5 things bulk pickup won't take in Colorado Springs

First, the thing that confuses everyone

People arriving in Colorado Springs from a big municipal-collection city go looking for the bulk trash schedule and cannot find one. That is because most residential trash service in this metro is a private subscription — you choose a hauler and sign an agreement — rather than a service the city runs on a published calendar.

So "what will bulk pickup take" is really "what does my service agreement include". Those agreements vary by company and plan. Some include a limited number of large-item pickups a year, some require advance booking, some exclude whole categories. Call your hauler and ask before you move anything to the curb.

Across almost all of them, though, the same five categories fall outside. Here they are, with what removal actually costs instead.

1. Mattresses and box springs

The most commonly excluded item, and the one that most often gets left on a curb for a week. Disposal facilities treat mattresses as a separate handling category — steel coils foul compactors and the whole thing is enormous airspace for almost no weight — so haulers set their own terms and many simply say no.

There is a local wrinkle. A mattress that sits out waiting for a pickup that is never coming gets hailed on, and a saturated mattress is harder still to hand off. If your hauler says no, deal with it indoors rather than staging it outside and hoping.

2. Anything with refrigerant in it

Refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, ice makers, air conditioning condensers and heat pumps are sealed systems. Refrigerant has to be recovered by someone qualified before the metal is processed, which is why general collection does not touch them.

There is no refrigerant fee on top — the compliant handling is inside those numbers. This category is overrepresented in Colorado Springs for two reasons: nearly every house has a demoted second fridge or a game freezer in the garage, and hail season kills outdoor condensers faster than age does.

3. Televisions and electronics

Electronics are a separate waste stream in Colorado and subscription trash service generally is not the route for them. That covers flat panels, the old glass tube sets still sitting in Westside and Black Forest garages, monitors, towers and printers.

Drop-off options exist and they change — check the current electronics page for your own jurisdiction rather than trusting a schedule you found online, and remember that Fountain, Monument, Manitou Springs and unincorporated El Paso County are separate from the city.

4. Construction and renovation debris

Household service covers household waste. Drywall from a basement finish, tear-out lumber, old cabinets, flooring, tile and shingles are not household waste, and putting them in your bin is the fastest way to have your service suspended.

Two very Colorado Springs versions of this. Basement finishes are constant in the newer north and east subdivisions, where houses are sold with unfinished lower levels and completed later. And after a serious hail season, roof tear-offs generate shingle debris across whole neighborhoods at once.

For a genuine renovation, volume pricing is usually the right route: a quarter truck is $241, a half is $431, a full truck is $732. Concrete and masonry price separately at $219 per quarter truck because of the weight.

5. Outdoor structures and big yard items

Nothing that has to be taken apart in your garden goes with household collection. In a city with this much hail and this many new subdivisions with young families, the category is busy.

Trampolines deserve a specific warning here. Front Range wind moves them. An unanchored trampoline in Falcon or Banning Lewis Ranch will end up in a neighbor's fence, and a hail-torn mat is not repairable. A large trampoline plus a wrecked patio set — table, two chairs and the umbrella — is $141 + $89 + $30 + $30 + $53 = $343.

The honourable mentions

Three more that catch people, all of which we do take:

• Tires. Almost universally excluded from household collection. A single tire is $22 and a set of four is $87.
• Paint. A one-gallon can is $30 and a five-gallon bucket is $52.
• Propane tanks. A 20 lb tank is $33. Do not put one in a bin under any circumstances.

What we do not take is genuinely hazardous material — solvents, fuels, chemicals, asbestos and medical waste all need a specialist route. Ask us and we will tell you plainly rather than loading it and working it out later.

How to clear all five in one visit

The efficient move is to stop solving these one at a time. Most households have something in three or four of these categories sitting around simultaneously — the garage fridge, two old TVs, a queen mattress in the basement and a hail-wrecked patio set.

Itemized, that example is $164 + $68 + $62 + $103 + $89 + $30 + $30 = $546. Against the truck ladder, a half truck is $431 and five-eighths is $513, so volume pricing wins comfortably. We run both sums and quote the lower one before anyone drives out.

Everything includes carry-out from any floor and disposal. No stair charge, no walk-up fee, no same-day surcharge, and the minimum for a visit is $75.

Frequently asked questions