Every city has its own pickup. Here's how to sort it out.

What counts as a bulky item, and who picks it up

A bulky item is a household object that's too big or too heavy for your bin, but that the crew can still load by hand: a couch, a mattress, a table, a rolled-up rug. You'll also see it called gros rebuts or volumineux, and even the definition varies: in Boucherville, one collector must be able to lift each item, while in Longueuil, the bylaw allows up to 2 m long and 75 kg.

The rules vary because the pickup isn't run by the same body everywhere. Longueuil and Boucherville run their own; elsewhere, it's usually the MRC, like Roussillon for Châteauguay or La Haute-Yamaska for Granby. In Saint-Hyacinthe, an intermunicipal board, the RIAM, handles it. Each one sets its own schedule and list of accepted items. The table below sums up how each city does it and links to the official page.

Bulky item collection, city by city

Each city runs its collection its own way. Here is how it works in the cities we serve, and where to find the official schedule. Click a city to see our local page.

Five ways the pickup is organized

Most collections follow one of these five models, sometimes combined: in Saint-Hyacinthe, bulky items are picked up three times a year with no registration, on each sector's garbage day. Dates change every year, so confirm them on the official page.

• Set day by sector, no registration: Longueuil and the towns of the Roussillon RCM
• Monthly pickup booked ahead: Beloeil, Mont-Saint-Hilaire and the rest of La Vallée-du-Richelieu
• Three pickups a year, registration required: Granby, plus Marieville and Richelieu (Rouville RCM)
• With regular garbage: in Boucherville, up to three bulky items go out with the trash
• On call, with a cap: the Rouville RCM has limited spots, up to 3 m³

What almost every collection turns away

Lists change from one city to the next, and they can even differ between a city and its MRC, for example on appliances in the Roussillon RCM. A bathtub is accepted in Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe and Beloeil, but refused in Boucherville and Granby. So read your city's full list and, when in doubt, check with the body that runs the collection.

Sources do agree on a core set of items that regular collections refuse. For those, the ecocentre or a special collection is the usual route: check what yours accepts, and on what terms.

• Construction, renovation and demolition debris: wood, drywall, doors, windows, shingles
• Hazardous products: paint, oils, solvents, propane tanks
• Refrigeration appliances: fridges, freezers, air conditioners
• TVs, computers and other electronics
• Tires and car parts
• Branches, stumps, soil, rocks and concrete

Getting ready for pickup day

Start by finding your sector and dates on the official page, often with an address lookup. If registration is required, do it before the deadline. In Granby, you also declare the type and number of items, then put out only what you declared.

Stick to the limits, too: three bulky items per pickup in Boucherville, which suggests spreading a big cleanout over several pickups, and at most 10 items per building of 1 to 8 units in the Roussillon RCM. Anything that doesn't follow the rules can be left behind. When you put your items out:

• Put them out within the allowed window, usually the evening before or early that morning
• Set them at the curb without blocking the sidewalk, bike path or street
• Leave space between each item and the bin, with no car parked in front
• Roll and tie rugs and pool liners into short rolls
• Take the doors off appliances, and remove nails, screws and sharp edges

Tenants, apartment buildings and missed pickups

Tenants can't always register on their own. In Granby, only the owner, the building manager or a condo board member can request the pickup, so talk to them before the deadline. At RIAM ecocentres, a landlord who doesn't live in the building is treated as a business and turned away.

In a building with a shared container, don't put bulky items in it without checking your city's rules. In several Roussillon RCM towns, such as La Prairie and Châteauguay, they go at the edge of the public road near the parking lot exit, and excessive volume isn't collected. In Saint-Hyacinthe, apartment buildings put them at the curb, just like houses.

Missed the truck? Bring your items back in, then wait for the next date or take them to the ecocentre if you're eligible. In the Haute-Yamaska RCM, ecocentres take accepted bulky items without waiting for a pickup date. Bring proof of residence, since ecocentres often limit visits or volume.

When a private crew is simpler

Municipal pickup is a real help, but everything has to be at the curb at the right time, in pieces light enough for one or two people. The sofa bed in the basement or the mattress upstairs is yours to carry out.

Gestion Débarras carries your items out from any room, and you don't lift a thing: our insured, vetted crew protects your floors and sweeps up before leaving. Pricing is transparent, based on the space your items take up in the truck, all-inclusive, and the estimate is free, within 24 hours, by phone, from photos or on site. We can often come the same day when the schedule allows, and we sort to donate, recycle and salvage: less than 30% of what we pick up ends up in landfill.

One thing to know: we don't take hazardous materials such as paint, solvents, propane, chemicals or asbestos. For those, your ecocentre or your municipality's household hazardous waste collection is the right place. Furniture, mattresses and other bulky items? We'll handle those, especially when:

• Your items are still inside, in the basement or up a flight of stairs
• The collection refuses the item, like an appliance or renovation debris
• You're over the item or volume limit
• You don't want to wait for the next date, or the deadline has passed