Who picks up old appliances in Virginia Beach?

The short answer

The city of Virginia Beach picks up appliances curbside through its bulky-item program, if you request it three days ahead and get the appliance to the curb yourself. The store delivering your new appliance may haul the old one, depending on its policy. Scrap collectors sometimes take metal appliances. For anything inside the house, on a deadline, or outside those programs, a flat-price pickup is $164 for a standard fridge, $133 for a washer, $128 for a dryer and $109 for a dishwasher.

Option one: your city

Each city in the 757 runs its own program, so start with the one on your tax bill.

• Virginia Beach: bulky pickup by request online, by phone or by email at least three days before your trash day. Fridges and freezers need doors and shelves removed and refrigerant status noted. Set out after 5 p.m. the night before, by 7 a.m.
• Norfolk: bulk requests until 3 p.m. the day before through MyNorfolk or by phone.
• Chesapeake: requests due the weekday before collection, within one 4 by 4 by 10 foot pile per week and twelve per year.
• Newport News: white goods by appointment, typically Wednesdays, first 28 callers.
• Moyock and Knotts Island: no curbside pickup at all in Currituck County. Residents haul to convenience centers; Freon items go to the County Transfer Station.

City programs are the cheapest route when they fit. They collect from the curb, on their schedule, and they don't come inside.

Option two: the store that sells you the new one

Many appliance retailers offer haul-away when they deliver a replacement. It's convenient because it happens in one visit. But the details vary, so read the order before you count on it.

Ask four questions when you buy. Will they take the old unit, and is there a charge? Does it have to be the same type of appliance, so a fridge for a fridge? Does it need to be disconnected and ready, or will they disconnect it? Will they carry it from where it sits, or only from the same spot as the new delivery?

The common gap: a delivery crew will swap the kitchen fridge, but won't take the second fridge in the garage, the chest freezer, or the old dryer that broke last year. And if you bought online with a carrier delivery, there may be no haul-away at all.

For anything that's not a one-for-one swap, you'll need another option.

Option three: scrap collectors

Appliances are mostly steel, and people with trucks collect scrap metal for a living. In some neighborhoods, a washer left in an open garage will be asked about within a day.

This works for non-refrigerant appliances: washers, dryers, ranges, water heaters. It's less reliable for fridges, freezers and AC units, because refrigerant has to be recovered under federal rules before scrapping, and not every collector handles that.

The downsides are reliability and accountability. A scrap collector may not show up when promised, usually won't carry from inside the house, and isn't usually insured for damage to floors or doorframes. You're also responsible for making sure the item ends up somewhere legal.

If you go this route, keep it simple: have the appliance in the garage or driveway, disconnected, and agree on a time.

Option four: a junk removal crew

This is the route for appliances that are inside, upstairs, or in bunches. Crews carry them out from any floor with no stairs fee, and disposal is included. You pick a two-hour window and see the price before you book.

Which option fits which job

A broken washer already in a Kempsville garage, and you're a Virginia Beach resident with time: city bulky pickup, or drive it to the Resource Recovery Center yourself.

New fridge being delivered to a Great Bridge kitchen: ask the store about haul-away of the old one.

Second fridge and a chest freezer in the garage before a PCS move: a flat pickup. $164 + $146 = $310, gone the week your household goods ship.

Stacked washer and dryer on the third floor of a Downtown Norfolk apartment: a flat pickup at $189, with an elevator booking and a COI emailed within an hour if the building asks.

Rental turnover in Park Place: range, dishwasher and fridge. $134 + $109 + $164 = $407.

What to have ready, whoever comes

Whoever picks it up, the job goes faster when the appliance is ready.

• Empty it: food, dishes, clothes, the lint trap.
• Defrost freezers a day ahead and put towels down.
• Shut off water and gas, and cap gas lines. Drain washers and water heaters.
• Clear the path to the door. Prop doors open, move rugs and protect floors if you want extra care.
• For city pickup, take fridge and freezer doors off and note the Freon status.
• For condo buildings, reserve the elevator and ask management whether they want a certificate of insurance.

A photo of the appliance and its location gives you an exact flat price on the instant quote page, with same-day pickup if you book by 4 p.m.

Frequently asked questions