The City of Santa Fe will haul away bulky household items for a flat $50 fee, as long as the load is eight cubic yards or less and you can wait for a scheduled date. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get rid of an old couch, a dead refrigerator, or a pile of branches. But the program has rules, and a long list of things it simply won’t take.
We get calls every week from Santa Fe residents who booked a city pickup, set everything out, and then found half of it still sitting at the curb. Usually it’s because an item was on the excluded list, it wasn’t prepped right, or it was placed too close to a mailbox or fence. This guide walks through how the program actually works, what you need to do before pickup day, and what to do with the items the city leaves behind.
Quick Answer: What Is the City of Santa Fe Large Item Pickup?
Large Item Pickup is a fee-based special collection run by the city’s Environmental Services Division (ESD). It’s meant for residential customers who have things too big for the green trash cart.
- Cost: $50 for up to eight cubic yards, plus $10 for each extra cubic yard. Tax is added on top.
- How to book: Call ESD at 505-955-2200, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Timing: You get the next open collection slot. There is no same-day service.
- Who qualifies: City residential customers. If your Public Utilities account is more than 30 days past due, you can’t use the service.
How the Large Item Pickup Works, Step by Step
1. Call the Environmental Services Division
There’s no online booking form. You call 505-955-2200 during office hours and tell them what you’re putting out. Have your address and utility account handy. Staff will put you on the next available collection date.
2. Estimate Your Volume Before You Call
The base fee covers eight cubic yards. That sounds abstract, so here’s an easy way to picture it: one city-issued 96-gallon green cart holds about half a cubic yard. Two full carts equal one cubic yard, so eight cubic yards is roughly 16 carts’ worth. It’s also the size of the most common roll-off dumpster.
A sofa, a mattress set, and a few bags of yard waste usually fit well under the limit. A full garage cleanout often doesn’t. If you tell the city your pile is bigger than eight yards, an ESD staff member will look at it early in the week of collection, figure out any extra charge, and call you to confirm before the truck comes.
3. Get Your Items to the Curb by 7:00 a.m.
The city crew does not come into your house, garage, or backyard. Everything has to be at the curb, in a clear area, by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day. If you can’t carry a fridge down the driveway yourself, you’ll need to line up help ahead of time.
4. Follow the Placement Rules
This is where a lot of pickups go wrong. The city’s guidelines ask you to:
- Keep items at least three to five feet away from trash and recycling carts, mailboxes, fences, walls, water meters, phone boxes, and parked cars.
- Avoid placing anything under trees, under low power lines, or against a wall.
- Keep sidewalks and the street clear for people and traffic.
- Bundle or box loose material like boards, plywood, drywall, and broken tile.
- Keep each bag, box, or bundle under 50 pounds.
- Put broken glass, cactus, and other sharp items in a separate cardboard box and label it.
5. Cancel at Least One Working Day Ahead
If you change your mind or a friend hauls the stuff away first, call the city at least one working day before pickup. If you don’t, you’ll still be charged as if the crew came.
What the City Will Pick Up
The city accepts most common household bulky items, with a few prep conditions attached:
| Item | What you need to do first |
|---|---|
| Appliances (fridges, washers, stoves) | Empty them completely |
| Furniture (couches, dressers, tables) | Empty all drawers and cabinets |
| Mattresses and box springs | No prep needed |
| Barbecue grills | Remove fuel tanks and charcoal |
| Lawn mowers | Drain the fuel and motor oil |
| Brush, branches, tree trunks | Cut limbs to 4 feet or less; bundle or bag them |
| Carpet, doors, lumber, pallets | Bundle loose pieces; keep bundles under 50 lbs |
If you skip a prep step, like leaving gas in a mower or food in a fridge, the crew may leave that item behind.
What the City Won’t Take
This is the part most people miss. The Large Item Pickup will not collect:
- Electronics. TVs, computers, monitors, printers, and similar devices are excluded.
- Tires. Car and truck tires of any size.
- Hazardous materials. Paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, motor oil, and batteries.
- Compressed gas cylinders. Propane tanks, helium tanks, and oxygen or air cylinders.
- Dirt, rocks, and concrete. Landscaping rock, broken concrete, and soil.
- Anything with a title. Cars, car frames, motorcycles, trailers, and boats.
- Commercial or industrial waste. Material from a business, rental operation, or contractor job.
That last one catches more people than you’d think. If a contractor tore out your kitchen, the old cabinets and drywall count as construction waste from a job, and the city program isn’t built for that. The same goes for a business clearing out an office.
Why These Items Are Excluded
Most of the excluded items need special handling. Electronics contain metals and components that have to go to an e-waste recycler. Tires, propane tanks, and chemicals are fire and safety risks inside a compactor truck. Dirt and concrete are simply too heavy for the bulky-item trucks. Titled vehicles involve ownership paperwork the city can’t process curbside.
What to Do With Items the City Won’t Take
You still have good options for the leftovers.
Check the city’s “What Goes Where” tool. The city points residents to its Recycle Coach lookup for excluded items. Type in the item and it tells you where it can go locally.
Haul it to BuRRT yourself. The Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station at 2600 Buckman Road is run by the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency. It handles many materials the curbside program skips. Call ahead or check their site for current hours, fees, and accepted items. Make sure your load is tied down for the drive.
Donate what still works. A clean couch, a working dryer, or a solid dresser doesn’t need to go to the landfill. Many local thrift and reuse groups accept furniture and appliances in good shape, and some will pick up.
Hire a local junk removal crew. If you have electronics, contractor debris, or a load that’s heavy and stuck inside the house, a private hauler can take it in one trip.
City Pickup vs. Private Junk Removal: A Quick Comparison
| City Large Item Pickup | Private junk removal | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $50 for up to 8 cubic yards, plus tax | Usually higher; priced by volume |
| Scheduling | Next available slot, no same day | Often same day or next day |
| Who does the lifting | You, to the curb | The crew, from anywhere on the property |
| Electronics | Not accepted | Usually accepted and recycled |
| Construction or business debris | Not accepted | Usually accepted |
| Sorting for donation | No | Many haulers sort and donate |
The honest takeaway: if your items are on the accepted list, you can move them to the curb, and you aren’t in a rush, the city program is a great deal. If you need it gone today, can’t lift it, or have excluded items mixed in, a private crew saves you a second trip and a lot of sweat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the City of Santa Fe large item pickup free?
No. It costs $50 for up to eight cubic yards, plus $10 per extra cubic yard, with tax added. During storm cleanups the city has sometimes cut the fee for green waste, like the $25 branch pickup offered after the November 2024 snowstorm.
Does the city pick up mattresses?
Yes. Mattresses and box springs are on the accepted list and don’t need any special prep.
Will the city take my old TV?
No. Electronics are excluded from Large Item Pickup. Use the city’s What Goes Where tool to find an e-waste drop-off, or have a junk removal company recycle it for you.
Can I live in Santa Fe County and still use it?
The program is for City of Santa Fe residential utility customers. If you live in the county outside city limits, such as Eldorado or La Cienega, you’ll need another option.
What happens if I put out more than eight cubic yards?
You’ll be charged $10 for each extra yard. Tell ESD up front so they can assess the pile and confirm the cost with you before collection day.
The Bottom Line
The City of Santa Fe Large Item Pickup is a solid, low-cost service for standard bulky items, as long as you plan ahead, prep everything, and follow the curb rules. Just don’t count on it for electronics, tires, chemicals, contractor debris, or anything you need gone today. For those, a quick trip to BuRRT, a donation drop-off, or a local junk removal crew will finish the job.
Fees and rules come from the city’s official pages and can change. Call ESD at +1 (505) 557-2500 to confirm before you book.
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