Junk removal costs in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, the city splits your junk into soft and hard, and each kind leaves a different way. A sofa, a mattress or a box spring counts as compactible furniture, so it can go out with your regular trash, up to two items a week. Mattresses and box springs have to be sealed in plastic mattress bags first.

Hard items are the ones the regular truck skips: a fridge, an air conditioner, a stove, a water heater, a flat-screen TV, tires. For those, the Department of Sanitation runs a bulk collection program by appointment only, four items per appointment, booked online or through 311. Fridge doors come off, and you mark every item with the four-letter pickup code they email you. It's for homes and buildings of up to six units on city trash service. Larger apartment buildings and condos need a private hauler.

You can also drive a load to one of the six sanitation convenience centers, with proof you live in the city. Oversized items are once a week, and appliances or anything with refrigerant are two a day. They take TVs and computers, and mattresses there don't need a bag. Contractors can't use the centers, and construction debris isn't accepted.

That last rule matters in a rowhouse full of old plaster and brick. Bricks, rocks and concrete block from a remodel have no city route at all. They go to a private facility instead.