Who picks up old appliances in San Jose?

The short answer

Around San José, old appliances are picked up by the City's Junk Pickup (check its accepted list), by retailers when they deliver a replacement, by neighbor-city programs in Santa Clara and Mountain View, by scrap collectors, and by junk removal services. JunkRabbit picks up from inside at flat prices, including $164 for a standard fridge, $133 for a washer and $109 for a dishwasher, same day when booked by 4 PM.

1. The City of San José

The City's Environmental Services Department runs Junk Pickup for single-family homes and multi-family complexes. It costs nothing, and renters can use it just like owners. Each request covers up to 12 items. Confirm on the City's page that your appliance is on the accepted list before booking.

You request through 311 and receive confirmation within two business days. Collection is on your regular garbage and recycling day, and items go out on the street by the curb no more than 24 hours ahead, away from red zones, hydrants and parked cars.

The limits are practical. The program is curbside only, so you have to get a washer or a range down the driveway yourself. That is fine for a garage in a ranch-house neighborhood. It is hard for a third-floor apartment, and it does not fit a day when you need the appliance gone before a new one arrives.

2. The retailer that sells you the replacement

When a new appliance is delivered, many retailers will haul away the old one. It is usually offered at checkout, sometimes free and sometimes for a fee.

Ask three questions before relying on it. Will they take it from where it sits, or only from the garage or the curb? Do they disconnect it, or must it be disconnected and drained before they arrive? Do they take everything, or only the same type of appliance they are delivering?

This route works well for a straight swap, like a new dishwasher for an old one. It does not help when you are clearing appliances without replacing them: the dead freezer in the garage, the old range left behind in a rental, or the dryer you no longer need after moving into a building with shared laundry.

3. Neighbor-city programs

If you live just outside San José, your own city may have something better or worse.

Santa Clara accepts appliances in its Annual Cleanup Campaign. The 2026 campaign ran April 27 to May 22, with four weekly collection periods. Items have to be out by 7 a.m. on the Monday, residents only, and early set-out can mean a $150 fine.

Mountain View residents get two Recology cleanups each calendar year, by appointment, and each includes up to three bulky items alongside a bagged pile.

Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Campbell, Milpitas and the other cities run their own programs. Check your city's bulky-item page before assuming anything, and ask specifically about refrigerant appliances.

Every one of these programs is curbside and calendar-bound. They help most when you are flexible on timing and able to move the appliance outside yourself.

4. Scrap collectors and self-hauling

Steel appliances have scrap value, and some people take washers, dryers and water heaters to scrap recyclers themselves. Informal scrap collectors sometimes pick them up free from a driveway.

Be careful with refrigerant appliances on this route. A fridge or freezer needs its refrigerant recovered by a certified technician before it is scrapped, and not every collector does that properly.

Zanker Recycling on Los Esteros Road in North San José and the SMaRT Station on Carl Road in Sunnyvale are the large local facilities. Zanker keeps weekday hours. SMaRT is open 8 to 5 daily and serves residents of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas and Santa Clara. Call ahead about appliances and rates.

Self-hauling a washer is a two-person job with an appliance dolly and a truck with a ramp or a liftgate.

5. JunkRabbit: flat prices from inside

A rental turnover where the tenant left a washer, a dryer and a chest freezer adds up to $133 + $128 + $146 = $407. A laundry pair alone is $133 + $128 = $261.

Vetted, insured local haulers carry the appliance out from any floor. Disposal is included, we recycle whatever we can, and there is no stairs fee.

Picking the right pickup

• Replacing it with a new one: ask the retailer about haul-away first.
• San José house, flexible week: check whether the City's Junk Pickup takes it.
• Santa Clara resident in spring: wait for the cleanup campaign if you can.
• Plain steel appliance and you own a truck: a scrap recycler.
• Upstairs, built-in, landlord deadline or several appliances at once: a flat pickup.

For property managers handling turnovers across several buildings, one JunkRabbit account can cover several properties, and a certificate of insurance can be emailed within an hour of booking. Get a price from a photo on the instant quote page, choose a two-hour window, and book by 4 PM for same-day pickup.

Frequently asked questions