The short version
Furniture in good shape: Houston Furniture Bank picks up free with one to two weeks' notice, and the Salvation Army schedules free pickups by ZIP code. Building materials and appliances under ten years old: Habitat ReStore. Clothes and small goods: any thrift store, but Goodwill Houston pickups go through a paid partner. Broken or worn out: the city's heavy trash day comes every other month, and six neighborhood drop-off centers take it Tuesday to Saturday with a Houston ID and utility bill. Paint, chemicals and electronics go to the Environmental Service Center, not the curb.
Furniture
- Houston Furniture Bank. Takes dressers, couches, dinette sets, bookshelves, bed frames and similar pieces for families moving out of homelessness. Does not take armoires, entertainment centers, electronics, appliances or office furniture. Standard pickup is free with one to two weeks' notice; a priority pickup within 48 hours costs $65. Drop-off is free for furniture, $25 for a mattress. Outlets are at 8220 Mosley Rd (Monday to Saturday 9 to 5), 5900 North Freeway #127 and 5402 FM 1960 W (both daily 10 to 6) (Houston Furniture Bank).
- Salvation Army. Free furniture and household pickup, scheduled by ZIP code. They will not take appliances that do not work, paint, or old TVs (satruck.org).
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Two Houston stores, 6161 S. Loop East and 5280 West 34th St, both Monday to Saturday 9 to 5. They accept furniture, cabinets, doors, flooring in lots of 100 square feet or more, lumber, appliances under ten years old (not gas), and computers or TVs under five years old. For a pickup the items have to be staged outside or in the garage (Houston Habitat ReStore).
- Goodwill Houston. Drop-offs at any store. Home pickup is only through a paid partner service, so check the price before booking (Goodwill Houston FAQ).
Give it away to a neighbor
For the odd lamp, the extra bookshelf and the half-used cleaning supplies, the fastest route is a neighbor who wants it today. Buy Nothing groups run by neighborhood on their app and on Facebook (Buy Nothing Project). Freecycle is older and works the same way: everything posted must be free (Freecycle). Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace with the price set to free also empty a garage in a weekend. Post the moving boxes there afterward too.
Trash the city will take
- Heavy trash at the curb. Inside the City of Houston, heavy trash is collected every other month, up to six times a year. Set it out from 6 p.m. the Friday before until 7 a.m. on collection day, up to 8 cubic yards (4 for building materials). Electronics, hazardous waste and roofing are not accepted. Look up your month by address on the city site (City of Houston: heavy trash). The timing rarely lines up with a move, which is why the drop-off centers matter.
- Neighborhood depositories and recycling centers. Six locations, open Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 6, closed Sunday and Monday, up to four visits a month. Bring a Texas ID and a City of Houston utility bill or lease. Addresses: 9003 N Main, 14400 Sommermeyer, 5565 Kirkpatrick, 2240 Central St, 5100 Sunbeam, 10785 Southwest Freeway (City of Houston: depositories). Mattresses can go to the curb on heavy trash day or to these centers (heavy trash rules).
- Outside the city limits, your hauler sets the bulk rules. Several of our city pages list them, with the hauler's own page linked.
Things that cannot go in the truck or the trash
Paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, propane, batteries and electronics do not belong in a moving truck in Houston heat, and the city will not take most of them at the curb.
- Environmental Service Center, South: 11500 S. Post Oak Rd, open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 8 to 5. North: 5614 Neches St, the second Thursday of each month, 9 to 3. They take up to 25 gallons of paint and up to five large electronics per visit (City of Houston: Environmental Service Centers).
- Electronics only: the Westpark Recycling Center at 5900 Westpark takes residential electronics free, and the city runs monthly Saturday collection events (City of Houston: e-waste).
A simple order of operations
- Three weeks out: walk every room with three bags, keep, give, trash. Photograph the furniture you are letting go.
- Book the furniture pickup now. Free pickups want one to two weeks' notice.
- Post the small stuff to Buy Nothing or Marketplace the same day.
- One drop-off run for the junk, with your ID and a utility bill in the car.
- One run to the Environmental Service Center with the garage chemicals.
- Then count what is left with the moving box calculator. It is usually a smaller number than you started with.
If you are moving inside the Houston area, the last container problem goes away too. We deliver lidded moving bins and collect them from your new address, so there is no pile of cardboard to flatten and nowhere it needs to go. How it works.
Questions people ask
Who picks up furniture donations for free in Houston?
Houston Furniture Bank, with one to two weeks' notice, and the Salvation Army, scheduled by ZIP code. Habitat ReStore also picks up accepted items that are staged outside or in a garage; ask about any fee. Goodwill Houston pickups go through a paid partner.
How do I get rid of a mattress in Houston?
Put it out on your heavy trash day, take it to a neighborhood depository (Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 6, with a Houston ID and utility bill), or drop it at Houston Furniture Bank for $25.
Where do I take paint and chemicals in Houston?
The Environmental Service Center at 11500 S. Post Oak Rd, open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 8 to 5, takes up to 25 gallons of paint per visit. The north site at 5614 Neches St opens the second Thursday of the month.
When is heavy trash day in Houston?
Every other month, up to six times a year, on a schedule set by address. Look yours up on the City of Houston Solid Waste site, and set items out between 6 p.m. the Friday before and 7 a.m. on the day.
Last updated October 2, 2026. Hours and rules were read on the linked pages on October 2, 2026 and can change; check before you drive.