How to get rid of bulky junk in Palo Alto, CA

GreenWaste of Palo Alto

• The city directs residents to GreenWaste at 650-493-4894. Multi-unit residents without individual city refuse bills should contact their property manager to arrange complex service.
• Each single-family Clean Up Day accepts up to three bulky items, each 200 pounds or less. Examples include sofas, tables, cabinets, mattresses, box springs, stoves and washing machines.
• Set items at the curb next to the carts by 6 a.m., no earlier than 24 hours before the scheduled date. Label reusable items with the word “reuse.”
• The program also permits up to three smaller individual items, each under 60 pounds and no larger than 3 by 3 by 3 feet, and separate labeled categories for textiles, recycling, garbage, yard trimmings and limited construction materials.
• Treated wood is not accepted. Lithium and lithium-ion batteries are not accepted in Clean Up Day battery bags; use the city HHW station. Motor oil and eligible battery collection have special packaging rules on GreenWaste’s page.

Sources: City of Palo Alto: Clean Up Day · GreenWaste: Palo Alto Clean Up Day guidelines · last checked 2026-11-08

Free mattress recycling: a regional option at Zanker Site 2

GreenWaste Zanker’s official facility page says California residents may drop off up to four mattresses or box springs free. Site 2 is at 675 Los Esteros Road, San Jose; call 408-263-2384 before driving. This is a regional option, not necessarily the nearest site to Palo Alto. Wet, heavily soiled or bedbug-infested units are excluded, as are items such as toppers, pillows, sofa beds and attached futons. Keep other paid waste separate.

Confirm first: the same operator’s gate sheet lists a $21 mattress inbound charge and its general fee text mentions a $60 vehicle minimum. Do not treat those as a charge on qualifying free resident units, or assume nonqualifying units are free: ask how the program and any mixed-load fees apply. The website and rate PDF also disagree on Site 2 weekend hours, so no weekend opening is promised here.

Sources: GreenWaste Zanker: materials, mattress program and facilities · Zanker gate-tier rate sheet, effective July 1, 2026 · last checked 2026-11-08

Palo Alto residents: use the city HHW Station, not County appointments

The County specifically tells Palo Alto residents not to make County HHW appointments. Use the city station at 2501 Embarcadero Way, with proof of Palo Alto residency. Published hours: Saturdays 9–11 a.m. and the first Friday monthly 3–5 p.m. (Pacific Time). Upcoming listed closures include November 28 and December 26, 2026, and January 1–2, 2027. Limit 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit, containers no larger than five gallons.

Accepted examples include paints, household cleaners, batteries including lithium-ion, motor oil and small electronics with embedded batteries. TVs, monitors and microwaves without embedded batteries are not accepted; neither is pressure-treated wood. Review the full city list before loading.

Sources: City of Palo Alto: Household Hazardous Waste Station · County of Santa Clara: free household hazardous waste appointments · last checked 2026-11-08

SMaRT Station: address-specific eligibility, not a countywide free dump

The City of Sunnyvale explicitly lists Palo Alto as eligible for paid garbage/self-haul disposal at the SMaRT Station, 301 Carl Road, Sunnyvale. Published hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day (Pacific Time). Bring a driver’s license proving residence (businesses need proof of operating location).

The city lists household discards, appliances, fixtures, furniture, green waste, construction/demolition debris, concrete/dirt/sod, clean wood, asphalt, brick/pavers and tires as accepted waste categories. No hazardous waste, liquids or treated wood. Rates depend on material and cubic yards or large items. Current disposal dollar rates unverified: the fetched city text links a rate document but does not expose its amounts; call 408-752-8530. A verified $15 uncovered-load fee buys a tarp, so cover and secure the load before arrival.

Important: Palo Alto eligibility for paid garbage does not confer the free general recycling or paint-drop-off services reserved by the city table for Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Use your own local recycling/HHW program.

Sources: City of Sunnyvale: SMaRT Station eligibility and disposal · last checked 2026-11-08

GreenWaste Zanker: public bulky-material disposal, not a flat household dump fee

Zanker is open to the public and lists Site 2 (675 Los Esteros Road, San Jose) for bulky items including couches, chairs, tables and furniture. The official July 1, 2026 gate-tier sheet lists bulky items/miscellaneous at $173.25 per ton and trash at $147 per ton. The facility page states a $60 minimum per vehicle for paid disposal. These are published categories, not a guaranteed total for a pickup-truck load: ask about the applicable tier, load measurement, material classification, minimum and separate item charges.

No hazardous waste, wet garbage or food waste. The rate sheet lists Freon-containing items separately at $52.50 each; confirm whether charges combine with other disposal fees. Separate qualifying free mattresses as described above. Website/PDF hours differ, so call 408-263-2384 for the correct site and current arrival window.

Sources: GreenWaste Zanker: materials, mattress program and facilities · Zanker gate-tier rate sheet, effective July 1, 2026 · last checked 2026-11-08

LoadUp: national published starting prices, not a local guaranteed quote

LoadUp’s own mattress-removal page currently lists in-home pickup from $85, curbside from $80, and same-day from $95 when booked before 2 p.m., subject to local availability. Multi-item add-ons start at +$15; that is not a guaranteed price for every extra item. Final pricing depends on ZIP code, mattress size, access and pickup conditions. Confirm service at your Palo Alto address and the written total before booking. Wet/waterlogged mattresses are excluded, and bedbugs must be disclosed.

Sources: LoadUp: published mattress removal starting prices · last checked 2026-11-08

Bay Junk: local quote-based comparison

Bay Junk describes itself as locally owned, lists Palo Alto in its service area, and publishes pricing factors rather than a fixed dollar tariff: volume, weight and accessibility. It says quotes include labor, transportation, taxes and disposal. No published local dollar rate verified. Request an itemized written quote and confirm address coverage. A company’s insurance or recycling claims are its own, not an independent endorsement by HaulGuide.

Sources: Bay Junk: quote-based pricing · Bay Junk: San Jose and listed service areas · last checked 2026-11-08

Check authorization, weight and add-on charges

Ask GreenWaste for the authorized debris-box service for your address and a written price. Clean Up Day construction-material allowances do not mean an unlimited renovation load is included.

• Get included tonnage, load measurement and per-ton overage in writing; heavy debris can reach a limit before a bin looks full.
• Ask how many rental days are included, and the extra-day, delayed-pickup or failed-access/trip charge.
• Identify restricted-item, mattress, tire, refrigerant-appliance, contamination and disposal surcharges.
• Confirm delivery/pickup, taxes, cancellation, any street-placement permit, and whether the supplier is a broker or the actual hauler.
• Keep the written quote and request a scale ticket if an overweight charge is disputed.

Search-index excerpts of public BBB dumpster complaints describe customers disputing weight-based charges after pickup. These are customer allegations, not verified findings about any company; they illustrate why written terms matter. Direct BBB-page retrieval was unavailable during this check. HaulGuide does not call any provider a scam.

Sources: City of Palo Alto: Clean Up Day · GreenWaste: Palo Alto Clean Up Day guidelines · BBB: dumpster billing complaint excerpts (allegations, not findings) · last checked 2026-11-08