Three ways to move an old couch or mattress out — donate it, recycle it, or haul it — and how to pick without earning an HOA fine. Here's the practical version for Austin, including where donations go and what can't hit the curb.
Snap a photo — flat quote, we donate what's usable
Upload a Photo & Get Quote →If the piece is clean and functional, donation is the best outcome — it stays out of the landfill and helps someone. In Austin, Goodwill Central Texas, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the ARC partners, and local charities take furniture in good condition, and some offer pickup for larger items (call ahead — pickup slots fill up). Around the UT summer move-out, the city's MoveOutATX program runs donation stations near West Campus to divert usable goods. The catch: donation centers are selective (no rips, stains, pet damage, or broken frames), and hauling a heavy piece there yourself is its own project. When we do a pickup, we route the usable pieces to donation for you — no separate trip.
The City of Austin offers on-demand bulk pickup, but it comes with real constraints: it's limited to a few pickups a year with a volume cap, it's curbside, and it's on the city's schedule, not yours. That's fine for a single small item at a city-of-Austin address. But it's a problem in the HOA suburbs — Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Circle C, Georgetown — where leaving bulk at the curb between pickups can earn a fine. And some things can't go out with regular bulk at all: appliances with refrigerant (fridges, AC), electronics/e-waste, and hazardous materials.
A scheduled haul makes sense when the piece is too big to move, too worn to donate, when you need it gone on your timeline, or when you're in an HOA neighborhood and can't risk the curb. We come to you, carry it out from wherever it sits (no basements in Austin, so it's the garage or upstairs), and haul it straight from the garage — never the curb. The price is flat and quoted from a photo, with the labor, the drive, and disposal already in it; usable pieces are donated and appliances have the refrigerant recovered.