San Diego bulk-item pickup guide

City Environmental Services runs automated collection for about 225,000 eligible households: gray trash weekly, green organics weekly, blue recycling every other week. Bins out by 6 a.m. That system is not a bulky-item appointment desk. Furniture, appliances, mattresses, and items over 50 pounds are banned from the carts. The City’s own bulky-item handout tells residents to check their provider or WasteFreeSD — and not to dump.

Measure B and later rate decisions sketched service upgrades that include bulky-item pickup and free bin replacement. City communications in 2026 described a bulky-item pickup program, including mattresses, launching July 2027 at no additional collection charge. Treat that as announced policy, not a service you can book this week. Until crews actually roll, City residents use drop-off (mattress site, recycling center, landfill) or a private hauler.

In unincorporated San Diego County, private franchise haulers provide collection. County recycling pages state that those haulers offer two free bulky-item pickups per year for single-family customers. Each pickup allows up to three bulky items: furniture, appliances/white goods, e-waste, limited green material, clothing, and tires. Bulky items do not include car bodies, C&D debris, or anything two people cannot handle. Call the company on your invoice to schedule — do not guess the set-out day.

Chula Vista, National City, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, and other cities each have their own franchise or municipal rules. One city’s “free bulky week” is not yours. WasteFreeSD remains the regional search tool for drop-off.

Fred’s is the private option inside our service ZIP map: curbside from $69 for a staged item or small load under 200 lbs, truck-load tiers for mixed piles, full-service if we carry from inside. We show up on a booked window, not whenever a city cart happens to pass. Text a photo.