Figuring out what the city takes. Waiting for pickup day. Calling around for quotes. It’s a lot to sort out for something you’re ready to be done with.
Standard sofa$79First item example Before applicable tax
Your exact price. Upfront.
Find your items in the catalog and see your exact price online. Book without phone calls or an in-person estimate.
Gone as soon as today.
Choose your pickup day. Book by 2pm local time for same-day pickup, where available.
In the loop until it’s gone.
Get a booking confirmation, a text before arrival and pickup photos when it’s done. Follow along on your pickup page.
Made for your place
Your place. One easy pickup plan.
A house, a condo or an apartment. Choose an accessible outdoor spot that works for your property. You arrange the move outside; we take it from there.
1
Book before you bring it out.
Your items can still be inside when you book. Follow the readiness instructions in your confirmation.
2
Choose a clear outdoor spot.
You arrange any carrying out of your home or down interior stairs. Keep entrances, sidewalks and shared access clear. We handle loading and haul-away from outside.
3
Show us where to find it.
Add a photo and clear location notes. Contact us before booking if a gate, building rule or restricted access window needs an arrangement.
At a house: outside, accessible and easy to identify.At an apartment: an approved outdoor spot with shared access clear.
Access needs an arrangement?
Check any building or shared-area rules. Contact us before booking if access is limited to particular hours.
City collection Furniture rides Clean Up Day as a bulky item, with sofas, large chairs, tables and cabinets named in the examples. A single family household gets two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year and may set out up to three bulky items, each weighing 200 pounds or less. No charge. Two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year are provided to single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, with up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each. No separate fee is published for the service, and residents of multi-unit complexes without an individual city refuse bill arrange the day through their property manager.
City collection Mattresses and box springs are named in the bulky item examples, so a bed counts against the three bulky items per Clean Up Day with a 200 pound limit per item. No charge. Included in the Clean Up Day allowance for single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, as one of up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each, on one of the two pre-scheduled days a year.
City collection Stoves and washing machines are named in the bulky item examples for Clean Up Day, while a microwave counts as an individual item with a lower weight and size limit. No charge. Included in the Clean Up Day allowance: a large appliance such as a stove or washing machine is one of up to three bulky items at 200 pounds or less, and a microwave is one of up to three individual items under 60 pounds and no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.
City collection Clean Up Day is the bulky item programme, and the allowance is written in categories: three bulky items at 200 pounds or less, three individual items under 60 pounds and 3 feet cubed, textiles, recyclables, yard trimmings, bagged garbage and a construction allowance. No charge. Two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year for single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, each with the published per category limits and no separate fee. Multi-unit residents without an individual city refuse bill arrange the day through their property manager, and businesses contact GreenWaste.
The highest first-item price applies once. Every remaining item uses its additional-item price. Loading, transportation and disposal are included. Applicable sales tax is shown before payment.
Selected customer reviews. Counts checked September 2026.
The local disposal guide
Will the city take it?
Palo Alto collects bulky material on Clean Up Day rather than a weekly route. Single family households get two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year, and the allowance is written as published caps: up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each, up to three smaller individual items under 60 pounds each, textiles, recyclables, yard trimmings, bagged garbage and a construction allowance. Sofas, mattresses and box springs, stoves and washing machines are named in the bulky examples, and anything reusable is collected for reuse partners when it is labelled. Everything goes to the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled day and no earlier than 24 hours before it. Televisions and monitors are the exception, because the city's household hazardous waste station refuses electronic items that do not have an embedded battery, and the city routes those screens to electronics retailers instead.
Furniture rides Clean Up Day as a bulky item, with sofas, large chairs, tables and cabinets named in the examples. A single family household gets two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year and may set out up to three bulky items, each weighing 200 pounds or less.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year are provided to single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, with up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each. No separate fee is published for the service, and residents of multi-unit complexes without an individual city refuse bill arrange the day through their property manager.
When & how
Set the furniture at the curb next to the carts by 6 a.m. on the scheduled Clean Up Day, and not earlier than 24 hours before it. The date and the item rules come from GreenWaste at (650) 493-4894 using the utility account number.
Get it ready
Keep each bulky item at or under 200 pounds, and label anything in good enough condition for reuse with the word reuse, because the program collects unbroken reusable items for its partner organisations. Items set out more than 24 hours early can be treated as illegal dumping.
Mattresses and box springs are named in the bulky item examples, so a bed counts against the three bulky items per Clean Up Day with a 200 pound limit per item.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Included in the Clean Up Day allowance for single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, as one of up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each, on one of the two pre-scheduled days a year.
When & how
Put the unit at the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled Clean Up Day and no earlier than 24 hours before the pickup, on the date GreenWaste confirms for the address.
Get it ready
Count the mattress and the box spring as separate items when you build the set out, because the limit is three bulky items per day, and keep the unit dry so it stays lighter and intact for the crew. A mattress still in reusable condition can be labelled reuse.
Stoves and washing machines are named in the bulky item examples for Clean Up Day, while a microwave counts as an individual item with a lower weight and size limit.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Included in the Clean Up Day allowance: a large appliance such as a stove or washing machine is one of up to three bulky items at 200 pounds or less, and a microwave is one of up to three individual items under 60 pounds and no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet.
When & how
Set the appliance out by 6 a.m. on the scheduled Clean Up Day and no earlier than 24 hours before it, next to the carts at the curb.
Get it ready
Empty the unit and secure loose doors, cords and drums before it goes out. Keep a microwave in the individual item size and weight range, and keep anything with an embedded battery out of the pile because battery containing electronics have their own route at the household hazardous waste station.
Televisions and monitors are refused at the city household hazardous waste station, which takes only electronics with embedded batteries, and no city page publishes an electronics drop off. The city routes televisions and monitors to electronics retailers.
City cost & eligibility
The city publishes no charge because it publishes no electronics drop off of its own: the household hazardous waste station explicitly refuses electronics without embedded batteries, and the city's own resource table sends televisions and monitors to electronics retailers. Confirm the item and any fee with the retailer you choose, and use the household hazardous waste station only for small devices with embedded batteries such as cell phones and tablets.
When & how
Use a retailer's take back or recycling programme during its own business hours, or bring small battery containing devices to the household hazardous waste station on a Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. or the first Friday of the month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Get it ready
Wipe personal data before handover, keep televisions, monitors and other corded electronics out of the Clean Up Day pile and out of the curbside carts, and take small electronics with embedded batteries to the household hazardous waste station instead.
Clean Up Day is the bulky item programme, and the allowance is written in categories: three bulky items at 200 pounds or less, three individual items under 60 pounds and 3 feet cubed, textiles, recyclables, yard trimmings, bagged garbage and a construction allowance.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year for single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, each with the published per category limits and no separate fee. Multi-unit residents without an individual city refuse bill arrange the day through their property manager, and businesses contact GreenWaste.
When & how
Everything goes to the curb next to the carts by 6 a.m. on the scheduled Clean Up Day and no earlier than 24 hours before it, on the two dates posted to the address each year.
Get it ready
Label each category the way the programme requires, with reuse for reusable items and the words recycle, clothing, yard trimmings, garbage or construction on the matching boxes and bags, and keep every box or bundle under 60 pounds. Keep treated wood waste and lithium batteries out of the pile.
Small renovation loads fit the Clean Up Day construction allowance of six boxes or bundles under 60 pounds each, and the larger route is a debris box from the hauler, which covers construction projects, deconstruction, remodels and property clean outs.
City cost & eligibility
The small construction allowance inside Clean Up Day carries no separate published fee, but the debris box service for a real project is quoted by the hauler rather than priced on the page. Confirm the box size, the source separated and mixed material rules and the price with GreenWaste of Palo Alto at (650) 493-4894.
When & how
Use the construction allowance on a scheduled Clean Up Day, or order a debris box for a project, which is delivered and collected on the hauler's own schedule.
Get it ready
Label the boxes or bundles construction and keep each one under 60 pounds and no larger than 2 feet by 3 feet, and keep treated wood waste out of the load entirely because it is not accepted. For a project, separate materials so the box matches the source separated or mixed requirement.
Exercise equipment is not named in any of the Clean Up Day categories or in the household hazardous waste list, so a treadmill or weight machine has to be confirmed before the set out date.
City cost & eligibility
No city or hauler page publishes a rate or a category for exercise equipment. A machine within the bulky item limits of 200 pounds or less and three items per day may fit the programme, but that has to come from GreenWaste at (650) 493-4894 rather than from the reader.
When & how
Call the hauler before the scheduled Clean Up Day and describe the machine and its weight, because the programme runs on two fixed dates a year and an unlisted item left at the curb is not collected.
Get it ready
Break the machine down as far as it will go and keep the parts together, take off any console or screen so it can be handled separately as an electronic item, and keep the frame out of the weekly carts.
Weekly collection runs on the cart schedule, with three holidays that shift the rest of the week, and batteries and motor oil are no longer taken in the weekly recycling cart.
City cost & eligibility
Weekly refuse service is billed on the Palo Alto utility account and the city publishes the rates on its refuse rate page rather than on the collection pages, so confirm the current charge for the cart size on the bill or with the city. Clean Up Day itself adds no separate fee on top of the account.
When & how
There is no collection on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. During those weeks, if the regular collection day falls on or after the holiday, the collection moves to the next day, and a Friday collection happens on Saturday.
Get it ready
Keep batteries out of the curbside carts, because they are no longer taken with weekly recycling and go out on Clean Up Day in a sealed clear bag on top of the blue cart or to the household hazardous waste station instead. Motor oil is also off the weekly route and follows the same two options.
Clean Up Day items go out by 6 a.m. and no more than 24 hours early
Everything belongs at the curb next to the carts by 6 a.m. on the scheduled Clean Up Day and no earlier than 24 hours before the collection. Each category has to be labelled the way the programme asks, with reuse on reusable items and recycle, clothing, yard trimmings, garbage or construction on the matching boxes and bags, and every box or bundle stays under 60 pounds. Household batteries in a sealed clear bag go on top of the blue recycle cart, and lithium batteries are excluded.
The household hazardous waste station has residency rules and a volume limit
The station at 2501 Embarcadero Way opens every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the first Friday of each month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and it is for Palo Alto residents who can show a driver's license or vehicle registration. A visit is limited to 15 gallons or 125 pounds of material in containers no larger than five gallons, which is also the state transport limit, and containers have to be secured against spilling in the vehicle.
Batteries and motor oil left the weekly cart route
Household batteries are no longer taken with weekly curbside recycling. Acceptable alkaline and similar batteries go out during a Clean Up Day in a sealed, clear, tear resistant bag placed on top of the blue recycle cart, and lithium or lithium-ion batteries go to the household hazardous waste station instead. Motor oil follows the same split, with up to three one gallon containers of oil and filters set out in a sealed clear bag on Clean Up Day or taken to the station.
Use a permitted, accessible outdoor spot. Arrange the move out of your home, keep shared access clear and follow your confirmation’s readiness instructions. Check with your building about access or staging limits before booking.
City of Palo Alto Zero Waste with GreenWaste of Palo Alto
Use the two annual Clean Up Days
A single family household with furniture, mattresses, appliances, bagged junk, recyclables, yard trimmings or a small construction load that fits the published category limits.
Cost & conditions
No charge. Two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days a year for single family households on the Palo Alto refuse account, with no separate fee published and set category limits on each day.
Arrange it
Find the address's dates and rules with GreenWaste at (650) 493-4894 using the utility account number, then set everything at the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled day and no earlier than 24 hours before.
The programme runs on two fixed dates a year rather than on demand, the limits are per category, treated wood waste and lithium batteries are excluded, and electronics without embedded batteries have to go to a retailer instead.
City of Palo Alto Zero Waste with GreenWaste of Palo Alto
Drop household hazardous waste and small battery devices
A Palo Alto household with paint, solvents, batteries, motor oil, fluorescent bulbs or small electronics that have embedded batteries.
Cost & conditions
No charge. Palo Alto residents with proof of residency such as a driver's license or vehicle registration, limited to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit in containers no larger than five gallons.
Arrange it
Go to 2501 Embarcadero Way on a Saturday between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., or on the first Friday of the month between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., with the material secured in the vehicle.
Televisions, monitors and microwaves without embedded batteries are refused, along with large gas cylinders, radioactive waste, infectious waste, ammunition, fireworks and pressure treated wood.
A household or contractor with a remodel, a deconstruction job or a property clean out that is larger than the Clean Up Day construction allowance.
Cost & conditions
The hauler publishes debris boxes in a variety of sizes for source separated and mixed materials but does not publish a price, so the box and the disposal have to be quoted through GreenWaste of Palo Alto at (650) 493-4894.
Arrange it
Contact GreenWaste of Palo Alto to choose the box size and the material stream, then have the box delivered and collected on the project schedule.
Treated wood waste is not accepted, and the box has to match either the source separated or the mixed material requirement rather than holding a mixture the hauler did not quote.
Take televisions and monitors to an electronics retailer
A household with a television, a monitor or another corded electronic item that the household hazardous waste station refuses.
Cost & conditions
The city routes televisions and monitors to electronics retailers through the regional StopWaste directory, and each retailer sets its own terms, so confirm acceptance and any fee with the store before loading the screen.
Arrange it
Search the StopWaste directory for an electronics retailer near the address, then call the store for its current hours and accepted items.
This is not a city programme, so the household hazardous waste volume limit and residency rule do not apply here, and some retailers charge or refuse large or damaged units.
City household hazardous waste station with a reuse zone
Palo Alto Household Hazardous Waste Station
2501 Embarcadero Way, Palo Alto, CA
Paints, aerosol cans, paint thinners and solvents, compressed gas cylinders for propane, butane, helium and MAPP, lubricants, motor oil and oil filters, antifreeze, gasoline, automotive batteries, brake cleaners and degreasers, fluorescent bulbs, tubes and ballasts, LED bulbs, household batteries, lithium and lithium-ion batteries, small electronics with embedded batteries such as cell phones and tablets, and mercury waste.
Palo Alto residents only, with proof of residency such as a driver's license or vehicle registration, and no more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit in containers no larger than five gallons. Refused: electronics without embedded batteries such as televisions, monitors and microwaves, large gas cylinders, other gas cylinders, radioactive waste, infectious waste, controlled substances, explosive waste, marine flares, fireworks, ammunition and pressure treated wood.
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the first Friday of each month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., closed on the published holiday dates.
No charge. Free to Palo Alto residents within the 15 gallon or 125 pound per visit limit, and the station also runs a reuse zone where usable material is set out for other residents.
Prices, timing and the details that matter at your address.
How much does pickup cost?+
Choose your items to see the exact price. A standard sofa is $79 first and $29 additional. The highest first-item price applies once; every remaining item uses its additional-item price. Loading, transportation and disposal are included. Review any applicable sales tax and the final total before payment.
Can I book a pickup for today?+
Book by 2pm at your pickup address for same-day pickup, where available. Choose from the dates shown at checkout. Your booking is for a pickup day, and we text you when your hauler is on the way.
Do my items need to be outside when I book?+
You can book while your items are still inside. Arrange any indoor carrying and have everything outside and accessible according to your confirmation. We load and haul it away from there. Contact us before booking if your property has restricted access.
How does Palo Alto collect a couch?+
A couch goes out on Clean Up Day as one of up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less. Single family households get two pre-scheduled dates a year, the item goes to the curb by 6 a.m. on that date and no earlier than 24 hours before, and a couch in reusable condition should be labelled reuse so the reuse partners can collect it.Official guidance
Will Palo Alto take a mattress on Clean Up Day?+
Yes. Mattresses and box springs are named in the bulky item examples, and each one counts as a bulky item inside the allowance of three items at 200 pounds or less. The unit goes to the curb by 6 a.m. on the scheduled date and no earlier than 24 hours before the collection.Official guidance
Does a stove count the same as a microwave?+
No. A stove or washing machine is a bulky item, limited to three items at 200 pounds or less each, while a microwave fits the individual item category, which allows three items under 60 pounds and no larger than 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet. Both categories can be used on the same Clean Up Day within their own limits.Official guidance
Can I take an old television to the Palo Alto household hazardous waste station?+
No. The station refuses electronics without embedded batteries, which its own list gives as televisions, monitors and microwaves. Small electronics with embedded batteries such as cell phones and tablets are accepted, and the city's resource table routes televisions and monitors to electronics retailers.Official guidance
What can I set out on Palo Alto Clean Up Day?+
Up to three bulky items at 200 pounds or less each, up to three individual items under 60 pounds and no bigger than 3 feet cubed, up to three bags or boxes of clothing and textiles, unlimited labelled recyclable boxes or bundles, up to six boxes or bundles of yard trimmings, up to three bags or boxes of garbage and up to six boxes or bundles of construction material. Each box or bundle has to weigh under 60 pounds and be labelled.Official guidance
Who collects trash and bulky items in Palo Alto?+
GreenWaste of Palo Alto collects under the city's programme: weekly carts at the curb and the two pre-scheduled Clean Up Days that handle bulky items, recyclables, yard trimmings and small construction loads. The city's Zero Waste division runs the household hazardous waste station at 2501 Embarcadero Way, and GreenWaste customer service answers at (650) 493-4894.Official guidance
How do I find my Clean Up Day dates?+
GreenWaste mails a postcard to each single family household twice a year, and the address's dates and item rules can be looked up with the utility account number and street address or by calling (650) 493-4894. Residents of multi-unit complexes without an individual city refuse bill have to arrange the day through their property manager.Official guidance
How much can I set out on Clean Up Day?+
Up to three bulky items of 200 pounds or less each, up to three individual items under 60 pounds and no bigger than 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, up to three 32 gallon bags of clothing and textiles, unlimited labelled recyclable boxes or bundles, up to six boxes or bundles of yard trimmings, up to three bags of garbage, and up to six boxes or bundles of construction material. Every box or bundle has to weigh under 60 pounds.Official guidance
Where do old televisions and monitors go?+
Not to the household hazardous waste station, which refuses electronics without embedded batteries and names televisions, monitors and microwaves in that refusal. The city's own resource table routes televisions and monitors to electronics retailers, so use a store take back programme and confirm its current terms, while small devices with embedded batteries such as cell phones and tablets can go to the station.Official guidance
What do I need to bring to the household hazardous waste station?+
Proof of Palo Alto residency, such as a driver's license or vehicle registration, and no more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of material per visit in containers no larger than five gallons. The station is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the first Friday of each month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with containers secured in the vehicle.Official guidance
Where do batteries go now?+
Batteries are no longer taken with weekly curbside recycling. Alkaline and similar household batteries go out on Clean Up Day in a sealed, clear, tear resistant bag placed on top of the blue recycle cart, and lithium or lithium-ion batteries go to the household hazardous waste station, which also takes small electronics with embedded batteries.Official guidance
