How to Get Rid of an Old Water Heater in LA and Orange County

1. Check whether your bulky pickup takes water heaters

Cities split on whether a water heater is an appliance or a plumbing fixture, and that decides whether the bulky truck takes it. From LA County pages:

• Commerce (Athens Services): emptied water heaters and water softeners are on the accepted list, with weekly eligibility.
• Lomita (Athens Services): water heaters are accepted, alongside refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers, on 4 free on-call pickups a year.
• Rancho Palos Verdes (EDCO): water heaters are named as accepted, with 3 free pickups a year of up to 4 items for single-family homes.
• East Los Angeles (Belvedere Garbage Disposal District, Valley Vista Services): water heaters are on the accepted list, with weekly on-request pickups at no extra charge.
• Covina (Athens Services): water heaters are on the accepted list, with free pickups and no yearly limit stated. Book at least one day before your trash day.
• Torrance: refuses them. Its Large Item Pick Up lists plumbing fixtures, including water heaters, with construction debris.

More on this: every city's bulky item rules · Rancho Palos Verdes bulky pickup · Lomita bulky pickup rules

Sources: City of Commerce: Residential Trash & Recycling Collection; City of Lomita: Recycling & Waste Collection; City of Rancho Palos Verdes: Special Collections 101; LA County Public Works: Belvedere Garbage Disposal District; City of Covina: Environmental Services; City of Torrance: Large Item Pick Up, checked Nov 2026

Water heaters in Orange County

Two OC cities name water heaters. Garden Grove's FAQ lists them among typical bulky items, on 3 free pickups a year of up to 10 items by appointment with Republic Services at (714) 238-3300. Brea describes its free single-family service as covering items such as water heaters, on 3 pickups a year of up to 20 items with Republic Services.

Elsewhere in OC, ask your hauler before you set one out. Fountain Valley (Republic Services) excludes remodeling items like sinks, toilets and bathtubs, and Santa Ana and Newport Beach only take items two workers can handle. Irvine (WM) counts appliances within its 4 pickups a year of up to 4 items, booked 48 hours ahead.

More on this: Irvine bulky pickup · Garden Grove bulky pickup

Sources: City of Garden Grove: Collection Schedule FAQs; City of Garden Grove: Community Cleanup Days; City of Brea: Bulky Item Pickup and Disposal; City of Fountain Valley: Bulky Items; City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup; City of Newport Beach: Additional Waste Services; WM: City of Irvine 2025 Residential Guide, checked Nov 2026

2. Drop it off

A tank-style water heater is a steel shell with a liner and insulation. Sites whose pages list appliances or scrap metal:

• Crown Recycling Services, Sun Valley: scrap metal, open seven days.
• California Waste Services Downtown LA: metal and steel, and appliances with restrictions.
• Sunshine Canyon Landfill, Sylmar: appliances for recycling only, with a hard-to-handle charge. Ask whether your water heater counts as one.
• CLARTS and Savage Canyon Landfill list appliances as not accepted. For OC, the facility pages we checked don't mention water heaters; call before you go.

More on this: Crown Recycling in Sun Valley · Sunshine Canyon Landfill

Sources: Athens Services: Crown Recycling Services; California Waste Services: Los Angeles; Sunshine Canyon Landfill: Drop-Off Information; LA Sanitation & Environment: CLARTS; City of Whittier: Landfill Services, checked Nov 2026

3. Ask the installer to take the old one

If you're replacing the water heater, ask the plumber or installer up front whether hauling the old tank is included in the job. It saves you a separate trip. An old tank is rarely worth selling, though a tankless unit or a nearly new tank can be listed online.

4. Hire a hauler

Water heaters sit in garages, closets and attic platforms, and even drained they're awkward to carry. Roa Solution Junk Removal takes disconnected water heaters as part of appliance removal: the crew carries it out, loads it and hauls it away, and can take the rest of the garage clutter on the same trip.

It needs to be disconnected from water, gas and power before we arrive. We don't do the plumbing or gas work, so have a plumber handle that. Pricing starts at $190, with same-day or next-day pickup depending on availability. Text a photo of the tank and where it sits to (562) 219-9266.

More on this: our appliance removal service

What it usually costs

Where a bulky program accepts water heaters, pickup is free within your allowance. At the drop-off end, Sunshine Canyon adds a hard-to-handle charge for appliances, and transfer stations set their own rates, so call first. A hauler prices by weight, access and labor, starting at $190, so a tank in an open garage costs less than one in a hall closet upstairs.

More on this: what appliance removal costs

Sources

1. City of Commerce: Residential Trash & Recycling Collection
2. City of Lomita: Recycling & Waste Collection
3. City of Rancho Palos Verdes: Special Collections 101
4. LA County Public Works: Belvedere Garbage Disposal District
5. City of Covina: Environmental Services
6. City of Torrance: Large Item Pick Up
7. City of Garden Grove: Collection Schedule FAQs
8. City of Garden Grove: Community Cleanup Days
9. City of Brea: Bulky Item Pickup and Disposal
10. City of Fountain Valley: Bulky Items
11. City of Santa Ana: Bulky Item Pickup
12. City of Newport Beach: Additional Waste Services
13. WM: City of Irvine 2025 Residential Guide
14. Athens Services: Crown Recycling Services
15. California Waste Services: Los Angeles
16. Sunshine Canyon Landfill: Drop-Off Information
17. LA Sanitation & Environment: CLARTS
18. City of Whittier: Landfill Services

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