Riverside, CA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Qualifying items
- Appliances, furniture, mattresses, wood trimmings
- Excluded
- Hazardous materials
- Earliest curb placement
- 4:00 p.m. day before pickup
- Refusal right
- Hauler may refuse noncompliant items
- Alternative
- Self-hauler permit under §6.04.055
Summary
Riverside residents can request bulky-item pickup for large appliances, furniture and mattresses, but items must be curbside no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled service, and the hauler can refuse anything exceeding posted limits, per RMC § 6.04.040(C).
C.The Public Works Director may designate materials eligible for special pickup as bulky items and the time, frequency, and volume of bulky item collection service. Acceptable materials shall be placed at the curb immediately adjacent to the serviced property no earlier than 4:00 p.m. on the day before the scheduled bulky item service. City or Contractor's may refuse collection if items exceed limitations or otherwise do not conform to the established bulky item service requirements.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
040(C) governs Riverside's special bulky-item collection program. 010 as 'waste items that are too large to be accepted as part of standard automated or manual collection,' with examples including 'large metal appliances, mattresses, furniture items, large toys or wood trimmings,' plus any other materials the Public Works Director designates, hazardous materials are always excluded. 040(C), the Public Works Director sets which materials qualify and controls the time, frequency, and volume of bulky item collection service. on the day before the scheduled bulky item service, putting a couch or refrigerator out any earlier is itself out of compliance with the placement window. 055.
Violations & Fines
An item refused or left at the curb outside the scheduled bulky-item window can be cited as an unlawful accumulation of waste matter under § 6.04.130, which bars allowing solid waste to 'collect and remain' on a lot or premises. As with the rest of Chapter 6.04, there's no bulky-item-specific fine; violations default to RMC § 1.01.110, an infraction fine up to $250 or, prosecuted as a misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and six months in jail, or an administrative citation under Chapter 1.17, with each day of continued accumulation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get rid of an old couch or mattress in Riverside?
Will the city take anything I put out for bulky pickup?
Can I set my bulky item out days early?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside to another location·View the California trash & recycling overview
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Bulk Item Disposal in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle bulk item disposal.