Can I leave old and unwanted furniture on the curb in NYC?

In most cases yes, but only on your collection day and within the city's rules. New York's sanitation department collects large household furniture as bulk trash, yet items with electronics or refrigerants need separate handling, and putting things out at the wrong time can earn you a fine. 

Surprising but true: you can leave furniture on the curb in New York City. There are just a lot of rules from the Department of Sanitation on how you can do that. The city will pick up bulk items like sofas, dressers, and tables on your building’s regular trash collection day if you follow the rules. But if you don’t, you could receive notice of a sanitation violation, and the fine that comes along with it.

Here are examples of some of the rules you should be aware of if you leave furniture on the curb. Mattresses and box springs have to be fully sealed in plastic disposal bags before they go out, or the crew can leave them behind. Electronics cannot go to the curb at all, since New York bans e-waste from the regular trash and requires it to be recycled. Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners contain refrigerant that has to be removed before collection, which is quite difficult to do.

The part the rules don’t mention is getting the furniture down there. In walk-ups and high-rises, wrestling a sleeper sofa down several flights of stairs or into a small elevator is a big ask. Curbside pickup doesn’t help there.

There is also the matter of where trash ends up. For the most part, furniture left for bulk trash heads to a landfill, even when it is perfectly usable. For many people, this doesn’t feel right.

If the rules feel complex and the lifting seems like too much of a hassle to take on yourself, you have options. The Junkluggers of New York City can carry furniture out from any floor and take care of all the heavy lifting for you. Then once the pickup is completed, the load is sorted so usable pieces can be donated and rehomed instead of trashed.

Ready to clear your space? You can schedule your junk removal pickup online. The Junkluggers of New York City serves Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.