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 A couch or other household furniture goes out as the weekly bulky item with the normal trash, as long as it is not hazardous material and not so large or heavy that the crews refuse it. No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection, with four bags of trash allowed the same week.
City collection A mattress or box spring is one bulky item in the weekly curbside allowance, and the two pieces have to be set out in separate weeks because each counts as its own item. No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection, alongside four bags of trash a week. A second bulky item in the same week is outside the allowance.
City collection Non-cooling appliances go out as the weekly bulky item, while a refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner or other cooling appliance is refused unless it carries a tag signed by a certified technician stating the refrigerant was professionally removed. No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection. Cooling appliances additionally need the technician tag before they can be set out at all, and the city links a utility appliance recycling programme as an alternative.
City collection City collection allows four trash bags of up to 55 gallons each plus one bulky item every week, and a clean-out beyond that is a private hauler job rather than a city service. No charge. Weekly curbside pickup, one bulky item a week and yard waste and leaf collection are included in the combined monthly residential service charge, along with the recycling and clean city components, for residential properties of six or fewer units that are on city collection.
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?
Reading runs its own curbside collection as the default service for residential properties with six or fewer units. The weekly allowance is four trash bags plus one bulky item, and that bulky item is where a couch, mattress, non-cooling appliance or exercise machine goes, set out on the normal collection day. Mattresses and box springs each count as their own bulky item and have to go out in separate weeks, wrapped in plastic, and a refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner needs a tag from a certified technician confirming the refrigerant was professionally removed. Electronics take a request through the city app or service centre before one large item is collected, larger construction pieces are refused, tires are collected free within published limits, and paints, chemicals, batteries and bulbs have their own drop-off routes through the county and local stores.
A mattress or box spring is one bulky item in the weekly curbside allowance, and the two pieces have to be set out in separate weeks because each counts as its own item.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection, alongside four bags of trash a week. A second bulky item in the same week is outside the allowance.
When & how
Set the piece out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address, once the weekly collection day is confirmed on the city schedule. The mattress and the box spring go out in separate weeks.
Get it ready
Wrap the mattress and the box spring completely in plastic before they go to the curb, which the city requires for both pieces. Keep the bedding out of the trash bags, and hold the second piece for the following week instead of putting both out together.
A couch or other household furniture goes out as the weekly bulky item with the normal trash, as long as it is not hazardous material and not so large or heavy that the crews refuse it.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection, with four bags of trash allowed the same week.
When & how
Out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address. Trash and recycling run Monday to Friday except on certain holidays, and the day is confirmed on the city schedule.
Get it ready
Take the piece down as far as it will go and keep cushions and loose parts with the frame. The city states that excessively large or heavy items will not be collected and directs those loads to a private hauler or junk removal company, so measure anything unusual before the collection day.
Non-cooling appliances go out as the weekly bulky item, while a refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner or other cooling appliance is refused unless it carries a tag signed by a certified technician stating the refrigerant was professionally removed.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties on city curbside collection. Cooling appliances additionally need the technician tag before they can be set out at all, and the city links a utility appliance recycling programme as an alternative.
When & how
Out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address, and the technician tag has to be attached before the item is placed at the curb.
Get it ready
Have the refrigerant professionally removed and attach the sticker or tag signed by the certified technician, because the city refuses an untagged cooling appliance. Empty the unit and secure the doors for handling, and keep hazardous material out of the load.
One large electronics item can be collected at the curb each week, but the pickup has to be requested first through the city iRequest system or the service centre, and it is not offered to multi-family buildings of five units or more.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. One large electronics recycling item per week is included for residences on city collection, requested in advance through iRequest or the customer service centre on 1-877-727-3234. The service is not available to residents of multi-family buildings with five or more units.
When & how
Request the pickup through the iRequest website, app or phone line, then set the item out on the collection day for the address. Electronics are not taken by the ordinary trash or recycling collection without the request.
Get it ready
Keep the device out of the recycling container and wipe personal data before it leaves the house. Additional electronics beyond the weekly item go to the Berks County Electronics Recycling Center, iGreen Electronics, Best Buy or a mobile phone carrier.
Small construction pieces ride the bulky item allowance, but nothing over 70 pounds or longer than three feet is collected, and the material has to arrive in a separate container or bundle.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Small construction material goes out inside the weekly bulky item allowance included in the combined monthly residential service charge. Any piece over 70 pounds or longer than three feet is outside the service and needs a private hauler or a project route.
When & how
Out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address, in a separate container or bundle rather than mixed into the trash bags.
Get it ready
Cut pieces down so each one is under three feet and under 70 pounds, and keep them in a separate container or a tied bundle. Larger amounts go to a private hauler, because the city states that excessive sizes and weights are not collected.
Exercise equipment is not named in the city's bulky item rules, so a treadmill or weight machine is confirmed with the city before it is set out, and an item the crews call excessively heavy is refused.
City cost & eligibility
A piece that fits the bulky item allowance is included in the combined monthly residential service charge, while a piece the crews consider excessively large or heavy is refused and needs a private hauler. Confirm the classification with the Citizens Service Center on 1-877-727-3234 before the collection day.
When & how
Confirm first, then set the machine out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address.
Get it ready
Take the machine down as far as it will come apart, drain any water or oil reservoir, and keep loose weights with the frame so the crew can handle it. A machine left out after a refusal becomes the household's problem to move, so ask before the collection day.
Used tires are collected from city residences at no additional cost, limited to four tires per pickup and twelve per household a year, and only passenger car, van or light truck tires of 17 inches or less without rims.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Tire pickup is included for city residences at no additional cost, with a limit of four tires per pickup and twelve tires per household per year. Business tires are not accepted, and larger quantities go to the county recycling centre.
When & how
Set the tires out for the collection in line with the city's pickup rules, and use the collection schedule to confirm the day for the address.
Get it ready
Take the rims off and keep the tires to 17 inches or less, since only non-commercial passenger car, van and light truck tires are accepted that way. Count the tires against the annual household limit, and take anything beyond it to the county recycling centre.
City collection allows four trash bags of up to 55 gallons each plus one bulky item every week, and a clean-out beyond that is a private hauler job rather than a city service.
City cost & eligibility
No charge. Weekly curbside pickup, one bulky item a week and yard waste and leaf collection are included in the combined monthly residential service charge, along with the recycling and clean city components, for residential properties of six or fewer units that are on city collection.
When & how
Trash and recycling are collected Monday through Friday except on certain holidays, with the day for an address confirmed on the city collection schedule.
Get it ready
Keep the weekly set-out to four bags plus one bulky item, and separate recyclables into the single stream container. Household hazardous waste, oversized construction pieces and anything excessively large or heavy are refused and need the county collection days, a private hauler or a junk removal company.
A property on city collection may set out four trash bags of up to 55 gallons each, plus one bulky item, on the collection day for the address. Mattresses and box springs each count as one bulky item and go out in separate weeks.
Hazardous items labelled caution, flammable, toxic, corrosive, poison, danger, explosive, warning or volatile cannot go out at all, so paint, automobile fluids, pesticides and household chemicals take a different route. A refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner is refused unless a certified technician has removed the refrigerant and tagged the unit.
Construction debris heavier than 70 pounds or longer than three feet is not collected, and construction material has to be in a separate container or bundle. The city states that excessively large or heavy items of any kind are left for a private hauler or junk removal company.
Electronics need a request before the collection day
One large electronics item a week is collected at the curb, but only when the request goes through the iRequest website or app or the customer service centre on 1-877-727-3234. The service is not available in multi-family buildings with five or more units.
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 Reading Public Works, with Berks County Solid Waste Authority for hazardous waste
Weekly bulky item with the normal trash
A property on city collection with one couch, mattress, non-cooling appliance, exercise machine or small construction bundle to clear each week.
Cost & conditions
No charge. One bulky item a week is included in the combined monthly residential service charge for properties of six or fewer units on city collection, alongside four bags of trash a week.
Arrange it
Set the item out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address, which the city schedule confirms. Mattresses and box springs are wrapped in plastic and go out in separate weeks, and cooling appliances need the technician tag attached first.
Hazardous material, cooling appliances without the technician tag, construction debris over 70 pounds or three feet, and excessively large or heavy items are refused. Only one bulky item is allowed each week, so a multi-piece clean-out takes repeated weeks or a private hauler.
City of Reading Public Works, with Berks County Solid Waste Authority for hazardous waste
Requested curbside electronics pickup
A residence with a television, monitor or other large electronic item that the ordinary trash and recycling collection will not take.
Cost & conditions
No charge. One large electronics recycling item a week is included for residences that request it, and the service is not available in multi-family buildings of five or more units.
Arrange it
Submit the request through the iRequest website, app or the customer service centre on 1-877-727-3234, then set the item out on the collection day for the address.
One item a week, request required, and not available in larger multi-family buildings. Additional or small electronics go to the Berks County Electronics Recycling Center, iGreen Electronics, Best Buy or a mobile phone carrier.
City of Reading Public Works, with Berks County Solid Waste Authority for hazardous waste
Berks County household hazardous waste collection days
A household with paint, automobile fluids, pesticides, herbicides, household chemicals or anything labelled caution, flammable, toxic, corrosive, poison, danger, explosive, warning or volatile.
Cost & conditions
The city routes household hazardous waste to the Berks County Solid Waste Authority collection days and publishes no city rate or fee, so confirm the current schedule and any charge with the county before loading.
Arrange it
Check the county collection day schedule, or ask a private hauler about a home pickup. Medications can go to the county medication drop box programme, with a box at the Reading Police Department in City Hall for use during normal City Hall hours.
The city publishes no city-run hazardous waste site, so timing follows the county schedule. Sharps should go back to a doctor in a sharps container, or failing that into a puncture resistant container that is taped and labelled and placed in the garbage.
A household with an item the city calls excessively large or heavy, construction debris beyond the size limits, or a clean-out larger than the weekly allowance.
Cost & conditions
The city names private haulers and junk removal services as the route for oversized items but publishes no rate, so the charge is quoted by whichever company the household chooses.
Arrange it
Contact a private hauler or junk removal company directly, and confirm what the load includes and where it will be taken. The city's own service stops at four bags and one bulky item a week.
The city does not endorse or price these companies, and hazardous waste still goes to the county collection days rather than to a general hauler unless the hauler offers that service.
Self hauling in Reading is mostly a drop-off question rather than a transfer station trip, because the city publishes no municipal drop-off yard. Extra or small electronics go to the Berks County Electronics Recycling Center, iGreen Electronics, Best Buy or a mobile phone carrier, alkaline batteries can go in the household trash while rechargeable and lithium batteries must go to a collection point, and fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs go to a bulb or county electronics site. Paint, automobile fluids, pesticides, household chemicals and anything labelled caution, flammable, toxic, corrosive, poison, danger, explosive, warning or volatile go to the Berks County Solid Waste Authority collection days, or a private hauler can pick them up at the home. Unwanted medications go to the county medication drop box programme, with a box at the Reading Police Department, and sharps should go back to a doctor or, failing that, into a taped and labelled puncture resistant container in the garbage. Tires are one of the few items the city collects itself, free, up to four per pickup and twelve a household a year, with extra tires sent to the county recycling centre. Anything the city refuses for size or weight leaves through a private hauler. Drop-off recycling and special disposal routes for hazardous waste, electronics, batteries, bulbs, sharps and medicationsSpecial collections: bulky items, electronics pickup by request, tires and leaf collection
Before you book
Your questions. Straight answers.
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.
Can a mattress and box spring go out in the same week in Reading?+
No. Each counts as one bulky item, and the city requires them to be set out in separate weeks. Both pieces have to be completely wrapped in plastic before they go to the curb, and the weekly allowance is one bulky item alongside four bags of trash.Official guidance
Does a mattress have to be bagged before pickup?+
Yes. The city requires a mattress or box spring to be completely wrapped in plastic, which keeps it dry and keeps it from being refused at the curb. The item then rides with the normal trash on the collection day for the address.Official guidance
Is a couch a bulky item in Reading?+
The city allows one bulky item a week with the normal trash, and household furniture is not on the restricted list, so a couch goes out on the collection day for the address. Anything excessively large or heavy is refused, so a sectional or an oversized piece may need a private hauler.Official guidance
What furniture cannot go to the curb?+
Hazardous materials are refused, which includes anything labelled caution, flammable, toxic, corrosive, poison, danger, explosive, warning or volatile, such as paint and automobile fluids. Construction material over the published size limits and cooling appliances without a technician tag are refused as well.Official guidance
Can a refrigerator go to the curb in Reading?+
Only with paperwork. The city refuses refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and other cooling appliances unless the refrigerant has been professionally removed and the item carries a sticker or tag signed by a certified technician. Once tagged, it goes out as the weekly bulky item with the normal trash.Official guidance
What about a stove, washer or dryer?+
Those are household bulky items rather than cooling appliances, so they go out with the normal trash on the collection day for the address inside the one item weekly allowance. Empty them and secure the doors, and use a private hauler for anything the crews consider excessively heavy.Official guidance
Do I have to schedule an electronics pickup in Reading?+
Yes. One large electronics item is collected at the curb each week, but the city requires a request through the iRequest website or app, or a call to the customer service centre on 1-877-727-3234, and it is not available in multi-family buildings with five or more units.Official guidance
Where do extra electronics and batteries go?+
Extra or small electronics go to the Berks County Electronics Recycling Center, iGreen Electronics, Best Buy or a mobile phone carrier. Alkaline batteries may go in the trash, while rechargeable and lithium batteries must go to a collection point, and fluorescent or compact fluorescent bulbs go to a bulb or county electronics site.Official guidance
How do I start trash and recycling service in Reading?+
Contact the Citizens Service Center on 1-877-727-3234, or apply through the city's waste collection application if the property is not already enrolled. The city service is the default for residential properties with six or fewer units, and eligible properties were enrolled automatically unless a private agreement predating July 23, 2020 covered them.Official guidance
When is trash collected on a Reading street?+
Trash and recycling are collected Monday through Friday except on certain holidays, and the day for an address is confirmed on the city collection schedule. The bulky item and the bags go out on that same collection day.Official guidance
Where do paint and chemicals go in Reading?+
To the Berks County Solid Waste Authority collection days, or a private hauler can collect them at the home. The city refuses hazardous material at the curb, which includes anything labelled caution, flammable, toxic, corrosive, poison, danger, explosive, warning or volatile.Official guidance
