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Move-out junk removal in Melrose, MA

Boxes, a disassembled bookcase and a rolled rug piled on a sidewalk outside a brick apartment building at move-out

What the city covers when you move

Weekly trash must fit inside the city's 64-gallon barrel with the lid closed, and anything outside it is left. Barrels go out no earlier than 5 p.m. the evening before and no later than 7 a.m. on pickup day. Bulky furniture needs a Casella booking, by phone at 1-800-227-3552 or in the app, with a fee per item such as $50 for a sofa or $40 for a rug.

Metal goods and TVs are picked up on Tuesdays by the DPW for $30 each after you call 781-665-0142 or pay online. The city does not offer curbside metal, appliance or TV pickup at condo or apartment buildings with 6 or more units, and buildings with more than six units do not receive city trash collection at all.

Larger buildings and landlords

In a building with more than six units, trash is handled by a private contract, so a tenant leaving a couch cannot rely on the city. A private dumpster at the address needs a Board of Health permit at $100 for the first one and $50 for each added, and a dumpster on the street or sidewalk needs a DPW occupancy permit. Ask your landlord before leaving anything by the dumpster.

For a smaller building, check the date you hand over keys against the booking: Casella and the DPW schedule ahead, and Tuesday is the only metal pickup day. A last-week appointment may fall after you have left.

What a move-out costs with JUNKRUN

Items are priced by size: a sofa is $139, a loveseat $89, a twin mattress $89, a regular dresser $99, a tall bookcase $79 and a standard appliance $119. A pickup under $159 is rounded up to the minimum, so combine everything into one trip.

For a full room, price by the load instead: quarter trailer $209, half $319, three-quarter $409 and full $519. We carry from any floor with no stair fee. Send photos of each room and the stairs by text and we confirm one price before the crew comes.

A move-out schedule that fits Melrose pickup rules

  1. 3 weeks before

    Book Casella for sofas, dressers and rugs, and pay the city's fee per item.

  2. 2 weeks before

    Call the DPW at 781-665-0142 for appliances, window air conditioners and TVs. Tuesdays only, out by 7 a.m.

  3. 10 days before

    Prepay the $40 mattress drop-off at the City Yard, or schedule Tough Stuff curbside at $65.

  4. 3 days before

    Send photos to JUNKRUN for the leftovers: broken furniture, bags, items the city list does not cover.

  5. Move-out day

    Barrels out after 5 p.m. the night before. Everything else leaves in one visit.

Local resources in Melrose

Donation, reuse and recycling options near the pickup. We are not affiliated with these; confirm hours and what they accept before you go.

Quick answers

Can I leave furniture by my Melrose apartment building's dumpster?

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Ask the landlord first. The city does not collect from buildings with more than six units, and a private dumpster must hold a Board of Health permit.

Does Melrose pick up a couch on move-out day?

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Only through Casella, booked ahead and paid per item. A regular sofa is $50, a loveseat $45 and a pullout couch $55 on the city's August 2026 schedule.

Can I use the City Yard if I am moving out of Melrose?

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Only with a City Yard sticker, which requires proof of Melrose residency and a vehicle registration. Register at the Administration Office at 72 Tremont St before you move.

Sources

Rules, fees and hours change, so confirm with Melrose before you go.

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