Special Item Pickup
Going Beyond Your Home Carts & Dumpsters
Special Item Pickup is a service offered to Seattle Public Utilities customers where items that don’t belong in the garbage or home recycling are picked up and recycled on demand. We find the best, most responsible, way to recycle as much of your trash as possible. If it can be taken apart and recycled, we'll make it happen. We have a special place for items that don't belong in the garbage or home recycling.
Costs
One FREE Pickup Per Year*
- *Additional pickups after the free pickup will incur a $5 charge
- Limit: two 1-gallon bags per single family home or per recycle container in an apartment building
- Can be AA, AAA, C, D, button, removable rechargeable batteries such as those for power tools
- Does NOT include car batteries, e-scooter or e-bike batteries
- Tape the ends of each battery to prevent fires
- Separate rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries into different bags
$5 per pickup
- Limit: two 1-gallon bags per single family home or per recycle container in an apartment building
- No broken bulbs
One FREE Pickup Per Year*
- *Additional pickups after the free pickup will incur a $20 charge
- Limit: one 2' x 2' x 2' box, cannot weigh more than 60lbs
- For multiple small special items
- Can be a combination of small items: up to 4 small camping propane canisters, one gallon bag of household batteries, one gallon bag of lightbulbs, and small electronics such as phones, tablets, headphones, keyboards, etc.
FREE
- Limit: two 32-gallon bags or smaller per single family home or per recycle container in an apartment building
- Must be Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) blocks or forms
- No packing peanuts or overly large pieces of foam
- Remove all tape and packing material
$5 per pickup
- Limit: 4 canisters under 1lb in size per single family home or per recycle container in an apartment building
- Canisters must be empty of fuel (it should not rattle when shaken)
$31 per item
- Large furniture, appliances, and TVs larger than 2' x 2' x 2'
- Limit: cannot exceed 300lbs, 8 feet in height, or 4 feet in diameter
- For safety reasons, remove refrigerator and freezer doors that have latches
- Items need to be covered on rainy days
- Items include: appliances, refrigerators, TVs, monitors, computers, freezers, stoves, dishwashers, dryers, trash compactors, ACs, washing machines, box springs, mattresses, furniture, dressers, cabinets, tables, chairs, and sofas
$39.25 per item
- Items containing CFCs, such as refrigerators and freezers made before 2005
- For safety reasons, remove refrigerator and freezer doors that have latches or secure them tightly with rope or duct tape
- Items need to be covered on rainy days
FREE
- No need to request a special pickup!
- Set out sealed jugs with your address written on them on your regular collection day
- Used cooking oil and used motor oil
- No mixed oil
- Limit: two 1-gallon sealed jugs of oil
Costs vary by the type of item collected. Charges for special item collections will appear on your combined utility bill. The person(s) responsible for the combined utility bill must be able to authorize charges on the account.
Starting April 1, 2026, SPU customers will receive receive one free pickup of batteries and a Special Item Box annually. After a customer uses up their free pickups, additional pickups will be charged at the normal rate ($5 for batteries and $20 per Special Item Box). Keep a look out for more free items coming in 2027!
Why Use Special Item Collection Services:
Great for Your Wallet
- Compared to other pickup services, Special Item Pickup is lower in cost!
So Convenient
- It's convenient! We pick these items right from your house or apartment building — no need to rent a truck or drive all the way out to the transfer station.
Easy to Schedule
- Special Item Pickup is also easy to schedule — Just log into your account, call us, or ask the property manager or building owner
Great for the Environment
- By using Special Item Pickup, you are helping the environment. Fewer items will be added to the landfill and get recycled instead!
Try It Out!
- To request the collection of large or hard to dispose of items at your home, schedule online or call Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service at (206) 684-3000. The utility account holder must make the request.
- We will pick up items such as large furniture and appliances, TVs, computers, small appliances, and small items such as compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), batteries, small gas canisters, and foam blocks. These Special Items will be collected and then recycled.
Get more information about Special Item Pickups in Multifamily Properties (apartment buildings, townhomes, or condos), and Single Family Homes.
Utility Discount Program Customers get a Special Discount!
To find out how to qualify for the Utility Discount Program (UDP), please visit the UDP website.
Login to schedule, we’ll take it from here
Scheduling your special item pickup is simple. Begin by logging into your account, or register for an acount profile if you don't have one.
Once logged in, select the “Special item Pick-up” link to begin scheduling.
The forms will take you through the list of options of which item you're having picked up, the cost, and scheduling.
Login to schedule, we’ll take it from here
Scheduling your special item pickup is simple. Begin by logging into your account, or register for an acount profile if you don't have one.
Once logged in, select the “Special item Pick-up” link to begin scheduling.
The forms will take you through the list of options of which item you're having picked up, the cost, and scheduling.
Scheduling for Single Family Homes
To request the collection of large or hard to dispose of items at your home, schedule online or call Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service at (206) 684-3000.
Set out Instructions:
For Single Family Properties:
Special items will be collected on the next regular garbage collection day, after the pickup has been scheduled. For instance, if you requested a pickup on Tuesday, and your regular garbage pickup day is Friday, your Special Item Pickup Day will be the Friday the same week. Please do not leave items outside without confirmation of your special item pickup.
On collection day, set out special items where you would normally have your solid waste service collected. Items placed outside must be on a flat, level surface (no stairs) and easily accessible from the street. Items must be out at the collection point by 7:00 a.m. on that collection day.
If the normal solid waste location is a secured area, please place the bulky item outside. If there are challenges to finding a location outside to place the bulky item, call our Contact Center at (206) 684-3000 to request technical assistance with finding a set out location.
For Multifamily Properties
Apartment residents cannot schedule a pickup because the person responsible for the Seattle Public Utilities bill is the property manager or building owner. If you live in a building with 5 or more units, contact the property manager or building owner to set up a Special Item Pickup.
These items will be collected by a driver that is not familiar with the building, so it is important to discuss and coordinate the collection location when you schedule. The location needs to be easily accessible to a driver that doesn’t carry keys or fobs to access locked enclosures or garages. If there are challenges to finding a location outside to place the items, call our Contact Center at (206) 684-3000 to request technical assistance with finding a set out location.
Please do not leave items outside without confirmation of your special item pickup.
Frequently Asked Questions
For other disposal options, please visit the Where Does It Go? Tool on the SPU website. Some items can be reused, resold, or donated if they are in good enough condition!
Taping batteries prevents fires. When the ends of batteries touch, an electrical current passes between them, and can cause a spark. This spark can then ignite into a fire, which is extremely dangerous.
CFL lightbulbs contain mercury, which is a hazardous substance, and is dangerous when you touch or inhale it. Putting the lightbulbs in the garbage can cause them to be crushed, which releases the mercury into the air. Broken glass is sharp and can cut you or anyone who handles the disposal of your items. For everyone’s safety, be careful when handling CFL lightbulbs, do not put out broken lightbulbs, and make sure they cannot be crushed by other items when setting them out for pickup.
We will pick up most batteries, except for car batteries, e-bike, or e-scooter batteries. This includes AA, AAA, C, D, and button. Rechargeable batteries, such as those used with power drills, are also accepted – but place them in a separate bag from the regular non-rechargeable batteries. Make sure to tape the ends of each individual battery to prevent fire.
One pickup of batteries includes up to two (2) one-gallon sealable clear bags. Make sure to tape the ends of each individual battery to prevent fire.
SPU works with many third-party vendors to recycle as many items as possible – if it can be taken apart and recycled, we can make it happen.
EPR is where producers of items are financially responsible for the disposal of their items. In this system, producers are required to join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), where each producer will pay money into. The PRO then manages and distributes the money to pay for the disposal of the item, and to create more opportunities for collection of the item. For example, a battery producer would be required to pay money into a PRO. The PRO would then use the money to reimburse entities like SPU, who incur costs when picking up and disposing of batteries. The PRO could also help fund a battery drop off station at a store. It is SPU’s job (and whoever disposes of the batteries) to track how many batteries get disposed; that way, the PRO can reimburse SPU for disposal costs, and the PRO can make sure the producer is paying in enough money. Because SPU gets reimbursed, your garbage costs are lower, and SPU can offer free pickups of certain items (like batteries) to customers.