Old couch or mattress to clear out in LA? Between donation, California's recycling rules, LA Sanitation's free pickup, and a flat-rate hauler, here's how to decide — item by item — with the real DIY-vs-hauler math and the hillside-and-high-rise realities. En español.
Send a photo — flat price, we carry it out
Upload a Photo & Get Your Price →Mattresses are covered by California's statewide recycling program, and electronics — TVs, monitors, computers — are banned from the trash as e-waste. So a mattress or an old TV can't just go to the curb as garbage. Other furniture (sofas, dressers, tables) can be tossed, but donating or recycling is almost always the better call.
Clean and sound? Donate it first. Torn or broken? A hauler carries it out at a flat $170 (loveseat $128, sleeper sofa $200, 3-piece sectional $249) and the foam, wood, and metal are separated for recycling where possible.
Solid dressers ($169), dining tables ($174), and bookshelves ($97) donate well; damaged pieces are broken down to recycle the wood and metal.
California runs a statewide mattress recycling program, so a mattress shouldn't go to the landfill. We carry it out as-is (queen $139, king $154, twin $111, box spring $124) — no bagging — and route it to a recycler that reclaims the steel, foam, and fiber.
Fridges, freezers, and ACs hold refrigerant that must be recovered to EPA standards before the metal is scrapped. We disconnect (a plumber cuts any gas line), carry it down the hillside stairs or out the freight elevator, and route it properly — fridge $221, washer $179, dryer $172, dishwasher $147, water heater $176.
California bans TVs, monitors, and computers from the trash. We dismount the wall set and route everything (TV $84–$98, monitor $78) to a certified e-waste recycler, including the leaded glass in old CRT sets.
Treadmills ($155), Pelotons ($108), and ellipticals ($131) are heavy and often bolted; we break them down and recycle the metal.
LA orgs that take furniture in good condition:
Call ahead — they only accept clean, undamaged pieces, and pickup windows fill quickly.
Single-family residents on city collection can request free bulky-item pickups from LA Sanitation (commonly up to three items at a time, several times a year). You schedule it and set items at the curb. It's the cheapest route for a piece or two you can get to the curb and don't mind waiting on — but it won't come down a hillside stair run or out of an apartment, and it won't take the banned e-waste.
Mattresses go through California's mattress recycling program; TVs and electronics go to a certified e-waste recycler; refrigerant appliances are handled to EPA standards. If your cleanout mixes a mattress, an old TV, and a fridge, sorting each correctly is the chore — which is exactly what a hauler does in one stop.
LA's geography is where a hauler earns its fee: hillside stair runs in Silver Lake and Echo Park, and DTLA or Century City towers that need a COI and freight elevator. When it's heavy, up the stairs, in a high-rise, needed today, or more than a piece or two, JunkRabbit quotes from a photo, carries it out (no stair or high-floor surcharge), and sorts donation, recycling, and disposal in one trip. Single items are flat ($75 minimum); whole-unit cleanouts are priced by the truckload. See the full LA price guide.
Renting a truck sounds cheaper until you add the rental + the transfer-station dump fee + fuel + LA traffic and parking + your day — plus you carry the couch down the hillside stairs yourself and make separate trips for the mattress and TV you can't dump. Here's the flat hauler side:
| The job | Flat hauler price | DIY reality |
|---|---|---|
| One couch | $170 | Rental + dump fee + you carry it down the hill + a half-day |
| Couch + mattress + dresser | ~$300–$480 | Separate mattress/e-waste trips + your day |
| One room / small load | 1/4 truck — $295 | A full rental day for one load |
| Studio / 1-bed unit | 1/2 truck — $525 | Multiple trips + sorting + dump fees + parking |
| Furnished 2-bed | Full truck — $895 | A weekend, several trips, the heavy lifting |
$75 minimum. Count the rental, dump fees, the separate mattress/e-waste trips, LA traffic, and your time — the flat number is usually close, and you don't lift a thing.
LA's rental market churns year-round, with a summer peak when donation pickups and haulers book up — reserve ahead if you're moving then. If you're donating, schedule the pickup a week out; trucks fill fast. If you're using LA Sanitation's bulky pickup, request it well before your move-out date, since it runs on the city's calendar. For a same-day need (the new couch is arriving, the lease ends tomorrow), a flat-rate hauler is usually the only option that moves on your schedule.
California built the mattress program and the e-waste ban precisely because those items are recyclable and bulky. Donation keeps a usable piece in service. Recycling reclaims the steel from box springs and appliances, the foam and fiber from mattresses, the wood from case goods, and the metals and glass from electronics. Whichever route you choose, divert first and dump last — a good hauler defaults to donation, then recycling, and sends only the truly dead material to disposal.
Does LA Sanitation pick up furniture for free?
Yes — free curbside bulky pickups (commonly up to three items), scheduled ahead. Not from a hillside or a high-rise, and not e-waste.
What must be recycled in CA?
Mattresses (state program), electronics (e-waste ban), and refrigerant appliances (EPA handling).
Where can I donate?
Goodwill SoCal, Out of the Closet, St. Vincent de Paul, Habitat ReStore — clean pieces, call ahead.
How much to haul a couch?
A flat $170, carried out, $75 minimum.
How much for a full apartment?
By truck: 1/4 $295, half $525, full $895.
Can I throw out a TV?
No — California bans it from the trash; it must be recycled.
Hillside or high-rise?
Routine for a hauler — no surcharge for stairs or the floor; COI handled for towers.
Is DIY cheaper?
Often not, once you count rental, dump fees, LA traffic, banned-item trips, and your day.
¿Hablan español?
Sí — atendemos en español; vea nuestra página en español.
When should I hire it out?
Hillside stairs, towers, heavy items, whole units, or anything needed today.