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 Sofas, chairs, tables and furniture fixtures are on the contractor's accepted list for a scheduled bulky pickup. The contractor lists furniture as generally accepted but publishes no price and warns that the list varies by branch, so confirm the charge with the Traverse City branch.
City collection Mattresses and box springs are named on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, so they leave through a scheduled pickup. The contractor lists mattresses and box springs as generally accepted but publishes no price, so confirm the charge with the Traverse City branch.
City collection White goods are on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, and GFL describes taking refrigerators, washers, dryers and water heaters from the home. No Traverse City price is published and the accepted list varies by branch, so confirm the charge and whether the specific unit is accepted before the pickup.
City collection Large household items leave through a scheduled GFL bulky pickup, which is the only route inside the city now that spring cleanup no longer takes trash or bulk items. GFL publishes no Traverse City bulk price and states that accepted items vary by branch, so confirm the charge and the item when you book the pickup.
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?
Traverse City hands all waste hauling inside the city limits to one contractor, so large items leave through a scheduled GFL pickup rather than a spring cleanup. Yard material and problem waste go through Grand Traverse County programs, and the county brush site publishes a per-yard price for the loads a cart will not hold.
Large household items leave through a scheduled GFL bulky pickup, which is the only route inside the city now that spring cleanup no longer takes trash or bulk items.
City cost & eligibility
GFL publishes no Traverse City bulk price and states that accepted items vary by branch, so confirm the charge and the item when you book the pickup.
When & how
Call the GFL Traverse City branch at (231) 943-8088 and agree a collection time. Collection that falls on a listed holiday moves one day later for the rest of that week.
Get it ready
Keep fuel, propane, paint, chemicals, batteries and automotive fluids out of a bulky pile, because GFL refuses those materials. Break cardboard flat and remove packing material before it goes out.
Sofas, chairs, tables and furniture fixtures are on the contractor's accepted list for a scheduled bulky pickup.
City cost & eligibility
The contractor lists furniture as generally accepted but publishes no price and warns that the list varies by branch, so confirm the charge with the Traverse City branch.
When & how
Book the pickup by phone and set the piece out at the collection point on the agreed day.
Get it ready
Remove cushions, glass and loose parts, and keep fluorescent light fixtures out because the contractor excludes them. A piece that is still usable is worth offering to a resale or donation outlet first.
Mattresses and box springs are named on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, so they leave through a scheduled pickup.
City cost & eligibility
The contractor lists mattresses and box springs as generally accepted but publishes no price, so confirm the charge with the Traverse City branch.
When & how
Book the pickup by phone and set the mattress out on the agreed day.
Get it ready
Keep the mattress dry and wrapped in wet weather, and keep it clear of the cart and sidewalk. Neither the county household hazardous waste events nor the county brush site takes mattresses.
White goods are on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, and GFL describes taking refrigerators, washers, dryers and water heaters from the home.
City cost & eligibility
No Traverse City price is published and the accepted list varies by branch, so confirm the charge and whether the specific unit is accepted before the pickup.
When & how
Call the branch to schedule the appliance pickup and set the unit out on the agreed day.
Get it ready
Empty the appliance and remove food and water. Keep appliances away from the county hazardous waste events, which do not accept them, and keep batteries and automotive fluids out of the pickup pile.
Televisions are on the contractor's bulky item list, but the county excludes electronics from its hazardous waste events and its recycling sites refuse televisions, computers and monitors.
City cost & eligibility
Television acceptance sits with the contractor and is branch specific with no published price, so confirm the charge before the pickup. County drop-off sites take electronics at no charge but only for the materials on their list.
When & how
Book a bulky pickup for the television, or check a take-back retailer for newer devices during store hours.
Get it ready
Keep televisions, computers and monitors out of the county recycling drop-off bins and out of the household hazardous waste events, which state that electronics are not accepted.
The county brush site takes untreated construction wood by the cubic yard, but it refuses plywood, particle board, painted material, concrete, sod and dirt, so a renovation load has to be sorted.
City cost & eligibility
From $8 per cubic yard of untreated construction wood at the county brush drop-off site. Untreated wood only, delivered by the resident to the county brush site during its published hours; plywood, particle board and painted material are excluded, and clean wood pallets are charged separately per pallet.
When & how
The site runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the season, and it closes on major holidays and when four or more inches of snow are on the ground.
Get it ready
Separate untreated lumber from treated, painted and composite material, and keep concrete, sod and dirt out of the load entirely. For volume beyond a trailer, ask a hauler about a container because the city has no curbside construction route.
Curbside yard waste runs through the city contractor, and the county brush site takes larger loads for a published per-yard price.
City cost & eligibility
From $5 per cubic yard of brush or of grass clippings and leaves at the county brush drop-off site, with a per-bag option for grass and leaves. Residents delivering separated yard material to the county brush site during its published hours; curbside yard waste is set by the hauler's own rate.
When & how
Curbside yard waste is arranged with GFL. The county site runs Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the season, and the city runs a seasonal leaf collection that residents arrange by calling 231-922-4900.
Get it ready
Separate grass clippings and leaves from branches and twigs, because the site keeps them in two piles. No plastic bags are allowed, organic material only, and concrete, sod and dirt are refused. Stumps are charged by diameter up to 18 inches.
Tires are not part of the curbside route and the county accepts them only on specific collection dates, so a tire load has to be timed with the county program.
City cost & eligibility
The county accepts tires only on specific dates and publishes no per-tire price for the resident program, so confirm the next accepted date and any limit by calling RecycleSmart at 231-632-5162.
When & how
Tires are accepted at scheduled county collection events attached to the household hazardous waste program, and the county states that no further 2026 hazardous waste events remain.
Get it ready
Keep tires out of the recycling cart and the drop-off recycling bins, which refuse car parts. Confirm the accepted tire count and rim policy with the county before loading.
Small metal belongs in the county recycling bins, while large metal items have to go through the contractor's bulky pickup because the county sites refuse car parts.
City cost & eligibility
County drop-off recycling takes listed metal containers at no charge, but large scrap metal has no published route or price in the city, so confirm the item and the charge with the contractor.
When & how
Use the county drop-off recycling sites for cans, foil and trays during their open hours, and book a bulky pickup for anything larger.
Get it ready
Rinse food containers and keep car parts out of the county bins, because the county lists vehicle parts as unacceptable at the drop-off sites.
Traverse City has one hauler inside the city limits and no spring cleanup for large items, so an oversized piece leaves only after a scheduled appointment. Call GFL at (231) 943-8088, confirm the item and the charge, and set it out on the agreed day.
The county brush site keeps grass clippings and leaves in a different pile from branches and twigs, and the attending staff direct where each goes. No plastic bags are allowed, and concrete, sod and dirt are refused at the gate.
Household hazardous waste events are for Grand Traverse County residents, require an appointment, and take up to 150 pounds at no charge with a per-pound fee above that. Electronics and appliances are not accepted there, and tires only come in on specific dates.
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.
Furniture, mattresses, white goods, televisions and similar large items
Cost & conditions
The contractor publishes no price for the Traverse City branch and warns that accepted items vary by branch, so confirm the charge and the item when you book.
Arrange it
Call GFL at (231) 943-8088 to schedule, or use the published branch contact on the contractor site, and GFL collects from the home.
Fuel, propane, paint, chemicals, batteries, cooking oil and automotive fluids are refused, and bulk pickup availability varies by branch.
Paint, chemicals, automotive fluids and other problem waste
Cost & conditions
Up to 150 pounds of hazardous material is free for county residents with a per-pound fee above that, cash or check is requested, and a donation is suggested. Confirm the current terms when you book the appointment.
Arrange it
Events run on announced Thursdays and Saturdays and require an appointment, which opens about a month before each date. The 2026 schedule is complete, so the next dates come from the county calendar.
Grand Traverse County residents only. Electronics, appliances and general trash are not accepted, and tires only on specific dates.
Contractor transfer station and recycling facility
GFL Environmental Traverse City Transfer Station & MRF
280 Hughes Dr, Traverse City, MI 49696
Drop-off loads handled by the city's contracted hauler.
This is a contractor facility rather than a municipal site, so material acceptance and any gate charge are set by GFL. Confirm the load before you drive over, and keep fuel, chemicals, batteries and paint out.
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, closed Sunday.
No public gate rate is published for this facility, so confirm the charge for your load with the branch at 231.943.8088.
Brush, grass clippings, leaves, stumps up to 18 inches in diameter, untreated construction wood without plywood or painted material, and clean wood pallets.
No plastic bags and organic material only. Concrete, sod and dirt are not accepted, and grass and leaves must be separated from branches and twigs. The site closes on major holidays and when four or more inches of snow are on the ground.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. during the season.
From $5 per cubic yard of brush or grass clippings and leaves. Resident deliveries during published hours; payment is cash, check or major credit card, and stumps, untreated wood and pallets are priced separately.
Glass jars and bottles, metal cans, empty aerosol cans, foil and trays, cartons, boxboard, cardboard, magazines, newspapers, office paper, phone books, unwanted mail and plastics number one through seven.
Televisions, computers, monitors, light bulbs, mirrors, windows, car parts, cups, pizza boxes and paper food service items are refused. The site is serviced by American Waste under contract with the local unit of government.
The county does not publish hours for this site, so call RecycleSmart at 231-632-5162 before you load.
No charge. Any Grand Traverse County household may recycle at any county drop-off site at no charge for the listed materials.
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 do I schedule a bulky item pickup in Traverse City?+
Call GFL at (231) 943-8088, because the city contract makes GFL the only hauler inside the city limits and the city no longer collects bulk items during spring cleanup. Confirm the item and the charge when you book.Official guidance
Will GFL take a couch in Traverse City?+
Sofas, chairs and tables are on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, but the list is branch specific and no price is published. Call (231) 943-8088 to confirm the couch and the charge before the pickup day.Official guidance
Where does a mattress go in Traverse City?+
On a scheduled GFL bulky pickup, since mattresses and box springs are on the accepted list. The county hazardous waste events and the brush site do not take them, so book the pickup rather than loading the car.Official guidance
Can I put a refrigerator out for pickup in Traverse City?+
White goods are on the contractor's accepted bulky item list, and appliances are not accepted at the county hazardous waste events. Schedule the pickup with GFL at (231) 943-8088 and confirm the charge and the unit first.Official guidance
Who collects waste inside Traverse City?+
GFL Environmental holds an exclusive contract for all waste hauling inside the city limits, and residents arrange yard waste and bulky item pickups by calling (231) 943-8088. The city no longer collects trash or bulk items during spring cleanup.Official guidance
Who can use the county household hazardous waste events?+
Grand Traverse County residents with an appointment. Each appointment covers up to 150 pounds at no charge with a per-pound fee above that, electronics and appliances are not accepted, and tires only come in on specific dates.Official guidance
