Before you pay to dispose of anything, check whether it can be donated. Furniture in good condition, working appliances, tools and household goods are wanted by local charities, and several offer free pickup, which means the item leaves your home at no cost to you and you may receive a tax receipt.

Our Richmond Hill donation guide and Markham donation guide list every local option and what each organization accepts. The rule of thumb: if you would give it to a friend, donate it. If you would not, it belongs in one of the disposal streams below.

The City of Richmond Hill and the City of Markham each offer curbside collection of large and bulky items as part of your regular waste service. In both cities, items go to the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day, and bulk items are picked up on the same day as your regular garbage.

What qualifies: Furniture (sofas, tables, chairs, desks, dressers, bed frames), mattresses, carpeting and underpad (rolled and tied), large toys, exercise equipment, barbecues with the propane tank removed and other oversized household items.

What does not: Construction and renovation debris such as drywall, lumber, tiles and concrete is not accepted at the curb in either city. That material goes to a transfer station.

This is the one place where Richmond Hill and Markham can differ. Each city sets its own limit on how many bulk items you may put out per collection, along with weight and size restrictions, and those rules are updated from time to time. Items generally need to be manageable for two workers to lift. Before you put anything out, check the current rules on your own city's website, Richmond Hill residents with the City of Richmond Hill and Markham residents with the City of Markham. A five-minute check avoids items being left at the curb.

Remove all loose parts and bag them separately. Roll carpets and tie them with string or tape. Remove doors from large appliances for safety, which matters especially for fridges and freezers to prevent child entrapment. Take batteries out of electronic items. Place everything on your own property at the curb, not blocking the sidewalk or road. If you have a lot to clear, spread it across consecutive collection days rather than putting it all out at once and exceeding the limit.

Because Richmond Hill and Markham are both in York Region, residents of either city use the same network of Community Environmental Centres. These facilities accept a wide range of material that curbside collection will not take. Check york.ca for current locations, hours and accepted materials, since these change periodically.

Accepts: Furniture, appliances with refrigerant already removed, construction debris, yard waste, scrap metal, electronics, tires, household hazardous waste and general household waste.

Cost: Fees are based on weight and vehicle type. A car or SUV load is typically $10 to $30, and a pickup truck or trailer load runs $30 to $80 or more. Household hazardous waste drop-off is free for residents.

ID required: Bring proof of York Region residency such as a driver's licence or a utility bill showing your Richmond Hill or Markham address.

Use curbside pickup for a few large items that fit within your city's per-collection limit. Use a transfer station when you have more than the limit allows, when you have construction debris that curbside does not accept, when you need to clear items on your own schedule rather than waiting for collection day, or when you are doing a full-house cleanout and want to make several trips over a weekend.

These appliances contain refrigerants that must be recovered by a certified technician before disposal, so they cannot simply go to the curb. In both Richmond Hill and Markham the options are the same: have a certified technician recover the refrigerant, typically $50 to $150, then place the unit at the curb or bring it to a Community Environmental Centre. Some retailers offer haul-away when you buy a replacement, and junk removal companies that handle appliances will usually coordinate refrigerant recovery as part of the job.

Important: Remove the door from a fridge or freezer before curbside disposal. This is a safety requirement to prevent child entrapment.

Most charities do not accept used mattresses because of hygiene and bed bug concerns, so donation is usually not an option here. In both cities your choices are curbside bulk pickup, where wrapping the mattress in plastic helps prevent waterlogging if the weather turns, drop-off at a York Region Community Environmental Centre, or junk removal pickup at roughly $80 to $150 for a single mattress.

Many mattress retailers will haul away your old mattress when you buy a new one, sometimes free and sometimes for a modest fee. Ask about haul-away at the time of purchase. When the timing lines up with a replacement, this is the easiest route.