September 24, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Many Philly residents can now set appointments to get rid of bulk trash items like furniture, refrigerators, televisions and more. Above, a file photo of a sanitation worker moving a couch into a garbage truck.
Philly residents can now set a quick appointment online or through the phone to get rid of their bulk garbage items, thanks to a new program from the city's Department of Sanitation.
Large objects eligible for pickup include empty refrigerators, appliances such as air conditioning units, household furniture, large toys, flat-screen televisions and passenger car tires. The items are then recycled through the City's vendor, according to a Department of Sanitation spokesperson.
The citywide service applies to single-family homes and "multi-family dwellings with up to six units." Larger apartment buildings, condominiums and commercial properties aren't eligible for bulk trash pickups and have to use private haulers.
To make an appointment, residents must request a pickup on the Department of Sanitation's website or call 311. They can schedule the pickup and add up to four items for removal. Appointments are first come, first serve.
Participants will be sent a 4-letter code that they must mark their items with a marker or a paper note. They will then place their garbage at their normal collection point on the evening before the pickup date, and the items will be collected by 7 a.m.
This program is part of the City's One Philly, United City Cleaning Initiative which began with a 13-week sweep of citywide cleanup, a process that Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker says "successfully cleaned over 18,000 residential blocks."
Said Crystal Jacobs-Shipman, Commissioner of the Department of Sanitation: "This free service assists residents with inoperable bulk items in their homes and limited storage space. They can rely on the Department of Sanitation to pick up their bulk item from their regular trash collection site and properly dispose of them. We are eager to see how this program will positively impact Philadelphia’s residents."
Other than the new pickup program, Philly residents can still dispose of many bulk items at a sanitation convenience center in the city.
