Markham junk-disposal & bulky-item guide

Mattress and box-spring disposal

Mattresses and box springs are listed as bulky items. For a curbside household, they can go out with the every-other-week bulky collection rather than requiring a separate appointment.

Couches and large furniture

Couches, chairs and similar furniture are core examples of bulky items. Keep the set-out tidy and within the three-item limit.

Fridges, freezers and appliances

Large appliances use a separate monthly appointment service rather than ordinary bulky-item collection. Call 905-477-5530 to book; the 2026 fee is $18.50 per appliance. Large metal items also require an appointment but are collected free.

Drywall and renovation debris

Renovation debris is a different category from furniture. Use the correct material-specific waste route rather than placing construction debris in the bulky-item pile.

Does your property type change the answer?

The normal curbside rule is not automatically the rule for a condo or apartment. Markham explicitly tells residents in those buildings to contact property management for the building’s bulky-item process.

Markham: furniture pickup is different from appliance pickup

The every-other-week route is for ordinary bulky furniture

Markham's eligible curbside households can put out up to three broken bulky household items on the clear-bag garbage collection day, which runs every other week. No standard furniture appointment is required. Set pieces neatly at the curb by 7 a.m. and no earlier than the night before. A couch, mattress and table may use all three slots. Compare the household's actual calendar rather than assuming “every other week” means the same Wednesday everywhere in Markham.

A metal appliance does not become a fourth furniture item

The City separates appliance and metal-item pickup from its normal furniture route, with its own appointment and fee. Identify a washer, stove or refrigerator under the appliance instructions before scheduling a clean-out. Renovation debris and hazardous waste also have different destinations. This makes an itemized list more useful than a generic load size: an accepted couch may be collected at the curb without booking, while an appliance needs a separate request and a pile of drywall needs another disposal plan.

Condos follow their own collection agreement

Markham directs apartment and condominium residents to the superintendent or property manager for bulky disposal. Their building's bins and loading area may be privately serviced, even if a nearby detached home receives City curbside collection. Ask who authorizes set-out, whether the item must be taken to a particular room, and when the hauler can enter. A sofa left beside a shared dumpster is not necessarily part of the City's every-other-week route. For large clean-outs, use the City's separate furniture and appliance pages to confirm that every piece has a destination.

Toilets and mixed loads reveal the limits

Markham includes toilets on its bulky list, but a two-piece toilet must have its tank detached from the bowl for collector safety; a one-piece unit can remain whole. That preparation is different from a broken chair or mattress. The City also points residents with paint or motor oil to York Region's household-hazardous-waste route and electronics to Markham recycling depots, so a basement clean-out may have several stops. Condo residents are specifically directed to the superintendent for sofas and mattresses. A building's ordinary recycling containers are for loose accepted recyclables, not furniture; ask for the bulky staging plan rather than placing a couch in front of the bins. If donation is possible, confirm that the recipient accepts the condition and can receive it before the collection day.