Richmond junk-disposal & bulky-item guide

Mattress and box-spring disposal

Dry mattresses and box springs are accepted when wrapped in plastic and securely sealed. Wet, unsealed or bed-bug-contaminated mattresses are not accepted through the program.

Couches and large furniture

Furniture and dry upholstered items such as couches, armchairs and recliners can qualify. Upholstered furniture must remain dry at the curb so it can be handled safely.

Fridges, freezers and appliances

The accepted list includes many household appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers and stoves. Barbecues must have propane tanks and loose fuel materials removed.

Drywall and renovation debris

Drywall, roofing, plumbing material, flooring, doors, windows and other demolition or renovation waste are excluded. Those loads need a facility or private construction-debris service.

Does your property type change the answer?

Multi-family eligibility is not automatic. Condo and apartment residents should ask the property manager whether their complex receives the City service and who is permitted to make the booking.

Richmond: use the confirmation number, not just the allowance

The booking has a Thursday cutoff

Richmond's Large Item Pick Up allows up to six qualifying items per year at eligible properties. Residents contact Sierra Waste Services or use the form by 4 p.m. Thursday in the week before their next garbage day, then receive a pickup date and confirmation number. This is not permission to leave six pieces at curbside whenever convenient. Put them out only for the confirmed collection, no earlier than 8 p.m. the night before and before 7:30 a.m. on the day. One box or bundle uses one item of the allowance.

Rain can make a mattress ineligible

Richmond requires mattresses and box springs to be dry, wrapped in plastic and sealed with tape for recycling, and says they must be free of bedbugs for the facility. Upholstered furniture should also be kept dry at curbside; a tarp may be left behind for reuse. These details matter in wet weather. Arrange the wrapping and a sheltered storage spot before the confirmed date, rather than leaving a sofa in the rain during the week before pickup.

Check whether the complex participates

The program includes eligible houses, townhomes with City garbage or Blue Box service, and multi-family complexes with City garbage collection. Some condos and apartments are exempt, so a resident needs the manager to confirm service eligibility and the approved staging point. Richmond excludes home renovation materials from the program; sinks, bathtubs, flooring, doors and drywall need another route. This is a useful distinction when a move and renovation happen together: the old bed may be booked while the stripped bathroom cannot be added as a seventh “large item.”

Confirm the preparation with the contractor

The City's list includes a box or bundle as one item, but rejects hazardous-liquid items and asks for safe manual handling. A booked set-out must not block sidewalk access. A dry, sealed mattress and a dry upholstered chair may travel by the booked route; demolition material such as flooring and a removed sink will not. If a complex is excluded, check Richmond's extra-item options before paying for transport.