A mattress, a fridge, a couch. Each has its own way out.

Mattresses: most bulky item pickups take them

Good news: most bulky item pickups on the South Shore and in Montérégie take mattresses and box springs. Longueuil's bulky item collection does. In Saint-Hyacinthe, the Régie intermunicipale d'Acton et des Maskoutains (RIAM) picks them up with other large items three times a year, and the Pierre-De Saurel RCM (Sorel-Tracy) accepts mattresses too. For dates, go by your city's official page.

Wrapping rules vary. Longueuil requires a mattress or box spring with bedbugs to be wrapped in a sealed plastic bag. The RIAM recommends putting mattresses and box springs in a closed or sealed bag, taped shut for example. Anywhere else, don't assume one rule applies: read your city's instructions.

Bedbugs, and why a mattress rarely gets a second life

If you have bedbugs, Québec.ca says to check mattresses, box springs and upholstered furniture. Damaged pieces should be made unusable by cutting them, wrapped in thick plastic covers or bags sealed airtight, then thrown out. Wait until the infestation is under control before buying new furniture. A mattress that's still in good shape can be treated with hot steam instead, then put in a bedbug-proof cover.

Even without bedbugs, an old mattress rarely gets a second life. Longueuil classes mattresses and box springs as non-recoverable items, and in the Pierre-De Saurel RCM, what the bulky item collection picks up is headed for landfill. A mattress damaged by bedbugs, for its part, has to be made unusable.

Fridges, freezers and air conditioners don't belong at the curb

These appliances run on refrigerant gas, and Québec's Halocarbons Regulation also covers household units. Before a fridge, freezer or air conditioner is recycled or scrapped, the halocarbons in its circuit have to be recovered with the proper equipment (section 14). Only a person with the environmental qualification the regulation requires, obtained after approved training, can drain or dismantle the appliance (sections 43 and 44). The emptied unit then gets a “halocarbure vidangé” label.

Bulky item pickups turn them down too, including in Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe and the Pierre-De Saurel RCM. And leaving a fridge on the sidewalk is no solution: Longueuil warns it could be taken by unauthorized collectors, without the gases being safely removed. This summary is general information.

Old fridge: ecocentre, GoRecycle or a city program

Hydro-Québec no longer offers an appliance pickup. Its appliance tips page suggests asking your municipality where the nearest ecocentre is and, for a fridge under ten years old, contacting certain non-profits that pass it on to low-income households. RECYC-QUÉBEC recognizes GoRecycle as the management organization for these appliances and points to its website for drop-off locations.

Some cities and MRCs have their own solution. Longueuil offers free curbside pickup with GoRecycle: you request it online and leave the appliance outside, since GoRecycle doesn't go inside homes. In the Pierre-De Saurel RCM, an organization designated by the MRC picks up fridges and freezers on request. If yours is stuck in the basement, Gestion Débarras carries it out from any room and takes it to recovery. We don't remove the gas ourselves: that step belongs to a qualified person.

Couches and furniture: reuse first, then bulky pickup

A couch that's clean and sturdy deserves a second life: offer it to family or neighbours, or list it online with good photos. If there have been bedbugs in the home, Québec.ca's instructions for upholstered furniture come before any giveaway.

Otherwise, bulky item pickup usually takes couches, with rules that vary by city. In Longueuil, couches and chairs are accepted if they're set out neatly, never in a loose pile, and in one piece, but items made entirely of wood are refused. The RIAM picks up old furniture, couches included, as long as it's stacked neatly at the curb: nothing is taken from a trailer or truck. Couch too heavy or stuck in the basement? Our crew carries it out, and you don't lift a thing.

Give, set out or book: a simple way to decide

No need to memorize every rule. For each item, follow this path in order: reuse first, your city's collection next, and a pickup when nothing else works. Rules change from one city to the next, so keep your city's official page handy.

For that last step, Gestion Débarras carries mattresses, fridges and couches out from any room, often the same day when the schedule allows and always within the week. Pricing is transparent, based on the volume your items take up in the truck, all-inclusive, and you get a free estimate within 24 hours. We then sort to donate, recycle and salvage: less than 30% of what we pick up ends up in landfill.

• Clean, in good shape and free of bedbugs: give it away or sell it.
• Accepted by your city's collection: follow its rules and its calendar.
• Fridge, freezer or air conditioner: an ecocentre, a GoRecycle drop-off or a city program.
• Refused, too heavy, stuck in the basement or no time to wait: book a pickup.