What Will Kansas City Haul Away for Free?

Kansas City, Missouri collects bulky household junk from city residents for free. The program is called Bulky Item Pickup, you book it yourself, and a city truck takes the load away at no charge. If your problem is one couch and a mattress, stop reading and go book it — you do not need us.

How do I book a free bulky item pickup?

Call 311 or make the request online at kcmo.gov. The city gives you a collection date. Set your items within 3 feet of the curb by 7 a.m. that morning, and not before 3 p.m. the day before. Up to 15 items, nothing over 500 pounds each.

Those two timing rules are the ones people break. Put a sofa at the curb four days early and you have a sofa sitting in the rain in front of your house for four days. Put it out at 7:30 a.m. on collection day and the truck may already be gone.

What does the city actually take?

Furniture and fixtures, mostly: couches, tables, chairs, beds, mattresses, metal furniture, cabinets, bathroom fixtures, rugs and rolled carpet. Televisions are accepted. So are metal appliances — stoves, dishwashers, washers, dryers, water heaters and furnaces all qualify as bulky items.

That list covers the overwhelming majority of what fills a garage. A bedroom set, a dead washing machine and a rolled-up living room carpet is maybe six items against a fifteen-item allowance, hauled for nothing.

What about a fridge or a freezer?

Empty it completely — no food, no mold. Then flag it when you schedule, because Appliances containing refrigerant require a separate truck. If you do not tell the city it is a fridge, the crew that shows up will not be equipped to take it and it stays in your driveway.

What will the city not collect?

Tires, hazardous materials, car batteries, yard waste, glass containers, non-hazardous liquids, and construction debris over 500 pounds are all excluded from Bulky Item Pickup. Those items are not a scheduling problem you can talk your way around — the truck will not take them.

So when is paying someone actually worth it?

Five situations, and they are all limits of the free program rather than reasons the free program is bad:

1. More than 15 items. An estate clean-out, a hoarding situation or a full basement blows past the cap in one go.
2. Items on the excluded list. Tires, paint, chemicals, car batteries and construction debris need a different route.
3. You cannot wait for the appointment. A closing date, a lease end or a tenant turnover does not move because the city’s schedule is full.
4. You physically cannot carry it to the curb. A 300-pound console TV or a sleeper sofa down a flight of stairs is a two-person job with equipment.
5. It is still inside the house. The city collects from the curb. It does not come indoors, upstairs, or into the crawl space.

If none of those five apply to you, use 311 and keep your money.

Does my suburb run the same program?

Kansas City, Missouri’s rules apply inside Kansas City, Missouri. Overland Park, Olathe, Lee’s Summit, Independence and Blue Springs each set their own solid waste rules, and several route collection through a contracted hauler rather than a city crew. Your city may run a similar free or low-cost program — check with them before paying anyone.

When the free route genuinely will not work, call (816) 555-0143 and describe what you have, where it sits in the house, and whether stairs are involved.

Questions we get

How do I schedule a free bulky item pickup in Kansas City?

Call 311 or request the pickup online through kcmo.gov. The city assigns you a collection date. Set your items out no earlier than 3 p.m. the day before, and have everything within 3 feet of the curb by 7 a.m. on the day itself.

Will Kansas City collect my old refrigerator?

Yes, metal appliances are on the accepted list. But a refrigerator or freezer contains refrigerant that needs a separate truck, so you have to say so when you schedule. It must also be completely empty of food and free of mold.

What happens if I have more than 15 items?

Fifteen items is the cap for one appointment, and nothing may weigh over 500 pounds. A full house clean-out, an estate, or a garage packed to the door runs past that limit fast. At that point a hauler with a truck is the faster answer, not the city.