Garage Cleanout in Lakewood, CO: Bulk Pickup, Donation & Removal Options [2026 Guide]

Lakewood does not offer traditional scheduled municipal bulk pickup like some cities. Here is how Lakewood handles large item disposal:

• **No automatic bulk pickup:** Unlike Denver, Lakewood does not provide free bulk item collection. The city contracts solid waste services through private haulers (primarily Republic Services and Waste Connections), and bulk pickup is available only as an add-on service. • **Republic Services (Lakewood hauler):** Lakewood residents with Republic Services can schedule a special pickup for large items. Cost: $25 to $50 per item depending on size and type. Call 303-286-1200 to schedule. Typical wait: 3 to 7 business days. • **Waste Connections:** If your Lakewood address is served by Waste Connections, large item pickup costs $30 to $75 per item. Schedule online or call 303-288-2100. • **Extra trash bags:** Both haulers allow you to set out extra bags beyond your normal bin for $3 to $5 per bag using pre-purchased tags available at Lakewood City Hall or online.

**Important:** Neither hauler accepts hazardous waste, electronics, tires, or appliances containing Freon through bulk pickup. These require separate disposal (covered below).

A garage cleanout typically produces five categories of stuff. Here is where each one goes in Lakewood.

Donating reduces disposal costs and provides a tax deduction. Lakewood has excellent donation options:

• **ARC Thrift Stores (2 Lakewood locations):** 7900 W. Colfax Ave. and 2345 S. Sheridan Blvd. Accept furniture, clothing, household items, working electronics, tools, sporting goods. Open daily 9 AM to 9 PM. Drive-up donation area — no appointment needed. They provide a tax receipt. • **Goodwill (3 Lakewood locations):** 12651 W. Colfax Ave., 6280 W. Alameda Ave., 801 Sheridan Blvd. Accept similar items to ARC. Dell Reconnect program for electronics. • **Habitat for Humanity ReStore:** 60 S. Depew St., Lakewood. Accepts building materials, tools, cabinets, doors, windows, lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and furniture. Free pickup for large donations — call 303-539-0665. This is the best option for leftover construction materials, old cabinets, or fixtures from remodels. • **Denver Rescue Mission:** 6100 Smith Rd. (not Lakewood but 15 min). Accepts furniture, clothing, and household items. Free pickup for large furniture donations. • **Vietnam Veterans of America:** Will pick up donations at your Lakewood home for free — clothing, household items, small furniture. Schedule at vva.org or call 1-800-775-8387.

• **Scrap metal:** Lakewood has several scrap yards that pay for metal. Rocky Mountain Recycling (185 S. Wolff St.) and SA Recycling (5600 Franklin St., Denver) both buy steel, aluminum, copper, and brass. An old metal shelving unit, bikes, and car parts add up — scrap steel pays $0.05 to $0.08 per pound, aluminum $0.25 to $0.40 per pound, copper $2.50 to $3.50 per pound. • **Electronics:** Best Buy Lakewood (250 S. Wadsworth Blvd.) offers free electronics recycling. Arapahoe/Jefferson County HHW facilities also accept e-waste (see our Aurora e-waste guide). • **Paint:** Lakewood residents can recycle latex and oil-based paint at PaintCare drop-off sites. Sherwin-Williams (7555 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood) and the Rooney Road Recycling Center accept paint for free through the PaintCare program. • **Chemicals and hazardous waste:** The Rooney Road Recycling Center at 151 S. Rooney Rd., Lakewood is the Jefferson County household hazardous waste facility. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 8 AM to 4 PM. Free for Jefferson County residents. Accepts pesticides, solvents, cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, motor oil, antifreeze.

Before you haul it all away, check if anything has resale value:

• **Facebook Marketplace:** The Lakewood/West Denver marketplace is active. Tools, bikes, outdoor furniture, and sporting goods sell quickly. Price at 30 to 50% of retail for fast sales. • **Nextdoor Free:** Post items for free pickup on the Lakewood Nextdoor community. Broken-but-fixable items, partial sets, and project pieces find takers surprisingly often. • **Garage sale:** Lakewood does not require a permit for garage sales (city ordinance allows up to 4 sales per year, maximum 3 consecutive days each). The Green Mountain and Belmar neighborhoods have the best garage sale traffic. • **Craigslist Denver:** For larger items like workbenches, tool chests, or riding mowers, Craigslist reaches a wider audience than Nextdoor.

After donating, recycling, and selling, you will have a pile of genuine trash — broken items, damaged furniture, old insulation, random debris. Your options:

• **Dropcurb:** Starting at $79, Dropcurb picks up garage cleanout debris curbside in Lakewood — same day. Set everything at the curb, book at dropcurb.com/book, price locked before you pay. Best for 1 to 10 items. • **Dumpster rental:** For large cleanouts, a 10-yard dumpster in Lakewood runs $300 to $450 for 3 to 5 days from companies like Waste Management, Budget Dumpster, or Bin There Dump That. A 10-yard dumpster holds the equivalent of 3 pickup truck loads. • **Self-haul to landfill:** The Foothills Landfill at 18306 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison is the closest landfill to Lakewood. Fees: $11 per cubic yard for household waste, $16 per cubic yard for construction debris. A typical garage cleanout generates 3 to 8 cubic yards — so expect $33 to $128 in dump fees plus gas.

A systematic approach saves time and money. Here is the most efficient order of operations for a Lakewood garage cleanout.

Here are Lakewood-specific contacts for garage cleanout disposal:

• **Lakewood Public Works:** 303-987-7900 — questions about trash service, bulk pickup rules, and city ordinances • **Rooney Road Recycling Center:** 151 S. Rooney Rd., Lakewood — hazardous waste, paint, batteries, fluorescent bulbs. Open Wed–Sat 8 AM–4 PM. 303-316-6262 • **Foothills Landfill:** 18306 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison — 303-278-0453. Open Mon–Sat 7 AM–4 PM • **Republic Services Lakewood:** 303-286-1200 — schedule bulk pickups • **Habitat for Humanity ReStore Lakewood:** 60 S. Depew St. — 303-539-0665 — free pickup for building materials and large furniture donations • **ARC Thrift Lakewood:** 7900 W. Colfax Ave. — 303-238-0395