Question 1

My building doesn't have a real curb — where do items go?

Accepted Answer

Any spot a truck can reach without entering the building: the alley, the designated bulk area, a loading zone, or the driveway apron. You choose the spot at booking and can add instructions for the hauler.

Question 2

Do haulers use the elevator or come up the stairs?

Accepted Answer

No. The entire pickup happens outside — no elevator reservations, COIs for building access, or crews in the hallway. You bring items down on your own schedule and the hauler takes it from there.

Question 3

What about gated buildings or locked lots?

Accepted Answer

Set items somewhere publicly reachable — outside the gate, at the alley entrance, or by the curb cut — and note the spot in your booking instructions. The photo confirmation shows exactly where the pickup happened.

Question 4

Do I need to be home?

Accepted Answer

No. Once items are set out, the pickup and the photo confirmation text happen whether you're home or not.

Question 5

My building has rules about bulk item timing — can I time the pickup?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Book by 2 PM and pickup typically lands within about 3 hours, so items don't sit out overnight — a real constraint where cities regulate set-out timing (NYC only allows bulk items out the evening before a collection day). You can also schedule up to 30 days ahead to match a move-out date.

Question 6

Can apartment residents even use city bulk pickup?

Accepted Answer

Often not. Philadelphia's bulky-item collection is limited to residential properties of six units or fewer, so most apartment buildings are excluded. NYC does collect bulk items from residences, but caps it at 6 items per collection day and requires mattresses sealed in plastic bags, with fines starting at $50 for violations.

Question 7

Can you take big items like couches or queen mattresses?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a couch is $99 as the first item ($28 each additional) and any mattress size is $99 ($30 each additional). Bed frames, dressers, and TVs are all standard pickups.

Question 8

What can't you take?

Accepted Answer

Hazardous materials — paint, chemicals, propane tanks, and liquids. Furniture, mattresses, electronics, and bagged junk are all in scope.

Option	Timeline	Cost	The catch
Dropcurb curbside pickup	Same day (book by 2 PM); pickup within ~3 hours	Mattress $99, couch $99, dresser $79; bags $19–$39	Items must reach the curb, alley, or bulk area
City bulk pickup	Set collection days or an appointment weeks out	Free	Many programs exclude larger buildings entirely — Philadelphia's bulky-item collection only serves residential properties up to six units
Charity donation pickup	Typically 2–10 days, varies by location	Free	Resellable condition required; most Salvation Army locations decline mattresses and box springs
1-800-GOT-JUNK	Scheduled window; crew comes through the building	Quoted on-site; independent 2025 guides report minimums around $100–$150	Needs elevator or lobby access, and their pricing page says an exact price is given only once the crew sees the items

Junk removal for apartments

Your options, compared

What it costs

How apartment pickups work

Tell us where items will be

Set items out — that's the whole job

Photo confirmation when it's gone

Related pickups

Questions, answered

It's been sitting there
long enough.