Free Junk Pickup Around Denver: Every City's Program.
By Darius Schultz, owner · Updated
I haul junk for a living, and I still think you should check this list before you pay anybody, me included. Here is what each city around Denver will pick up for free or close to it, what it refuses, and the catches nobody puts on the flyer.
The Cheapest Way to Get Rid of Junk, in Order.
The cheapest way to get rid of junk around Denver is your city's own bulky-item program, if you have one and your stuff is on its list. After that it goes donation, then hauling it to the transfer station yourself, then paying a hauler. Work down the ladder and stop at the first rung that fits.
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1
Your city's program: free, or close to it
Denver, Golden, Edgewater, Broomfield, Federal Heights, Wheat Ridge, Highlands Ranch and Arvada's drop-off events are all free or reimbursed. Thornton and Arvada also run paid curbside pickups that still beat most private prices for a curb pile. Lakewood, Westminster, Littleton and the unincorporated areas have no city program at all. Find your row in the city table.
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Donation: free, for things someone would buy
Habitat for Humanity ReStore picks up approved furniture and working appliances free when you book online. The catch is that everything has to be clean, working, and waiting outside or in the garage. Donation rules below.
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3
Haul it yourself: about $55 to $95 at the gate
If you have a pickup and a strong back, STS's public transfer stations charge $55 to $95 for a pickup load, depending on the station and how high it's piled. You do all the lifting, and the gate fee is the same whether the bed holds one couch or a full load. Gate rates below.
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Pay a hauler: when the first three don't fit
Too many items, the wrong items, inside the house, or it has to go before the next city date. That is where a hauler earns the money. Ours is $149 for the first 2 cubic yards, then $75 a yard. When paying makes sense.
Bulk Trash Pickup in Every City Around Denver.
Every row comes from the city's own page, read September 26, 2026. The program name links to that official page, and the city name links to our page for that town, which has more detail. Dates and rules change every year, so confirm with the city before you set anything out. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| City and program | How often | Takes | Refuses | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Large Item Pickup, for city trash customers |
Every 9 weeks on your trash day, out by 6am | Up to 5 large items plus 10 bags: furniture, rugs, exercise equipment, bagged and wrapped mattresses, bundled branches | Appliances (separate free 311 appointment), electronics, construction materials, tires, paint | Free. Full rules in our Denver Large Item Pickup guide |
| Golden Pay-As-You-Throw Large Item Pickup through 5280 Waste Solutions |
Once per calendar year per household. Call 303-277-8727 | One item: sofa, recliner, dresser, desk, table, doors, bundled carpet, porcelain sink or toilet, lawn mower | Cement, bricks, rocks, dirt, stumps, steel, tires, TVs and electronics, paint. Appliances go to the city's separate free appliance recycling | Free for one item a year |
| Lakewood No city trash service |
No city program. Your own trash hauler, on request | Whatever your hauler takes. The city points reusable furniture to Facebook Marketplace and free groups | Set by your hauler | Your hauler's fee. Mattresses go to SustainAbility or Spring Back for a fee |
| Arvada Bulk Pickup and Bulky Item Drop Off Events |
Pickup on your trash day by appointment, 720-898-7575, curb by 7am. Drop-off events: three in 2026, all now passed | Sofas, mattresses, dressers, tables, washers and dryers, dishwashers, water heaters, bundled carpet | Fridges and other Freon appliances, stoves, exercise equipment, electronics, tires, construction debris, dirt, rock, brick | Pickup: prepaid, per item, call for the rate. Drop-off events: included for residents, five items, you unload |
| Wheat Ridge Large Item Drop-Off |
Once a year. Next: Saturday, May 15, 2027, 9am to 1pm, Anderson Park | Five items per household: furniture, mattresses, washers, dryers, stoves, water heaters, treadmills, bikes, up to 5 carpet bundles | Fridges and freezers, microwaves, TVs, computers, tires, branches, bagged trash, concrete, brick, roofing, construction debris | Free. Bring proof of residency and unload it yourself |
| Edgewater Large Item Pick Up through Republic Services |
1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. Apply by the Wednesday before; spots are limited | Sofas (per section), mattresses (per piece), chairs, dressers, tables, water heaters, dishwashers, bundled branches | Freon appliances, stoves, construction debris, cement, bricks, electronics and TVs, exercise equipment, glass and mirrors, tires | City reimburses 2 items a year, up to $27.50 each. More items are $27.50 each on your utility bill |
| Westminster No city trash service or large item program |
No pickup. Free tree limb drop-off the 2nd Saturday of the month, March to November, 8am to noon | The Sustainability Center takes mattresses, box springs, electronics and other hard-to-recycle items, by drop-off | Limb drop: fencing, lumber, construction material, bagged leaves | Center charges a fee. October 1 to 31, 2026: $30 off one drop-off, by appointment at 303-593-0808 |
| Thornton Click & Haul |
Year-round, by appointment only. Register online; pile on the street by 7am, no more than 24 hours early | Furniture, appliances, mattresses, water heaters, fence panels, branches, remodeling debris, yard waste | TVs, monitors, laptops and other electronics, tires, concrete and masonry, dirt, sod, hazardous liquids | $72 for up to about 2 pickup beds, $121 for 3 to 4. Possible $30 per mattress. Billed to your utility account |
| Broomfield Spring Cleanup and the bulky item fee |
Spring Cleanup: four Saturdays, April 18 to May 9 in 2026, now passed. Bulky pickup: year-round by request | Furniture, mattresses, box springs, non-Freon appliances, carpet, doors, cabinets, drywall, fencing | TVs, computers and all electronics, tires, Freon appliances, concrete, pavers, bricks, soil, sod, household trash, branches under 12 inches | Spring Cleanup free. Bulky pickup $25 per item through Waste Connections, for homes on the city's program |
| Federal Heights Large Item Clean-Up |
Once a year. 2026 ran the weeks of September 14 and 21, curb by 7am, one pass | Furniture, non-Freon appliances, doors, cabinets, lumber with nails pulled, carpet and pad, bundled branches | Mattresses, tires, Freon appliances, microwaves, electronics, concrete, brick, rock, household trash. Apartments, condos and townhomes are left out | Free |
| Littleton No city trash service |
No city program. Your own trash hauler, on request | Whatever your hauler takes | Set by your hauler | Your hauler's fee |
| Highlands Ranch HRCA Clear the Clutter |
Twice a year, one morning each. 2026: May 16 and September 19, 8am to noon | Mattresses, furniture, rugs and carpet, household garbage, yard waste, grills without the tank. The fall event added a tire drop | Appliances, electronics, batteries, hazardous materials, construction debris such as dirt and concrete | Free for Highlands Ranch residents, no registration. Expect lines |
| Columbine, Ken Caryl and unincorporated Jeffco No city or county bulky program |
No program. Your hauler or your HOA's hauler, on request | Whatever that hauler takes. Rooney Road in Golden takes household hazardous waste only | Rooney Road does not take furniture or general junk | Hauler's fee. Rooney Road: $30 co-pay per visit, up to 75 lb, for most Jeffco residents |
| Foothills: Evergreen, Genesee Jeffco SLASH yards and Genesee Foundation services |
No town bulky pickup. Tincup Ridge slash yard: Fridays to Sundays through October 25, 2026 | Slash yards: clean branches and brush. Genesee dues cover trash, recycling, a chipping day and pine needle pickup | Slash yards: lumber, stumps, loose leaves, trash, rocks. Nothing in either program covers furniture | Slash: $24 per 6-yard load. Bulky items: your private hauler's fee |
Dates Still Ahead This Fall
- Edgewater: Fall Alley/Curbside Cleanup Saturday, October 3, items out by 7am; Fall Drop-Off Saturday, October 17, 9am to 1pm at Jefferson Jr/Sr High, 2305 Pierce St. Large Item Pick Up also runs October 6 and 20 if you apply in time.
- Westminster: $30 off one hard-to-recycle drop-off at the Sustainability Center, October 1 to 31, by appointment, while the vouchers last. Free limb drop-offs October 10 and November 14.
- Golden: Yard Waste Collection Days November 2 to 6, out by 7am, capped at 3 cubic yards per resident. Details on our Golden page.
- Foothills slash: Tincup Ridge in Golden takes a 6-yard load for $24 through October 25. Every fall date is in our brush and slash guide.
- Already over for 2026: Arvada's three drop-off events, Broomfield's Spring Cleanup, Federal Heights' clean-up and both Highlands Ranch Clear the Clutter days. Wheat Ridge's next drop-off is May 15, 2027.
The Catches Every Free Program Has in Common.
1. Curb only. Nobody free comes inside.
Every free or low-cost option I checked stops at the door. Denver wants items 2 feet from your carts at the curb. Thornton wants the pile on the street, not the driveway or sidewalk. Habitat's drivers can't enter your home under its insurance policy. Spring Back only takes mattresses sitting outdoors at ground level. Xcel's fridge pickup may decline a unit in a basement. If the couch is upstairs, getting it to the curb is your job.
2. Set-out rules are strict, and Denver's are the law.
Denver's page says setting large items out at any time other than your scheduled pickup is considered illegal dumping. Thornton won't let a pile go out more than 24 hours early, and most programs want everything out by 6 or 7am. HOAs add their own rules: Highlands Ranch requires junk to be screened from view, and Ken-Caryl Ranch limits when anything can sit at the street.
3. The refused list is where most piles fail.
Electronics are out everywhere, because Colorado law keeps them out of landfills. Tires, concrete, brick and Freon appliances are refused almost everywhere. Arvada and Edgewater turn away exercise equipment. Federal Heights refuses mattresses. Anything refused gets left behind, and then it is still your problem, now sitting at the curb.
4. Item limits and missed dates.
Denver takes 5 items per cycle, Golden 1 a year, Arvada and Wheat Ridge 5 at a drop-off, and Edgewater reimburses 2. Miss a once-a-year event and you wait a year. Miss a paid Spring Back pickup and you pay the transportation fee again.
5. At a drop-off, you are the crew.
Wheat Ridge, Arvada and Westminster's limb site all expect you to load your own vehicle, wait in line and unload it yourself. Arvada and Wheat Ridge both warn about long waits and close the gate on time.
Donation Pickup: What the Charities Really Take.
Donating is the best outcome for anything still good. It is also pickier than people expect. According to the EPA, 80.1 percent of the 12.1 million tons of furniture and furnishings Americans threw out in 2018 ended up in a landfill. Charities resell what they take, so they want clean, working and in-style.
Habitat ReStore
Free pickup across metro Denver when you book online ($25 by phone), usually within 2 to 3 business days, Tuesday to Saturday. Items must be approved and in full working order, and left outside or in the garage. No mattresses, no non-working appliances, no electronics, no paint, and a $20 handling fee on any appliance that may contain Freon. Its ReSupplyMe priority pickup can come inside. Habitat's donation page.
Salvation Army
Free donation pickup where available, scheduled online by ZIP code or at 1-800-SA-TRUCK. It takes unbroken furniture and working appliances that are not built in. It turns down anything rusty, dirty or missing a cord, gas appliances, large console TVs and TVs over 5 years old. Its own FAQ says the rules vary by location, so ask before you book. satruck.org FAQ.
Goodwill of Colorado
Its donation page is built around drop-off at a donation center. It takes furniture, working appliances, exercise equipment and bikes. It refuses broken, stained or worn furniture, mattresses and box springs, TVs, water heaters, construction materials, tires and damaged appliances. Don't leave anything outside a closed center. Goodwill's donate page.
When I haul a load, most of it goes to an STS transfer station. Good-condition pieces sometimes go to Goodwill or the Salvation Army, and big loads of scrap metal get recycled. I won't promise that your couch gets donated, because the charity decides that, not me.
Free Appliance and Mattress Options.
Fridges, freezers and other appliances
- Xcel Energy fridge recycling. If you are an Xcel residential electric customer in Colorado, Xcel picks up a working fridge or freezer and mails a $50 rebate check in 4 to 6 weeks. The unit has to be yours, working and clean, built in 2021 or earlier, and 10 to 30 cubic feet, so most mini-fridges don't qualify. It has to sit in a garage, driveway, backyard or other outdoor spot, and Xcel may decline one in a basement or other restricted space. Limit four a year. Xcel's outdoor pickup page.
- Denver Appliance Collection. Free by appointment for Denver Solid Waste Management customers: fridges, freezers, AC units, stoves, water heaters, furnaces, dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers. Call 311. denvergov.org.
- City programs. Golden runs a free appliance recycling signup for its residents. Thornton's Click & Haul takes appliances. Arvada's bulk pickup and Wheat Ridge's drop-off take washers, dryers and water heaters but not fridges. Broomfield's Spring Cleanup and Federal Heights' clean-up take appliances without Freon, and Edgewater takes dishwashers and water heaters, but none of the three takes a fridge.
- The one nobody free takes: a dead fridge at the bottom of the basement stairs. It fails Xcel on both counts (it doesn't work, and it's in the basement), and every city program wants it at the curb. More on our appliance removal page.
Mattresses and box springs
- City programs that take them: Denver (bagged and wrapped, on your Large Item day), Arvada's bulk pickup, Wheat Ridge's drop-off, Edgewater (counted per piece), Broomfield's Spring Cleanup, Highlands Ranch's Clear the Clutter, and Thornton's Click & Haul, which may add $30 a mattress. Federal Heights refuses them.
- Spring Back Colorado in Commerce City recycles mattresses for $40 a piece, drop-off with no appointment. Its pickup adds a $60 to $90 transportation fee by zone, runs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only, takes up to 6 pieces, and needs them outdoors at ground level. Spring Back's Denver page.
- The store. If you are buying a new mattress, ask whether the retailer hauls the old one away at delivery. Many do, but check the price and the rules at checkout.
- Charities, mostly no. Habitat and Goodwill both refuse mattresses. Full breakdown in our mattress disposal guide, or see mattress removal.
Giving It Away Online: Free, With Flakes.
Lakewood's own guidance for reusable furniture is to post it on Facebook Marketplace or a local free group, and it's good advice. A decent couch listed as free on Marketplace, Nextdoor or a Buy Nothing group usually finds a taker. A worn one usually doesn't.
The honest catches:
- No-shows. Expect a few people to say they are on the way and never come.
- They need a truck and a helper. Someone picking up a free sectional usually shows up without either, and you end up carrying it.
- The curb-alert trap. Leaving it at the curb with a "free" sign is illegal dumping in Denver if it isn't your Large Item day, and it can draw an HOA letter almost anywhere.
- Strangers at the house. Meet them at the garage, not inside, and don't list your address publicly.
Self-Haul: What the Dump Actually Charges.
If you have a pickup, taking it yourself is the cheapest paid option. These are the published gate rates, read September 26, 2026. Most of my own loads go to STS too, so these are the fees I pay before labor, fuel or the truck.
| Facility | Pickup, bed level | Pickup, cab level | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| STS North, Commerce City | $65 ($55 introductory) | $75 ($65 introductory) | Heavy loads (concrete, dirt, rock, shingles) double. By weight: $75 a ton, 1-ton minimum |
| STS South, Englewood | $75 ($65 introductory) | $85 ($75 introductory) | Heavy loads double. By weight: $85 a ton, 1-ton minimum |
| Foothills and Tower landfills | No separate bed-level rate | $105, about $134 with fees | Car load $44, SUV or van $60. Mattress or box spring $55 each on top. Appliance $55, or $77 with Freon. Uncovered loads pay double |
The math most people miss: you pay per load, not per item. One couch in the bed of your truck costs the same at the gate as a full bed. So a single couch run to STS North is $55 to $75, plus the truck, the gas, the tarp and your afternoon.
Things no dump takes. STS does not accept hazardous materials, and the landfill sheet prohibits tires, electronics, batteries, liquids and propane tanks with the valve still in. Electronics can't go in a Colorado landfill at all. Paint and chemicals from Jefferson County homes go to Rooney Road Recycling Center in Golden, by appointment on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Cover your load. The landfill charges double for an uncovered load, and a sofa cushion on 6th Avenue is nobody's idea of a good afternoon.
When Paying a Hauler Makes Sense.
Skip the free options when any of these is true:
- It is inside: upstairs, in a basement, at the back of the garage, and nobody is carrying it to the curb.
- It is more than the limit: a whole garage, a basement, or a house, not five pieces.
- It is on the refused list: remodel debris, a treadmill, tires, a dead fridge, a hot tub.
- It can't wait: a closing, a move-out walkthrough, a new couch arriving Thursday, or the city date is months off.
- Your city has no program at all, as in Lakewood, Westminster, Littleton, Evergreen and unincorporated Jeffco.
What a Low Junk Removal Price Usually Covers
A low advertised price is usually honest for what it is: one item, sitting at the curb, that you carried out yourself. It can't be honest for a real load, because the gate fee alone runs $55 to $95 a trip before anyone pays for labor, fuel or the truck. When a quote for a garage sounds too low, ask what happens at the truck: whether stairs, weight and the dump fee get added, and whether you approve the final number before anything is loaded.
I don't compete to be the lowest price for junk removal in Denver. I compete to be the one whose number doesn't move. How to choose a junk removal company has the checklist.
Then $75 for each yard after that. Up to 2 yards is one couch, a mattress and box spring, or a few small items.
| Couch, 2 to 3 yards | $149 to $224 |
| Mattress set, about 2 yards | $149 |
| Fridge or freezer | $149 + $50 refrigerant |
| Full 1-car garage, 6 to 8 yards | $449 to $599 |
| 10 yards | $749 |
No travel fee, no fuel fee, no dump fee. The only extras: stairs $25 a flight, a carry over 100 feet $40, heavy material like concrete or tile $25 a yard, Freon appliances $50, tires $15 each. Every extra is written down, and you approve the price on site before I start. I don't take dirt, sod, paint or chemicals, and water heaters and carpet need to be disconnected or pulled up first.
See Full Pricing
Free Junk Pickup Questions.
What is the cheapest way to get rid of junk?
Is there free junk removal in Denver?
Will the city pick up furniture?
How do I get rid of a mattress for free?
Who picks up old appliances for free?
Can I put a TV or computer out with the bulky trash?
What happens if I miss my city's pickup date?
Can I just leave furniture on the curb with a free sign?
Is cheap junk removal in Denver worth it?
When is it worth paying for junk removal?
Sources
Every rule and price above comes from these pages. Programs change their dates, lists and fees, so check the source before you plan around it. If something here is out of date, text me and I will fix it.
- City and County of Denver: Large Item Pickup and Appliance Collection
- City of Golden: Trash, Recycling and Compost and Yard Waste Collection Days
- City of Lakewood: Trash and Recycling and Hard to Recycle Materials
- City of Arvada: Bulk Pickup and Bulky Item Drop Off Events
- City of Wheat Ridge: Large Item Drop-Off
- City of Edgewater: Trash, Recycling and Compost
- City of Westminster: Trash & Recycling
- City of Thornton: Click and Haul Pickup Service
- City and County of Broomfield: Spring Cleanup, Residential Waste Services and program fees
- City of Federal Heights: Large Item Clean-Up
- City of Littleton: Trash and Recycling Services
- Highlands Ranch Community Association: Clear the Clutter
- Arapahoe County: Trash and Recycling Resources; Rooney Road Recycling Center: FAQ
- Jefferson County: Slash Collection; Genesee Foundation: Looking to Buy in Genesee
- Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver: ReStore donations; The Salvation Army: donation FAQ; Goodwill of Colorado: Donate
- Xcel Energy appliance recycling: Outdoor Pickup; Spring Back Colorado: Denver/Metro Area
- STS Recycling & Waste: North and South pricing; Foothills and Tower landfills: 2026 gate pricing (PDF)
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: Electronic waste; U.S. EPA: Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data
When Free Doesn't Fit.
What Denver's nine-week pickup takes, what it won't, and what to do when it doesn't fit.
What a load really costs, with the disposal math behind it.
Published prices, proof of insurance, and five questions to text anyone.
Couches and sectionals carried out of the house, from $149.
Down the stairs and gone, before the new one arrives.
The dead basement fridge nobody free will take.
Free Didn't Fit? Text Me a Photo.
Send a picture of what has to go and where it sits. You get a real price back, usually within 10 minutes during business hours, and if a free program fits better, I'll tell you.
Snap a Photo of the Items, Get a Price
Drop your number below. Darius texts your price back, usually within 10 minutes during business hours.
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