schedule through MyLA311 or 1-800-773-2489, tell them you have e-waste and the request gets routed to the right crew.

Need someone to take it from inside the home? LoadUp handles electronics removal in LA and takes care of hauling from wherever it actually is.

Why California makes this easier: SB 20

California’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act (SB 20) has been in effect since 2005. When you bought your TV or laptop in California, a small recycling fee was added at checkout. That fee funds programs like LASAN’s curbside e-waste service. So essentially, you’ve already paid for disposal. Getting rid of the device is free.

S.A.F.E. Centers: the drop-off option

LASAN’s S.A.F.E. Centers (Solvents, Automotive, Flammables, and Electronics) accept electronics and household hazardous waste year-round. Drop-off is free for City of LA residents.

Note: the East LA Washington Boulevard center is temporarily closed as of August 2026.

For smaller electronics, many LA libraries serve as battery drop-off points. Check the LASAN Battery Collection Center map for the nearest location.

Mattress disposal is simpler in LA than in most cities. No plastic bag required. No special prep. Schedule a regular bulky item pickup through LASAN and they take the mattress as part of normal service.

LASAN routes collected mattresses to the Bye Bye Mattress program, a California statewide initiative that breaks down mattresses into materials used for carpet padding, insulation, and building products. When your mattress gets picked up at the curb, it gets recycled, not buried.

Two California rules that make mattress disposal easier

Retailer take-back law: If you’re having a new mattress delivered, California law requires the retailer to offer to take your old one back at no charge. They have up to 30 days from the delivery date to collect it. Not every retailer handles take-back the same way, and a setup fee for the new mattress can still be charged, but the take-back itself is free. Ask at the time of purchase.

Bye Bye Mattress drop-off locations: If you are not buying a new mattress, free drop-off locations are available throughout LA County. The Mattress Recycling Council says 99% of California residents live within 15 miles of a collection site. Use the locator at byebyemattress.com to find the closest one.

California funds all of this through a small fee built into the price of every new mattress sold in the state. Like the electronics recycling fee, you’ve already covered the cost before you even need to use it.

LASAN’s exclusion list is shorter than most cities, but the things on it come up often.

Construction and renovation debris

This is the one people run into most. Concrete, bricks, drywall, lumber, roofing materials: none of it. LASAN does not collect construction or renovation debris at all. It does not matter how much there is, how it is packaged, or whether a contractor or the homeowner did the work. If it came from a renovation project, you need a private debris hauler in Los Angeles.

Automotive parts and tires

Used tires, engines, transmissions, and automotive parts are excluded. Used motor oil is also excluded from curbside pickup, though S.A.F.E. Centers accept it for recycling.

For tires, many retailers that sell tires will take old ones for recycling, often for a small fee. California retailers are required to accept used tires when selling new ones.

Paints, solvents, and household chemicals

These belong at a S.A.F.E. Center, not at the curb. LASAN accepts paint, pesticides, motor oil, and most household hazardous materials at their S.A.F.E. Centers on weekends. Locations and hours are in the electronics section above.

California also has PaintCare, a paint take-back program with drop-off sites at many hardware stores and retailers across LA. If you have leftover latex or oil-based paint and a S.A.F.E. Center is not convenient, find the closest location at paintcare.org.

Commercial and business waste

LASAN’s bulky item service is for residential items only. Business waste is not eligible, even if it’s brought to a residential address.

This is where a lot of LA residents get tripped up. “Los Angeles” as a mailing address covers a much bigger area than the City of Los Angeles, which is what LASAN serves.

These are separate cities with their own waste programs, not served by LASAN:

• Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena
• Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood
• Inglewood, Torrance, Long Beach
• Unincorporated LA County areas (contact dpw.lacounty.gov for county resources)

Neighborhoods inside City of LA limits served by LASAN include Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Koreatown, Highland Park, Boyle Heights, Westlake, and most of the San Fernando Valley within city limits. The borders get complicated near the edges.

The fastest way to confirm: enter your address at MyLA311. It shows your service type and collection schedule. If LASAN does not serve your address, it will tell you.

Multi-family buildings (five or more units)

LASAN directly serves properties with one to four residential units. Buildings with five or more units are served by recycLA, a separate franchised collection program. Multi-family residents should check with their building manager about bulky item pickup through recycLA, since the process differs from LASAN’s curbside service.

LASAN’s program covers a lot, but it doesn’t cover everything. You’re not covered if:

• You have renovation or construction debris of any kind
• You’re outside City of LA limits, in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Pasadena, or unincorporated LA County
• You’re in a multi-family building and need a different solution than recycLA provides
• You need items taken from inside the home, not just placed at the curb
• Your schedule doesn’t allow a week or two of wait time
• You have a mixed load where some items LASAN takes and some it does not, and separating them is not practical

LoadUp provides junk removal across the greater LA area, including neighborhoods and cities outside the LASAN service zone. Upfront pricing before you book, same-day and next-day availability, and Loaders are independent contractors who handle the lifting from inside the home. No sorting required for mixed loads.

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. Through the Plant with Purpose program, every LoadUp pickup contributes to reforestation efforts nationwide.

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