The following guidelines apply:

• Schedule an appointment for non-recyclable items larger than 4 feet by 3 feet. Items will be picked up on your appointment day.
• Put small (4 feet by 3 feet and smaller) non-recyclable items out the night before any trash collection day.
• Put recyclable items (metal and rigid plastics) out the night before your recycling day.
• Make a CFC and Freon Removal appointment for the pickup of any appliance containing CFCs or Freon, such as air conditioners and refrigerators.
• Don't bring bulk items to the City's special waste disposal sites.
• Don't put construction or renovation debris out for collection, unless you have done the work yourself and did not hire anyone to help. You can place up to six items (bags, bundles) curbside for home repair debris.

Bulk items placed out for collection must not be placed in the street, extend in front of another property, or impede pedestrian traffic.

In addition, items that are left out on private property are "unserviceable” and cannot be picked up by Sanitation. You must place your items in the designated area (curb or alley) in order for them to be collected.

If you have a large amount of items, consider placing them out over several collection days.

Bed Bugs

If your bulk items are infested with bed bugs, put a sign on them that says they have bed bugs. This will let people know not to take the items from the trash.

Violations

If you place non-recyclable items larger than 4 feet by 3 feet out for disposal without scheduling an appointment the evening before your collection day, you can leave those items curbside and schedule a bulk item pickup appointment.

If you put any other items out the evening before a non-collection day, you could be given a violation.

Large items that are all metal, mostly metal or rigid plastic are recyclable as bulk items. This includes but are not limited to:

• Air conditioners
• Auto parts (containing no hazardous materials or chemicals)
• Aluminum lawn furniture with plastic webbing
• Barbecue grills
• Bed springs/Metal bed frames
• Bicycles
• Boilers
• Buckets
• Cabinets and appliances
• Clothes dryers
• Crates
• Dishwashers
• Furniture, including couches and dressers
• Generators (less than 100 pounds)
• Large plastic toys (e.g., Big Wheels)
• Large radio (If mostly metal or rigid plastic, discard with metal recyclables)
• Lawnmower (empty fuel to be used in new lawnmower or bring to SAFE disposal event)
• Ovens
• Pails
• Paper shredders
• Pipes (no longer than 4 feet)
• Porcelain coated metal bathtubs and sinks
• Radiators
• Snow blowers (less than 100 pounds)
• Washing machines
• Water heaters (50 gallons or less)

Sanitation suggests you remove doors from large appliances, such as washing machines and ovens, but you are not required to do so.

Non-recyclable bulk items are large items that are mostly non-metal, such as:

• Artificial trees
• Bags of plaster
• Broken rock or dirt (weighing less than 60 pounds)
• Bundles of processed wood (nails removed, tied in bundles no more than 2 feet high and 4 feet long)
• EZ chairs
• Landscaping refuse
• Live Christmas trees (after special collections end)
• Rugs (cut to 4-foot widths and tied into bundles no higher than 2 feet)
• Small radios (If mostly metal or rigid plastic, discard with metal recyclables)
• Sofas (remove metal frames from sofa beds and pullouts, discard with metal recyclables)
• Toilets
• Wood tables

When possible, you should recycle electronics through the manufacturer or another special program. Electronics may contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium.

Construction or Home Repair Material Disposal

You can dispose of do-it-yourself home improvement waste including:

• Carpets and rugs (no larger than 2 feet high and 4 feet long bundles)
• Lumber (no larger than 2 feet high and 4 feet long bales)
• Do-it-yourself construction material
• Windows, mirrors, cabinets, and doors

If you are doing a major construction or renovation project in your home, you need to get a dumpster through a private trash removal service. If you hire a contracting company, it should arrange for private disposal of debris, such as heaters, sinks, and tubs.

If you do repair work in your own home and do not hire anyone to help, you can schedule construction debris and furnishings for a bulk pick-up appointment. Items must be light enough to be lifted by two people and small enough to fit in a garbage truck.

You do not need to schedule an appointment for debris such as rocks, bricks, and glass that can fit into a bag. You can place up to six items (bags, bundles) curbside for home repair debris.

Work on income properties (on three family homes and larger), fee for service, and contractor material must be serviced by hiring a private carter or dumpster.

Trash or Recycling Bins

You can throw out metal or rigid plastic trash or recycling cans or bins with your recycling items. Place a label on it that says "Sanitation, please take this can away" so that the Department of Sanitation knows to take it.

Mattresses

Any mattress or box spring put out for bulk collection must be sealed in a plastic bag. This is being done in an effort to help the City fight against bedbugs. Items not properly disposed of will not be collected and may result in a $100 fine.

The City does not provide mattress or box spring bags or covers. You can get them at department stores, home improvement stores, and moving supply centers.

If you need to dispose of a mattress that falls under any of these sizes, you should schedule an appointment to have them removed.

These sizes are listed from smallest to largest.

• Twin
• Twin XL
• Full
• Queen
• King
• California King

These mattress sizes are generally larger than 4 feet by 3 feet. However, dimensions for these sizes may vary.

Metal Compressed Gas Tanks

You can put fire extinguishers and helium tanks out for collection or take them back to where you bought them.

If you put them out, first empty them and remove the head. To empty an extinguisher, spray it into a damp paper bag.

The City does not collect used compressed gas tanks such as propane, oxygen, and acetylene because they can explode in the garbage truck. You must take these tanks back to where you bought them.

Toilet Disposal

If you are disposing of only one toilet, you can place it curbside the night before your collection day. An appointment is not needed.

If you are disposing of multiple toilets, you may schedule a bulk pick up appointment.

Water Heater Disposal

Empty water heaters that are 50 gallons or smaller can be put out for bulk collection. You must hire a private carter for any other water heaters.

Hay Bales

For disposal of hay bales, call the Department of Sanitation.

You should make an appointment to have non-recyclable bulk items larger than 4 feet by 3 feet removed.

If the item you are throwing out is 4 feet by 3 feet or smaller, you do not have to schedule an appointment. You can place the item out according to your normal collection schedule.

If the item you are throwing out is recyclable (made of metal or rigid plastic), you do not have to schedule an appointment, regardless of size. You can place the item out according to your normal recycling schedule (following bulk recycling rules).

Appointments cannot be made for City holidays or during times when collection is suspended due to snow operations. You can schedule an appointment up to four weeks in advance. However, next day appointments must be scheduled by midnight the previous day. You can schedule up to 10 items for disposal per appointment.

Adding Items to a Scheduled Appointment

If you have already scheduled an appointment and have additional items you need to dispose of, or if someone else has already made a pick up request for your preferred appointment date, you can:

• Place your additional items curbside along with the others on the scheduled appointment date, OR
• Schedule a separate appointment for your other items on a different date

Confirmation Emails

You will get a confirmation email for:

• Scheduling an appointment
• Rescheduling and cancelling appointments
• Appointment status updates

Confirmation emails are sent by the Department of Sanitation. If you provided an email address and did not receive the confirmation email, you should check your junk and/or spam folder.

If You Missed an Appointment

If you did not put your items out on the scheduled day, you can make a new appointment.

Schedule a Bulk Item Pickup Appointment

If you have the Service Request number, you can check the status of your bulk item pickup appointment.

You need your Service Request number to check appointment status. Appointment status cannot be checked using a customer's name, address, or any other information.

If you have your Service Request number, you can cancel or reschedule your bulk item pickup appointment up until 4 PM the day before.

If your item is too large to fit in a regular sized (not dual-bin) collection truck, you can break the item into pieces. If the item cannot be broken down, you may need to hire a private removal service.

If you want to know the dimensions of a collection truck, you can request that information in writing.

There are no longer public dump sites in New York City.

There are only Special Waste Disposal sites for items such as batteries, paints, and motor oils. 

Do not bring bulk items to Special Waste Disposal sites.

In general, there is no trash or recycling collection on sanitation holidays but that is subject to change. You can check back near the date of the holiday to confirm the collection schedule.

If a holiday occurs on your trash collection day, put your items out after 4 PM that day for collection beginning the next day.

If a holiday occurs on your recycling collection day, put your items out after 4 PM the day before your next scheduled recycling collection day.

2020 Sanitation Holidays