How to Donate or Get Rid of Books and Clothes in LA and Orange County

1. City bulky pickup: bags and boxes are the sticking point

Bulky programs are built for furniture and appliances, so bags of clothes and boxes of books fall into the gray area. LA County examples:

• Hacienda Heights (Valley Vista Services): up to 8 on-call pickups a year, and each one allows unlimited bags of clothing, plus 5 bags of trash and unlimited large items. Book at least 24 hours ahead.
• Long Beach (LB Recycles): up to 12 free pickups a year, each up to 8 large items or 25 bags, bundles or boxes, with bags no heavier than 25 lb.
• Lawndale (Republic Services): 6 free pickups a year of up to 6 items, with small items bagged or boxed.
• Claremont: refuses bagged and bundled materials and most boxed items, so clothes and books won't go out on a bulk pickup there.
• City of Los Angeles: LA Sanitation refuses cardboard except during its scheduled Move In/Move Out service, so ask about that option if you're moving.

More on this: bulky item rules city by city · Hacienda Heights bulky pickup · Claremont bulk item rules · Lawndale bulky pickup

Sources: LA County Public Works: Hacienda Heights subscription form (Valley Vista Services); City of Long Beach: Special Collection 101; City of Lawndale: Bulky Item Pickup; City of Claremont: Bulk Item Guidelines; LA Sanitation & Environment: Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup, checked Nov 2026

Bags and boxes in Orange County

Several OC programs let you swap large items for bags. Mission Viejo (WM) allows 3 free pickups a year of up to 5 large items or up to 20 bags of trash, each under 50 lb, booked 48 hours before collection day. Santa Ana (Republic Services) allows 4 pickups a year of up to 4 items or four 30-gallon bags of trash, collected within five working days of your request. A few bags of worn-out clothes fit easily; a whole closet may take more than one pickup.

More on this: Mission Viejo bulky pickup · Santa Ana bulky pickup

Sources: City of Mission Viejo: Recycling for Residents; City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup, checked Nov 2026

2. Drop off what can't be donated or picked up

Clothes and books that are torn, stained or moldy are ordinary household trash. Any transfer station that takes household loads from the public will take them, such as the Downey Area Recycling and Transfer Station or the Puente Hills Materials Recovery Facility, which accepts residential waste Monday through Saturday. In OC, the Huntington Beach Transfer Station takes self-haul trash. Rates aren't always published, so call first.

More on this: Puente Hills MRF · the Huntington Beach transfer station

Sources: Athens Services: DART; LA County Sanitation Districts: Puente Hills MRF; City of Huntington Beach: Trash & Recycling, checked Nov 2026

3. Donate what's still good

Clothes and books are easy to pass on, as long as you sort first. Offer clothes clean and dry, and books without water damage or mold. Call the thrift store, library sale or used bookstore and ask what it accepts before you load the car.

Cities point the same way. Culver City's bulky item page says furniture it collects will be landfilled, so it suggests donating usable pieces first. If you use a clothing donation bin in a parking lot, check that it belongs to an organization you recognize.

Source: City of Culver City: Bulky Items, checked Nov 2026

4. Sell or give away

Brand-name clothes, collectible books and complete sets sell on resale apps and to used bookstores. For everything else, a free-stuff post in a neighborhood group usually clears a few bags in a weekend.

5. Hire a hauler for the rest

When the closet, garage or whole house is more than a few bags, Roa Solution Junk Removal clears clothes, boxes and household items as part of a house cleanout, along with the furniture, kitchen contents and estate sale leftovers. The crew carries everything out from inside, upstairs included.

Set aside anything you want to keep or donate yourself, or tell us what to leave, before we arrive. Pricing starts at $190 and is based on how much truck space the load takes, with same-day or next-day pickup depending on availability. Text photos of the piles to (562) 219-9266 for a price.

More on this: our house cleanout service

What it usually costs

Donating costs nothing but the drive, and bulky pickup is free within your city's allowance. Bags and boxes are light but take up room, so a hauler's price depends mostly on volume, starting at $190.

More on this: what a house cleanout costs

Sources

1. LA County Public Works: Hacienda Heights subscription form (Valley Vista Services)
2. City of Long Beach: Special Collection 101
3. City of Lawndale: Bulky Item Pickup
4. City of Claremont: Bulk Item Guidelines
5. LA Sanitation & Environment: Schedule a Bulky Item Pickup
6. City of Mission Viejo: Recycling for Residents
7. City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup
8. Athens Services: DART
9. LA County Sanitation Districts: Puente Hills MRF
10. City of Huntington Beach: Trash & Recycling
11. City of Culver City: Bulky Items

Rules change. Check the city or county page before you rely on a limit, fee or date.