Guide · 6 min read · updated 2026-09-22
Couch disposal in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties: where to take it and what it costs
Free curbside bulky pickup by city, what each landfill gate charges for a couch (dated), how to break one down, and when paying a hauler is worth it.
The short answer
Most couches in this area can go for free or close to it. The order to try:
- Your city's free curbside bulky pickup. Most cities we serve include one to three a year with your garbage bill, and a couch almost always fits the pile limit. You book it; you carry it to the street.
- The county gate, if you have a truck. No county landfill lists a couch fee. At North County in Lodi a couch is weighed as ordinary waste, and one couch never gets near the weight where the per-visit minimum stops applying.
- A flat vehicle fee in Sacramento County. Kiefer Landfill and the North Area Recovery Station charge cars, vans and pickups by vehicle, not by the couch.
Paying someone makes sense when the couch is upstairs, when it is a sectional or a sleeper, when there is no truck, or when it is one piece of a bigger clear-out. Everything below is the detail, with every fee dated.
Free curbside bulky pickup, by city
These are the programs a couch fits into, as each city or its hauler describes them. Read on 2026-09-18; programs change their limits, so confirm when you book. The full table, with pile sizes and set-out rules, is in free bulky pickup limits by city.
| City | Free pickups | Book through |
|---|---|---|
| Stockton (Clean Sweep) | Once a year, February to October, up to 3 cubic yards | Your garbage company, two weeks ahead |
| Lathrop | 2 a year | Republic Services, (209) 466-3604 |
| Manteca | Once a year | City Solid Waste office, (209) 456-8440 |
| Ripon | Once a year, April to September, 4 large items | City of Ripon online form or City Hall |
| Escalon | Twice a year | Gilton, (209) 527-3781 |
| Lodi | No on-demand program found; the April cleanup takes bagged or boxed items under 50 lb, which a couch is not | Waste Management, (209) 369-8274 |
| Galt | 1 large-item pickup a year, plus one 3.5-yard Handy Hauler bin | Cal-Waste, (209) 369-6887 |
| Elk Grove | 3 a year, up to 5 cubic yards | Republic Services, (916) 635-2500 |
| City of Sacramento | 2 a year, February to October | 311 or (916) 264-5011 |
| Sacramento County, unincorporated | 1 every 12 months, up to 5 cubic yards | SacGreenTeam, 916-875-5555 |
| Modesto | 2 a year, by appointment | Gilton or Bertolotti, depending on your area |
Do not put it out early
The most common way a free pickup turns into a fine is a couch sitting at the curb before the program allows it. Stockton wants the pile out the evening before. Elk Grove and the City of Sacramento allow no more than 24 hours, and Modesto's code allows 12. A couch left out past the window, or with no appointment behind it, is an illegal-dumping complaint with your address on it. What illegal dumping costs here is worth two minutes before you drag it out.
What each gate charges for a couch
No gate in this area lists a per-couch fee except one. Everywhere else a couch is ordinary waste, priced by weight or by the vehicle it arrives in.
| Gate | How a couch is charged | Posted figure |
|---|---|---|
| North County Landfill, Lodi | Weighed as ordinary waste | $60.93 a ton (effective 2026-01-01); $32.50 minimum per visit (effective 2026-01-01) |
| Lovelace Transfer Station, Manteca | Flat minimum by vehicle for small loads | Car $21.75 (effective 2026-01-01); short-bed pickup level with the cab $25 (effective 2026-01-01); 8-ft bed level with the cab $38.50 (effective 2026-01-01) |
| Kiefer Landfill, Sloughhouse | Flat fee by vehicle | Car $10 each (effective 2026-01-01); pickup $35 each (effective 2026-01-01) |
| North Area Recovery Station, North Highlands | Flat fee by vehicle | Car $10 each (effective 2026-01-01); pickup $40 each (effective 2026-01-01) |
| Gilton Resource Recovery, Modesto | Weighed | $82.50 a ton (effective 2026-07-01); $50 minimum (effective 2026-07-01) |
| WM Lodi Transfer Station | Per piece of loose furniture | $25.11 each (effective 2024-08-15), before WM's weekly-variable energy surcharge and 14.50% waste water charge |
The Lodi math
At North County the weighed rate is $60.93 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) and the visit minimum is $32.50 (effective 2026-01-01), so the minimum covers any load up to a little over half a ton. A couch is nowhere near that, so one couch, or a couch and a recliner, costs the minimum. Bring a card: North County does not take cash, and its hours are Mon-Sun 7a-4p (strictly enforced).
The WM Lodi Transfer Station on Turner Road posts a per-piece loose-furniture rate instead, before surcharges, and it is closed Sundays. For a couch and two chairs that is three pieces. The full side-by-side of the two Lodi gates is in every gate and every rate for 2026.
Most of our Lodi-area loads go through North County for the same reason.
Breaking a couch down for the trip
A couch that will not fit through a door or into a hatchback usually comes apart more than people expect.
- Pull the cushions and legs first. Most legs unscrew by hand. That alone takes a few inches off the height.
- Sectionals come apart at the connectors. Look underneath for the brackets that join the pieces; each piece then moves on its own.
- A sleeper sofa is two jobs. The fold-out mechanism is a heavy steel frame, usually bolted to the couch frame. Take it out and the couch gets much lighter.
- Watch for staples and springs. Cutting into the upholstery exposes sharp staples and loaded springs. Gloves and eye protection, or leave it whole.
Strap it flat and cover the load. North County and Lovelace charge double for an uncovered load, and Kiefer and NARS add $25 extra (effective 2026-01-01).
Donating a couch
A clean couch in good shape may have a second life, but charities can be selective about upholstered furniture. Call before you load it, describe any stains, tears, pet wear or odor honestly, and ask whether they pick up. If the answer is no, the options above are what is left.
On our loads, usable furniture goes to donation first. We would rather donate a good couch than pay the gate for it.
When hiring it out pays
For one couch, a truck and a helper, the free pickup or the county gate wins, and we will tell you that.
Hiring it out makes sense when there are stairs between the couch and the street, when it is a heavy sleeper or a sectional, when there is no truck, or when the couch is one item in a room that is all going. Our price for a single couch on the ground floor is the $200 minimum load, which covers a couch and a chair. A bedroom or living room of furniture is usually a quarter load, $275. Stairs add $25 a flight. Furniture removal covers what we take, the price list shows every line, and if you want a number now, send a photo for a quote.
Quick answers
Can a couch go in my garbage cart? No. It needs a bulky pickup appointment or a trip to a gate.
Is a futon or a recliner handled the same way? Yes. At the county gates they are ordinary weighed waste. A futon's metal frame is scrap metal if you separate it.
Does the mattress from a sofa bed count as a mattress? At the gates that list mattress fees, treat it as one and ask. The rules are in the mattress disposal guide.
What if I am clearing a whole house? Then the couch is the easy part. Start with the estate cleanout cost guide.
Related guides
Sources
Every fee above is read from the operator's own published sheet and shown with its effective date. Rates change; call the gate before you load a truck around a number.
- San Joaquin County — North County Recycling Center & Sanitary Landfill price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- San Joaquin County — Lovelace MRF & Transfer Station price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-18
- Sacramento County — Kiefer Landfill fees, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-18
- Sacramento County — North Area Recovery Station fees, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-18
- Gilton Resource Recovery price sheet, effective 2026-07-01 — read 2026-09-17
- City of Stockton, Clean Sweep — read 2026-09-18
- City of Sacramento, Household Junk Pickup — read 2026-09-18
- Sacramento County, bulky waste pickup — read 2026-09-18
- City of Elk Grove, bulky waste pickup — read 2026-09-18
- City of Modesto, bulky item collection — read 2026-09-18