Junk disposal in Chicago, IL: mattresses, couches, furniture, appliances, TVs & electronics, paint & hazardous waste

Here's how to legally get rid of bulky junk in Chicago, item by item. Every option links to the official city or county page we checked. Where we couldn't verify something, we say so. Check the linked page or call your city's service line.

Quick answer by item

Mattresses and box springs

Mattress short answer: If you live in a single-family home or a building with four units or fewer served by Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS), bulk waste collection — including oversized household items — is covered with no extra fee beyond the residential garbage fee. Arrange pickup first with your ward/district sanitation office or through 311 before you put the mattress in the alley or at the curb. If the mattress is clean and pest-free, you can also donate it at the Chicago Furniture Bank (drop-off on S Whipple St).

Mattress options at a glance

• Chicago DSS bulk waste collection (arrange before set-out)

  Cost: No additional fee beyond the residential garbage fee for DSS-served homes · Type: City pickup

  DSS collects bulk waste from single-family homes and buildings with four units or fewer. Contact your Streets and Sanitation ward/district office or call 311 before putting a mattress out — putting a large item out without arranging pickup can bring a sanitation-code ticket. Confirm set-out side (alley vs curb) and day with 311 or your ward office. source

• Ward / district Streets and Sanitation offices

  Cost: No additional fee for eligible bulk collection · Type: City contact

  Official city guidance: arrange bulk pick-up with your Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent before putting out any large item. District sanitation office addresses and phones are listed on the city's Division and Sanitation Offices page. You can also start with 311 / 311.chicago.gov. source

• Chicago Furniture Bank (donation drop-off)

  Cost: Free drop-off; paid pickup uses a suggested donation (see their site) · Type: Donation

  4801 S Whipple St, Chicago, IL 60632. Accepts mattresses and box springs (twin, full, queen, king) that are clean, odor-free, and pest-free — California king beds are not accepted. Warehouse drop-off Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; call ahead at (312) 752-0211 so they can unload you. Pickup is also available with a suggested donation scaled by load size. source

Step by step: city bulk pickup

1. Confirm you get city (DSS) garbage service. DSS serves single-family homes and apartment buildings of four units or less. Buildings with five or more units must use a private hauler — ask your landlord or property manager how bulky items are handled.
2. Call 311 (or use 311.chicago.gov) or contact your ward/district Streets and Sanitation office and tell them you have a mattress (or other bulk item) for pickup. Find district office phones on the city's Division and Sanitation Offices page.
3. Wait for instructions. City guidance is to arrange the pick-up before putting any large item out; wards have ticketed residents who set bulk out without arranging it.
4. On the day/side they tell you, place the mattress where your trash is normally collected (many blocks use the alley; some use the curb). Do not block the alley, sidewalk, or street.
5. If the mattress has bed bugs, Chicago municipal code requires it to be totally enclosed in a plastic bag and labeled as bed-bug infested before it goes out for trash pickup. Bed-bug-infested bedding must not be recycled.

What not to do / what the city won't take this way

• Don't put a mattress in the Blue Cart — mattresses are not a Blue Cart recyclable.
• Don't leave a mattress on the public way without arranging collection (illegal dumping / fly dumping risk, and a sanitation-code ticket risk).
• Building/remodeling debris is your responsibility to remove; city residential collection is not for contractor waste.
• Exact item lists and set-out quirks can vary by ward. Some ward offices publish different day-of-set-out advice than the citywide "arrange first" pages — confirm with 311 for your address. (Specific size/quantity limits for mattresses were not published on the city pages checked for this guide.)

Live in a 5+ unit building, suburb, or Cook County town?

City DSS bulk collection does not apply. Use your building's private scavenger contract, or check your suburb/township waste page. (Suburb-by-suburb section: to be researched.)

Need it gone today / can't move it yourself?

City timing depends on your ward's workload. If you need same-day haul-away from inside the home, a paid junk removal service is the fallback. (Paid options will be added once they're verified.)

If the mattress is still usable, Chicago Furniture Bank drop-off or their scheduled pickup (suggested donation) is the donation path we could verify.

Reporting illegal dumping

Report fly dumping (including dumped mattresses) through 311. Illegal dumping endangers public health and can attract pests.

Sources: City of Chicago Garbage Fee FAQ; Sanitation Code Violation / DSS guidance; Division and Sanitation Offices; Municipal Code §7-28-370 (bed-bug disposal); Chicago Furniture Bank donation page — checked 2026-10-11. Rules change, so confirm with 311 before you set anything out.

Couches and furniture

DSS bulk collection covers oversized household items for single-family homes and buildings with four units or fewer, at no extra fee beyond the residential garbage fee. Follow the same steps as the mattress section: arrange pickup first through 311 or your ward/district sanitation office, then set it out where and when they tell you. Buildings with 5+ units use a private hauler. (City garbage fee FAQ)

Appliances (fridges, freezers, AC: freon)

We could not find an official City of Chicago page explaining how residents dispose of refrigerators, freezers or air conditioners (freon appliances). The City's Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility does not accept household appliances, air conditioners, or refrigerants/freons. Ask 311 before setting an appliance out. (HCCRF accepted/not-accepted list)

TVs, computers and electronics (e-waste)

Drop off computers, monitors, TVs, printers, keyboards, game consoles, DVD players, cable boxes and similar devices at the Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility (HCCRF), 1150 N. North Branch St., open Tuesday 7 a.m.–12 p.m., Thursday 2–7 p.m., and the first Saturday of each month 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Residential only. Only listed items are accepted, and the City notes that once the truck is full, no more electronics are taken. Don't leave items outside after hours. (Chicago Recycles: E-Waste; HCCRF)

Paint and household hazardous waste

The HCCRF (same address and hours as above) accepts household chemicals, oil-based paint, aerosol paint and thinners, solvents, auto fluids, pesticides, CFLs, many batteries, BBQ propane tanks, and mercury items. It does not accept latex, acrylic or water-based paint, alkaline batteries, explosives, medical waste, or pharmaceuticals. For latex paint, the City says to use it up, donate it, or dry it out (kitty litter, shredded paper or sawdust) and put it in the trash. (HCCRF)

Rules, hours and fees change. Confirm on the linked official page before you set anything out or drive anywhere.

Last verified: 2026-10-12