Most people learn Cincinnati’s bulk item rules the hard way. You drag a sofa to the curb on a Sunday, it sits there through Wednesday, and eventually a neighbour mentions you were supposed to book an appointment first.
So here’s the actual system: what it covers, what it doesn’t, and what you’re on your own for.
It’s by appointment, not by schedule
This is the part that trips everybody up. Bulk item collection in Cincinnati is by appointment only. There’s no set week of the month when large items get picked up automatically, and there’s no truck that comes round looking for them.
You request it through the city’s 311 service, online or by phone. Put something at the curb without booking, and it just sits there — and you may hear about it from Code Enforcement before it goes anywhere.
The five-item limit
Collection is capped at five items per household per scheduled appointment.
That number decides whether the city can help you or not. Clearing one room? Usually fine. Clearing a garage, a basement, or a whole house? You’ll be booking appointment after appointment, and most people run out of patience long before they run out of stuff.
There’s a separate allowance for smaller things. Items under 45 pounds, or smaller than roughly four feet in every direction, go out with your regular trash — up to three small items a week. So a couple of kitchen chairs don’t need an appointment. A sleeper sofa does.
What the city will take
The accepted list is broader than most people assume:
- Furniture: couches, dressers, bed frames, tables, chairs
- Mattresses and box springs
- Major appliances: refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers
- Water heaters
- Air conditioners
- Large TVs over 45 pounds
- Exercise equipment
- Grills
- Other large, heavy household items
If your list is five things or fewer from that list, book the appointment. It’s already covered by what you pay in taxes, and there’s no sense paying anybody.
What the city will not take
This is the part worth knowing before you plan your weekend.
Not accepted for bulk collection:
- Construction debris and lumber
- Tires and rims — those go through a separate request
- Batteries of any kind
- Auto parts
- Lawnmowers and anything gas-powered
- Liquid paint
- Motor oil
- Household chemicals and hazardous waste
- Propane tanks
- Anything over six feet tall
That list catches a lot of real projects. Rip out a deck, and the lumber isn’t going anywhere. Redo a bathroom and the old vanity might qualify, but the tile and drywall won’t. Clear a garage and the mower, the gas can, the old paint, and the car battery are all on the no list.
What to do with the no-list items
Each of these has a route. None of them is the curb.
Construction debris and lumber. Remodel and demolition waste needs a hauler or a dumpster, and which of those is cheaper depends more on your project than on your budget. This is the single most common reason Cincinnati homeowners end up calling somebody. The city genuinely can’t help here.
Tires. The city does handle these, just through a different request. Ask 311 for a tire pickup rather than a bulk item pickup.
Paint. Latex is the confusing one. Hamilton County’s household hazardous waste program does not accept latex paint. The standard method is to dry it out completely — lid off, or stir in kitty litter or a paint hardener, and once it’s solid, it goes out with regular trash. Oil-based paint and stain are a different story. Those are genuine hazardous waste.
Chemicals, solvents, gasoline, pesticides. Hamilton County ReSource runs free household hazardous waste drop-off events for county residents. There’s no permanent site — it’s event-based, and it needs advance registration. Accepted materials include pesticides, herbicides, solvents, thinners, oil-based paint and stain, pool chemicals, gasoline, kerosene, and fluorescent tubes. Check their next event date before you load the car.
What even the county won’t take: propane tanks, batteries of any type, motor oil, antifreeze, cooking oil, fire extinguishers, ammunition, medical waste and CFL bulbs. Motor oil and car batteries are usually taken back by auto parts stores. Propane tanks generally go back to an exchange cage.
Lawnmowers and gas tools. Drain the fuel first, then a scrap metal yard will usually take the machine. Otherwise it’s a hauler.
How to actually book it
The process is short, but it goes faster if you’ve got the details ready.
Find the bulk item pickup request under 311 services on the city’s website, or call 513-765-1212. You’ll need your service address, a working phone number, and a list of exactly what’s going out quantity and item type.
You’ll be given a collection date. Put everything at the curb the night before, not days ahead. Items sitting out for a week draw complaints, and complaints draw notices.
Two things worth doing before you book. Count your items honestly against the five-item cap a mattress and a box spring count as two, not one. And check the refused list above against your pile, because a truck that shows up and leaves half your stuff on the lawn is worse than no booking at all.
When the city system stops working for you
Bulk collection is a good deal, and you should use it when it fits. It stops fitting in four situations.
You have more than five items. A garage cleanout is thirty items, not five. A full house after a death or a move into care is hundreds.
Your items are on the no list. Construction debris especially.
Nobody can move it to the curb. The city collects from the curb, and that’s the sentence doing all the work. Getting a chest freezer up the basement stairs is your problem — and for a lot of households, that is the whole problem.
You’re on a deadline. Appointments get scheduled when they get scheduled. A rental turning over on Friday, a closing date, or a family member’s move-out doesn’t wait for that.
The honest summary
Handful of standard household items, you can carry them out, you’re not in a rush? Book with 311 and don’t pay anyone a cent.
List longer than five, anything on the refused list, or it has to come out of a basement or an attic? That’s the point where a hauler earns their fee — and it’s worth knowing what that should cost before you call around.
Common questions
How do I book a bulk item pickup in Cincinnati? Through 311 — online at the city’s website, or by calling 513-765-1212. It’s by appointment only.
How many items can I put out? Five per household per appointment. Small items under 45 pounds go in your regular trash instead, up to three a week.
Will they take my mattress? Yes. Mattresses and box springs are both on the accepted list, though they count as two of your five items.
Will they take construction debris? No. Construction debris and lumber are specifically excluded, as is anything over six feet tall.
Will they take my refrigerator? Yes, major appliances are accepted. There are a few things worth knowing about refrigerant first, though.
Do these rules apply outside the city? No. Norwood, Wyoming, Sharonville, Blue Ash and the rest of the county each run their own collection with their own rules. Check with your own municipality they genuinely differ.
Got a pile the city won’t touch? We take the whole list they won’t: construction debris, lumber, tires, appliances, and everything that came out of the basement. Tell us what you’ve got and we’ll give you a firm price on site, before anything moves.
