First, check your own rules
Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Englewood, Commerce City, Westminster and Thornton each run their own programs, and Highlands Ranch and large stretches of unincorporated Jefferson, Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas County are on contracted haulers instead. So the definitive answer for your address is on your own city or county's current bulky-item page.
What is consistent is the shape of the exclusions. These five categories cause the overwhelming majority of "they left it on the curb" calls in this metro.
1. Mattresses and box springs
Mattresses get singled out more than any other household item. They are bulky, they do not compact, the steel springs foul equipment, and a wet or infested one is a problem for whoever handles it next.
The Denver twist is the box spring specifically. It is rigid, and the classic bungalow basement stair in Wash Park, Congress Park or Platt Park turns hard at a landing. A queen box spring will not make that corner. So people carry it as far as the landing, give up, and leave it on the alley pavement — where it soaks in a spring storm, freezes in February, and becomes something nobody will take at any price.
Mattress — Queen is $103, Mattress — Twin is $82, Mattress — King / Cal King is $114, Box Spring (Any Size) is $92. We split box springs on site at no extra charge.
2. Anything with refrigerant
Refrigerators, freezers, window and portable air conditioners, outdoor condensers, dehumidifiers and wine coolers. Refrigerant has to be recovered by someone qualified, which is why general collection will not take them.
Denver produces more of these than most cities because of the changeover from evaporative coolers to refrigerated air in the older neighborhoods, and because hail wrecks outdoor condenser coils across the eastern suburbs most summers. Add the garage beer fridge that never ran well because a Front Range garage swings from single digits in January to over a hundred in July, and it adds up.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator (Standard) | $164 |
| Freezer (Chest) | $146 |
| Mini Fridge | $115 |
| Window AC Unit (Large, 8k+ BTU) | $109 |
| AC Condenser / Heat Pump (Outdoor Unit) | $115 |
| Dehumidifier | $77 |
No refrigerant fee. The kitchen fridge and the garage mini together is $164 + $115 = $279.
3. Electronics
Televisions, monitors, computers, printers. Handled as a separate stream across the Front Range, and excluded from general bulky collection nearly everywhere. Check your jurisdiction's current electronics page for drop-off options.
Denver's supply of these sits in basement rec rooms and detached alley garages, preserved by dry air at altitude. Nothing corroded, nothing forced the decision, so a 1950s ranch in Virginia Village can easily have three generations of television in the basement.
TV (42" to 65") is $68, TV (65"+) is $73, a Computer Monitor is $58, a Box of Electronics is $77. Factory reset anything with an account on it before it leaves.
4. Tires
Tires are excluded essentially everywhere, and Denver garages are full of them. Winter takeoffs sit on the floor from April to October, then the car gets sold and the tires stay. A set of all-terrains from a truck that went back to the dealership in 2019 is a standard find in an Arvada or Aurora garage.
They are also one of the two things most likely to get a self-haul trip turned away at a gate, which is why they end up staying put.
Tire (Single) is $22 and Tires (set of 4) is $87.
5. Construction and renovation debris
Bulky-item programs are for household goods, not for the results of a project. Drywall, lumber, shingles, tile, cabinets, concrete, carpet. Practically no municipal program in the metro accepts them.
This lands hard here because of two Denver patterns running at once. Pop-tops and scrape-offs are constant through the warm months in Berkeley, Sloan's Lake, the Highlands and Platt Park. And after a bad hail season the eastern suburbs fill with roofing tear-off, shredded siding and bent screens — some of it handled by the roofer, a great deal of it stacked beside the garage and forgotten.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Construction Debris | $120 |
| Drywall (per sheet / small bundle) | $37 |
| Lumber / Wood Scrap (bundle) | $41 |
| Roofing Shingles (per bundle) | $48 |
| Carpet (rolled) | $68 |
| Full Kitchen Cabinet Set (rip-out) | $293 |
| Concrete / Masonry Debris (per 1/4 truck) | $219 |
A small bathroom tear-out is often the rolled carpet and a lumber bundle at $68 + $41 = $109. A kitchen rip-out with the carpet from the adjoining room is $293 + $68 = $361.
The honourable mention: paint
Not one of the five, but the sixth thing every Denver garage has and no collection takes. Every interior repaint, every deck stain against high-altitude UV, every touch-up can a previous owner left behind. Paint (1-Gallon Can) is $30 and Paint (5-Gallon Bucket) is $52, handled as its own line rather than thrown on the pile.
Propane tanks are the same story — a Propane Tank (20 lb) is $33 — and the Front Range has an unusual number of them, between grills, patio heaters and camping.
What to do instead
- Do not stage excluded items outside hoping. Denver weather — a thunderstorm, hail, then a freeze — will remove every option you had inside two weeks, including donating or recycling.
- Bundle them. The five categories almost always show up together, because they all got skipped for the same reason. One visit handles all of them.
- Check your own page before assuming. If mattresses or appliances are not named explicitly as accepted, treat that as a no.
The minimum for a visit is $75, and there is no stair charge, no walk-up fee and no refrigerant fee.
Frequently asked questions
Will Denver bulk pickup take my mattress?
It depends on your jurisdiction, and mattresses are among the most commonly excluded items across the metro. Check your own city or county's current bulky-item page. Removal with us is $103 for a queen, $82 for a twin, $114 for a king and $92 for a box spring.
Why won't they take appliances?
Refrigerant. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners, condensers, dehumidifiers and wine coolers all need the refrigerant recovered by someone qualified before processing, which general collection is not set up to do. There is no refrigerant fee on our side — it is in the published price.
Where do I take old tires in Denver?
Tires are excluded from essentially every bulky program and are one of the most common self-haul rejections at a gate. We take them at $22 for a single tire and $87 for a set of four, which is why they usually get added to a garage cleanout rather than handled separately.
Can I put renovation debris out with my bulky items?
No. Bulky programs are for household goods, not project debris, and almost nothing in the metro accepts drywall, lumber, shingles, tile or concrete. Construction debris is $120 with us, a bundle of shingles is $48 and a quarter truck of concrete or masonry is $219.
What about all the paint in my garage?
Paint is never in general collection. It is $30 for a one-gallon can and $52 for a five-gallon bucket, handled as its own line. Denver garages accumulate it fast, between interior repaints and deck stain fighting high-altitude sun.