Air conditioner disposal in Providence

The short answer

Providence's free bulky-item pickup through Waste Management includes air conditioners, for buildings of six or fewer units, scheduled 24 hours before your trash day. Do not put one in a trash bin; it contains refrigerant that has to be recovered under federal rules. A flat-price pickup is $87 for a window unit under 8,000 BTU, $109 for a larger window unit, $85 for a portable AC and $115 for an outdoor condenser or heat pump.

Why ACs need their own route

A window air conditioner looks like a small appliance, and it is light enough that people put it in a trash bag or beside the bin. That is the wrong route. Air conditioners contain refrigerant, and federal rules require it to be recovered before the unit is scrapped. A regular trash truck crushes everything, sealed lines included.

Providence handles this by listing air conditioners in its bulky-item program, alongside refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers and water heaters. There is no extra fee for them if your building qualifies.

Do not cut the copper or try to salvage parts at home. Damaging the sealed system releases refrigerant and makes the unit harder to recycle properly.

Using the city's free pickup, step by step

If you live in a building of six or fewer units, the free route is worth the small amount of planning it takes. It works best for a unit that is already out of the window and on the ground floor.

1. Schedule with Waste Management online or at 1-800-972-4545, at least 24 hours before your regular trash day.
2. Pull the unit from the window and drain the base pan into a sink or bucket.
3. Carry it to the curb no earlier than the night before collection. Keep it upright and out of the travel lane.
4. Leave it by itself, not inside a trash bag or bin, so the crew can see what it is.

The catch is the carrying. The city crew collects at the curb, so a unit sitting in a third-floor window in Elmwood or on a back porch in Fox Point is your job until it reaches the sidewalk. If you rent, ask your landlord first; some owners collect old units from every apartment and schedule them together.

Window units and old Providence windows

Most window ACs in Providence live in triple-decker and Victorian double-hung windows, often propped on a bracket or a piece of wood, sometimes held in by a sash that has been painted shut around it for years. Getting one out is the risky part.

Two people should do it. One holds the unit from inside while the other lifts the sash. The unit can weigh more than people expect, especially larger models, and if it slips outward from a second or third floor it falls onto a porch roof, a sidewalk or a car. Close the window behind it and check whether the bracket outside is still secure.

Drain it before carrying. A window AC collects condensate in its base pan, and tipping it on a stairwell spills dirty water down every step.

When to get rid of it

Providence summers are short enough that most ACs come out of windows in September or early October and spend the winter in a closet, basement or back porch. That is when people notice the one that rattled all August, and when the old unit stays in storage for another five years.

The best time to get rid of a dead unit is right after you pull it out of the window, before it goes into the basement. Carrying it once is easier than carrying it twice.

Landlords turning over units in late spring or late summer often find two or three abandoned window ACs per building. Group them into one pickup. Student rentals on College Hill and around Providence College turn over in mid-May and late August, and window units are among the most common things left behind.

Flat prices for cooling and heating units

A single small window AC at $87 bills at the $100 minimum on its own. Two small units from a triple-decker turnover are $87 + $87 = $174. A large window unit plus a basement dehumidifier is $109 + $77 = $186. Three window units, two small and one large, are $87 + $87 + $109 = $283.

Big buildings, condos and dorm-style rentals

Residents of buildings with seven or more units have no city bulky pickup to use, because Providence does not provide trash service to those buildings at all. That covers a lot of Downtown and Jewelry District apartments and many converted mill buildings in Olneyville and along the rivers. Portable ACs are common there, since many loft windows will not hold a window unit.

Check with building management before you leave a unit in the trash room. Many buildings want it gone through a private hauler, and some ask for a certificate of insurance before a crew can use the freight elevator or loading dock. JunkRabbit emails a COI within one hour of booking.

A typical loft clear-out is a portable AC plus a couple of other small pieces, for example a portable AC, a space heater and a floor lamp, $85 + $33 + $36 = $154.

Central air and heat pumps

Newer homes in western Cranston, Warwick and the suburbs across the Massachusetts line are more likely to have central air or a heat pump system with an outdoor condenser. When those systems are replaced, the installer usually takes the old equipment, so ask your HVAC contractor first.

If the old condenser has been left behind beside the house, it is $115 as a flat-price pickup. Make sure the system has been properly decommissioned and disconnected from power by the installer before anyone moves it.

Old houses converting from radiators to heat pumps also produce cast iron radiators, which are heavy and awkward. Those are $123 each.

Booking a pickup

Photograph the unit and where it is, whether that is a closet, a basement shelf or still sitting in the window. You see the flat price before booking, and you pick a two-hour arrival window. Crews carry items out from any floor, and there is no stairs fee.

If the unit is still in the window, say so, so the crew comes ready to remove it. Same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM. For other appliances, see how to get rid of appliances in Providence.

Frequently asked questions