Every London borough will collect large household items such as sofas, mattresses and fridges, but the terms vary more than most people expect. Nine councils offer free collections, and where you pay, prices run from £5 per item in Lewisham to £85 for up to 5 items in Richmond. This guide sets out what each of the 32 councils actually charges, what counts as an item, and when the council service is the right choice.
Cannot Wait for the Council?
We offer same-day bulky waste collection across all 32 London boroughs. No item limits, no kerbside prep – we collect from any room.
Nine boroughs offer free collections to all households, though most cap how many you get a year: Barking & Dagenham, Enfield, Harrow, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth.
Where you pay, prices vary widely: a first booking costs anything from £5 per item in Lewisham to £85 for up to 5 items in Richmond.
Councils collect from outside only. Items go at the front boundary, on the pavement or by the bins, usually by 6am or 7am. The one exception is Kensington & Chelsea, which will collect from inside for elderly or disabled residents after an assessment.
Only four councils publish a waiting time: Barking & Dagenham Council: up to 4 weeks for a slot; Bromley Council: a date within 10 working days; Newham Council: aims to collect within 5 working days; Westminster City Council: aims to collect within 3 working days. Everywhere else you take the next free slot.
Many councils discount or waive the fee if you receive Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support or Pension Credit, or if you are over 60 or 65.
Council Bulky Waste Prices: All 32 London Boroughs
Prices are for residents’ household collections, as each council publishes them. Councils usually change their fees in April, so check the council’s own page before you book. The borough name links to our page for that borough; “Book” goes to the council.
Checked against each council’s website, October 2026.
Which London Boroughs Collect for Free?
Free does not mean unlimited. Each scheme has its own catch:
Tower Hamlets – two free collections a year; up to 5 items per collection.
Newham – three free collections a year, then £30 for up to 6 items.
Wandsworth – two free collections a year, then £24.90 for up to 4 items; extras £11.10 each.
Enfield – free for up to 6 non-electrical items; £22 to choose the day; electricals are charged separately, from £54.
Waltham Forest – free for up to 5 non-electrical items; large electricals go through a separate service.
Redbridge – one free collection a year, then £15.20 per item.
Harrow – one free collection a year, then £59.70 for 1–4 items.
Merton – one free collection a year, then £39.75 for up to 3 items.
Barking & Dagenham – free for up to 4 items (pilot scheme), but the council has not published what it will charge afterwards.
Several other councils waive or cut the fee on benefits: Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster are free on Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support, Islington halves the fee, Camden gives two free collections a year to over-65s, and Brent, Bromley and Richmond each give at least one free collection to qualifying households. Council estates often have their own arrangements: Islington estate residents use free collection points, Greenwich tenants pay through their service charge, and Lambeth runs a separate estate service.
How Council Bulky Waste Collection Works
Book – online in most boroughs. Camden and Hounslow currently take bookings by phone.
List every item – crews take only what is on the booking.
Pay up front – Lambeth gives you ten minutes to pay before the booking lapses, and Southwark does not refund cancellations.
Put items out early – usually by 6am or 7am on the day (Enfield asks for 5:30am), at the front boundary, on the pavement or by the bin store, depending on the council.
Wait for the crew – there is no timed slot. Southwark collects between 6am and 4pm, Wandsworth between 6am and 7pm.
Council crews do not enter your home, carry anything downstairs or dismantle furniture (Kensington & Chelsea makes an exception for elderly or disabled residents after an assessment). If an item is on the third floor, getting it to the kerb is your job.
What Counts as One Item?
This is where bookings most often go wrong, because councils count differently:
Beds – in Hammersmith & Fulham a mattress, bed base and headboard count as three items; in Ealing and Brent a base and mattress count as two; in Enfield the whole bed is one.
Bags – Barnet counts five bags as one item, Kingston four, and Croydon counts every bag or box separately.
Size – Islington, Hounslow and Havering will not take anything over six feet, and Barnet asks for wardrobes and wall units to be dismantled.
Bexley prices by bands that take size as well as number into account, so the booking form is the only reliable guide.
Sofas, Mattresses and Fridges
Sofas and armchairs. Upholstered furniture contains flame retardants classed as persistent organic pollutants, so it has to be incinerated rather than landfilled. Many councils therefore collect it separately: Croydon on a second visit the same day, Haringey possibly a day later, and Hackney, Havering, Kingston and Newham on separate rounds. Sutton charges more for it – £74 for 1–3 sofas or armchairs, against £49 for 1–3 items of other furniture.
Mattresses. Every council takes them, but Brent allows two per booking and several councils refuse wet or soiled mattresses, so keep them dry and covered until collection.
Fridges and freezers. Hillingdon currently cannot collect them at all. Lewisham charges more for them (£5 per item; fridges and freezers £25), Richmond needs a separate booking, Ealing takes one per household, and many councils refuse American-style fridge freezers.
What the Council Will Not Take
Bulky waste services are for household furniture and appliances. Across London they generally exclude:
Only four London councils publish a target: Barking & Dagenham Council: up to 4 weeks for a slot; Bromley Council: a date within 10 working days; Newham Council: aims to collect within 5 working days; Westminster City Council: aims to collect within 3 working days. Everywhere else, the booking form offers the next free date and that is your wait.
Collections are always booked ahead, with notice, so the council is not an option when something has to go today.
Common Reasons a Council Collection Goes Wrong
Crews will not knock or come inside, so if items are not where the council asked, they move on. Extra items beyond the booking are left behind, and items that do not match the booking may be refused with the fee kept. Parked cars blocking access cause wasted visits too.
Some councils charge for a second attempt if items were not out, and putting items out without a booking reference can be treated as fly-tipping.
When the Council Is Not the Right Fit
If you live in a borough with free collections, can carry everything to the kerb and do not mind waiting for a slot, use the council. It is the cheapest option and the items are handled properly.
A private collection makes sense when the council’s terms do not fit: the sofa is on the third floor, you are moving out tomorrow, you have more items than the limit, or the load mixes furniture with bags and garden waste. We collect from inside the property across all 32 boroughs, usually the same day, from £45 for a single item. See bulky waste collection in London or get a quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends heavily on the borough. Nine councils offer free collections to every household, usually with a yearly limit. Where you pay, a first booking costs anything from £5 per item in Lewisham to £85 for up to 5 items in Richmond. Prices were checked on each council’s website in October 2026.
Barking & Dagenham, Enfield, Harrow, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth. Our table above gives each one’s terms. Several others are free if you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support.
Almost certainly not. London councils collect from outside only – the front boundary, the pavement or the bin store. The only exception we found is Kensington & Chelsea, which collects from inside for elderly or disabled residents after an assessment.
Most councils do not publish a waiting time; you get the next free slot when you book. The four that do: Barking & Dagenham Council: up to 4 weeks for a slot; Bromley Council: a date within 10 working days; Newham Council: aims to collect within 5 working days; Westminster City Council: aims to collect within 3 working days.
Usually, but not with its bed. Hammersmith & Fulham counts a mattress, base and headboard as three items, Ealing and Brent count a base and mattress as two, and Enfield counts a whole bed as one. Brent also limits you to two mattresses per booking.
Upholstered furniture contains flame retardants that must be incinerated, so many councils send it on a separate round. Croydon, Haringey, Hackney, Havering, Kingston and Newham all collect sofas separately, and Sutton charges more for them.
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