Waste from your kitchen and bathroom, from cleaning up your home and bringing home pizza… all of this is pretty easy to know how to get rid of. However, when it comes to getting rid of bigger things, most of us are at at bit of a loss, especially when it comes to items like bulky furniture. What’s the protocol? How can you get rid of these items in a responsible way?

Bulky Trash Pickup Days

Most cities have, as part of their regular residential garbage disposal, special days for bulky trash pickup. This isn’t always available, but it’s worth checking before you look at other options for getting rid of large items like furniture. Sometimes, bulky trash pickup is available for an added fee.

Junk Pickup Services

Because dealing with awkward, large garbage is becoming a more and more common problem, there are many services that are created just to help with this situation. These professionals can either pick up items curbside, or sometimes they’ll actually go right into your home and take everything out themselves and clean up the area before they leave. This can be especially useful for people who are moving, or for landlords during tenant turnovers. However, these services come with a fee, and most of them don’t have upfront pricing. Instead, they give you an estimate when they come to evaluate the situation. Prices often range around $100 just for a simple mattress, so many people opt to find their own way.

Charity

In order to prevent waste and do some good in the community, it’s always best to donate items when possible. This means that even if it doesn’t fit in with your house’s new aesthetic, old furniture items can be given new life in the home of someone who really needs them.

Many junk pickup services actually donate large items when possible. Conversely, some charities will come pick up items themselves so that you don’t have to worry about anything. Do some research about your area and community before resorting to dumping furniture items. Remember that non-fabric items like tables and wooden chairs will be much better candidates for donation than, say, an old mattress, or even an upholstered chair that might have been around pets.

Direct to the Dump

In order to get junk out of the house in a timely manner, and to reduce fees, many people decide to simply dump items into a pickup truck and drive it to a landfill themselves. When deciding where to take your old furniture, there are a few factors to keep in mind:

• Recycling options: Some facilities will allow for better recycling access than others. When you’re considering which to use for furniture disposal, you’ll want to check what the dump does with plastics and conglomerate wood planks. While any option will get the bulky items off your hands, making sure that you’re patronizing a sustainably-focused dump is better for the environment.
• Fees: Although it will cost less than hiring a waste pickup service, there will still be dumping fees associated with taking bulky waste to the dump. Do your research ahead of time and find out what the specific fee is for your item(s).
• Transportation: Transportation will be easier than it was back when you were really concerned about nicks and dents on your furniture. But all the same, you want to consider the inconveniences of transportation when you’re picking out a waste disposal method.