The cheapest way to get rid of a couch in Pittsburgh

Last checked Oct 26, 2026 · Applies to the City of Pittsburgh. Suburbs differ, so check your municipality.

The short answer

If you live in the City of Pittsburgh and get City trash pickup, put the couch at the curb with your regular weekly trash. It's free, and you don't need to schedule anything. You can set out two bulk items a week, between 6 p.m. the night before and 6 a.m. on collection day. Leave it whole. If it has bed bugs or roaches, it must be sealed or wrapped in plastic. If the couch is clean with no rips, stains or pet hair, a charity may take it instead. (City Bulk Pick Up, City 2026 recycling bulletin)

No truck? Can't carry it?

Free curbside pickup only works if you can get the couch to the curb yourself. Couches are heavy, awkward, and easy to get stuck on Pittsburgh stairs and porches. If you can't lift it, don't have help, or don't have a truck or car big enough to haul it, fill out our free quote form. We'll pass your request to a local Pittsburgh hauler who can carry it out of your home and take it away. No obligation.

Get someone to haul my couch Call (412) 525-7785

Every option, cheapest first

Option	What it costs	The catch
City curbside bulk pickup	Free, for up to 2 bulk items a week (source)	You have to get it to the curb. City homes and buildings with 5 or fewer units only.
Donation drop-off	Free at Off the Floor, Habitat ReStore, St. Vincent de Paul stores and The Blessing Board (details)	Clean couches only: no rips, stains or pet hair. You need a vehicle that fits it.
Donation pickup	Free at Habitat ReStore if it's outside or in a garage. $100 at St. Vincent de Paul. The Blessing Board quotes a fee after you ask. (details)	Same condition rules. Can take up to two weeks.
Rent a truck and drop it off	Truck from $19 (Home Depot, first 75 minutes) or $19.95 plus mileage (U-Haul), plus a $105 minimum at the ABC-EZ transfer station (details)	About $124 or more before extra time, gas and a second set of hands.
City special pickup (3+ items)	$173 for the first hour, $54 for each hour after (source)	Only worth it for a lot of items at once.
Haul-away service	LoadUp lists Pittsburgh couch removal from $75 and says typical removals run $100 to $500 (source)	Costs the most, but nobody in your house lifts a thing. Get a local quote.

1. Free City curbside pickup

The City collects bulk items with your regular weekly trash pickup. "Sofas, recliner chairs and tables" are first on the City's list of accepted bulk items. There's no appointment. You don't need to call 311 to schedule it. (source)

Rule	What the City says
Who's covered	Single-family homes and small apartment buildings (5 or fewer units). (City Code Ch. 619)
Limit	Two bulk items per week (per unit in small apartment buildings). A couch plus a recliner uses up your week. (source)
Cost	No charge for 2 or fewer bulk items per collection. (source)
When to set out	No earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before collection, no later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day. (source)
Where	Your normal collection spot, without blocking the sidewalk or street, at the curb or no more than 5 feet back from it. (City Code §619.04)
Take it apart?	No. "Do not disassemble or place anything below in trash bags, please leave all items whole." (source)
Bed bugs or roaches	Any furniture with bed bugs or cockroaches "must be sealed in plastic bags or wrapped in plastic." (source)

Local tips:

Find your trash day on the City's collection schedule map. Holidays can push pickup back a day.
Got a sectional? The City doesn't say whether each piece counts as its own item. We couldn't confirm this. To be safe, count each section as one item and spread them over a couple of weeks, or ask 311.
Put it out that night, not days early. A couch left out early or in the rain is how neighbors end up reporting it. Leaving one anywhere other than your own collection spot is illegal dumping, which the City says carries "fines of up to $10,000." (source)
Missed pickup? Contact Pittsburgh 311: dial 311 inside the city or 412-255-2621 from outside, use the online form or the app, or email PGH311@pittsburghpa.gov. Live operators answer Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (source)

Stuck on the stairs? If the couch is on a second floor, in a basement, or you just can't get it out the door, request a free haul-away quote. A local hauler can carry it out for you.

2. More than two items

For more than two bulk items at once, call Environmental Services at 412-255-2773 to arrange a special pickup. The City charges $173 for the first hour (or part of an hour) and $54 for each additional hour, payable by personal check or money order to the City of Pittsburgh Treasurer. (source) The free alternative is to spread items over a few weeks of regular pickup. Clearing out a whole apartment or house? See our Pittsburgh Bulk Pickup Guide.

3. Donate it (if it's genuinely clean)

Every charity below turns down couches with rips, stains or pet hair, and most won't take sleeper sofas. Snap a photo and check before you load it up.

Off the Floor Pittsburgh (720 E. Lacock St, North Side, 412-258-6136). Takes couches and sofas, sectionals, love seats, futons and recliners, but no sofa beds. Items that are "ripped, worn, stained, missing parts or damaged" are refused, and so is upholstery "exposed to pets." Request a pickup online and they'll be in touch about availability, or drop off on weekdays. Their site lists drop-off hours as both 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., so call first. (items accepted, donation info)
Habitat for Humanity ReStore (7402 Church St, Swissvale). Takes couches. Free pickup if the items are "disassembled and ready for pick-up outside the home or in a garage," usually within two weeks. A paid priority pickup through ReSupply can come from inside your home as soon as the next business day. Free drop-off Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No stains, tears, strong odors or pet hair. (source)
St. Vincent de Paul of Pittsburgh. Takes sofas and loveseats. Pickup costs $100 (412-321-1071 or furniture@svdppitt.org), or drop off free at one of its thrift stores during open hours. No sleeper sofas and no upholstery exposed to pets, and the stores won't take sectionals. (furniture, store drop-off)
The Blessing Board (880 Butler St, Shaler, and 1200 Lebanon Rd, West Mifflin). Takes couches, loveseats and recliners, and sleeper sofas if they're in a garage or on the ground floor. No sectionals or futons. Nothing stained, ripped, smoky, with pet hair or bed bugs. Free drop-off Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., no appointment. Pickup has a fee that's quoted after you request it. (donation page, FAQ)
Goodwill of Southwestern PA only takes furniture small enough to fit inside its store donation bins, which rules out most couches. (source)

4. Haul it yourself

Renting a truck: Home Depot's Load 'N Go flatbeds and cargo vans start at $19 for the first 75 minutes with no mileage fee, then a fixed rate every 15 minutes. (source) The flatbed requires a $150 deposit. (source) U-Haul in-town pickup trucks start at $19.95 plus mileage and fees. (source) Exact local rates vary by store, so check before you go.

Where to take it:

City drop-off sites don't take furniture. The Public Works drop-offs and the Strip District site list recyclables, yard waste, tires and scrap metal only. (source)
Transfer stations are the resident option the City points to for bulky waste. Its list includes ABC-EZ Containers, Michael Brothers Hauling, McKees Rocks Transfer Station, Boyd Roll Off and Iron City Express, and it asks you to call ahead about costs and hours. (source)
- ABC-EZ Containers (1000 Island Ave, McKees Rocks, 412-331-3590) charges $105 a ton with a $105 minimum per load, so one couch costs $105. (source)
- Michael Brothers Hauling (North Hills: 408 Hoffman Rd; South Hills: 901 Horning Rd; 412-835-6428). Call for price. We couldn't find a current price on their website.
Landfills: we didn't find a current, official residential price for a single couch at an area landfill. Call for price, or use one of the transfer stations above.

Do the math first. A $19 truck plus a $105 minimum drop-off is about $124 before gas, extra rental time and finding someone to help you lift. That's in the same range as having it hauled away. Compare with a free quote.

5. Pay someone to haul it

If you can't lift the couch, don't have a truck or car big enough, or need it gone before trash day, a hauler is the easiest path. They carry it out of whatever room it's in and take it away. For a sense of price, LoadUp's Pittsburgh page lists couch removal starting at $75 and says typical Pittsburgh removals run $100 to $500, with sectionals, stairs and tight spaces costing more. (source)

The City's advice for hiring someone to haul it: "always demand they give you a receipt from the disposal facility afterwards before paying in full." (source)

6. Suburbs, larger apartment buildings & landlords

The City only collects from single-family homes and buildings with 5 or fewer units. (source) Larger apartment buildings use private haulers, so ask your landlord or property manager first. Suburbs in Allegheny County set their own bulk rules, and many charge per item. Two examples:

North Fayette Township requires a $15 bulk tag. A couch with 3 seats needs 1 tag, and anything larger needs 2 or more. (source)
Indiana Township collects 1 bulk item per month, on set dates. (source)

Check your borough or township website or your hauler before setting anything out.

More on City rules and what the curb won't take: Pittsburgh Bulk Pickup Guide (2026). Getting rid of a mattress too? See mattress disposal in Pittsburgh. Clearing out a whole house after a death? See inherited house cleanout in Allegheny County.

No truck, or can't carry it? Get it hauled away

Can't lift the couch, don't have help, or don't have a truck or car to move it? Tell us what you need hauled. We'll pass your request to a local Pittsburgh hauler who can carry it out and quote you. No obligation.

Rather talk? Call (412) 525-7785

Prefer to text? Text us at (412) 525-7785 with a photo of what you need hauled.

FAQ

Will the City of Pittsburgh pick up my couch for free?

Yes, if your home gets City trash collection (single-family homes and buildings with 5 or fewer units). Sofas are on the City's list of accepted bulk items. Set the couch out whole with your regular weekly trash. It's free for up to two bulk items per week.

Do I need to call 311 to schedule a couch pickup?

No. The City collects bulk items with your regular trash, so there's nothing to schedule. Contact 311 (dial 311 in the city or 412-255-2621) only for a missed pickup or a question. For more than two bulk items, call Environmental Services at 412-255-2773 to arrange a paid special pickup.

When can I put a couch out at the curb?

No earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before your collection day and no later than 6:00 a.m. on collection day.

Should I take the couch apart or wrap it?

The City asks you to leave bulk items whole and not put them in trash bags. The exception is a couch with bed bugs or cockroaches: the City requires it to be sealed in plastic bags or wrapped in plastic.

How much does it cost to have a couch hauled away in Pittsburgh?

It depends on the size of the couch and how hard it is to get out. LoadUp's Pittsburgh page lists couch removal starting at $75 and says typical removals run $100 to $500. A transfer station drop-off at ABC-EZ in McKees Rocks has a $105 minimum per load, plus whatever it costs you to rent a truck.

Who will take a donated couch in Pittsburgh?

Off the Floor Pittsburgh, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore in Swissvale, St. Vincent de Paul and The Blessing Board all list couches, but only clean ones with no rips, stains or pet exposure. Habitat offers free pickup if the couch is outside or in a garage. St. Vincent de Paul charges $100 for pickup. Goodwill of Southwestern PA only takes furniture small enough to fit in its store donation bins.

I don't have a truck and can't carry the couch. What are my options?

Use the free quote form on this page or call (412) 525-7785. We'll pass your request to a local Pittsburgh hauler who can carry it out of your home and haul it away. There's no obligation.

Sources

Last checked Oct 26, 2026. Fees and rules are quoted from the sources above. Anything marked "couldn't confirm" or "call for price" was not stated by a current source.