How to get rid of a TV in Pittsburgh

The short answer

You cannot put a TV at the curb in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act of 2010 bans televisions, computers and similar electronics from curbside trash, and the City's bulk program lists them as refused. Your options are an e-waste drop-off or collection event, one of the City's electronics recycling partners, or a pickup. JunkRabbit removes a TV under 42 inches for $62, a 42 to 65 inch TV for $68 and a 65 inch or larger TV for $73.

Why the curb is off limits

Televisions contain materials that do not belong in a landfill, from leaded glass in old tube sets to circuit boards and backlight components in newer flat screens. Pennsylvania responded with the Covered Device Recycling Act in 2010, which, in the City's words, "banned televisions, computers, and other electronic devices from being placed at the curb." A landfill disposal ban followed in 2013. So the City's bulk page lists televisions, computers and peripherals among the things it will not collect, even within the two-items-a-week limit. Suburbs follow the same state law; Mt. Lebanon's hauler, for example, does not take TVs or electronics. A TV set out on trash night will be left behind, often with a sticker or a note, and it becomes your problem again the next morning. Every TV has to go to an electronics recycler, one way or another.

The City's e-waste options

The City of Pittsburgh points residents to two electronics recycling routes. Its partner starting in 2026 is Noble Environmental, which runs weekly drop-offs, collection events and curbside pickups. The City notes that fees apply based on material type and quantity or weight, so check the current schedule and charges before you go. The second route is Evolution E-cycling, which accepts some office and audio electronics free at its South Side location and at a network of storage sites. For televisions and CRT monitors, the City's page lists a fee of $1 per pound at Evolution E-cycling. That matters for old tube TVs, which are far heavier than they look. Before loading anything, confirm hours, accepted items and current fees, because drop-off programs change. You also need a vehicle and someone to help lift.

The old tube TV in the basement

Plenty of Pittsburgh basements still hold a tube television, either the big console set that came with the house or the 27-inch set that moved downstairs when the flat screen arrived. These are the hardest TVs to get rid of. They are deep, heavy and front-loaded with glass, so they tip forward when you lift them. Carrying one up a narrow basement stair in a 1920s rowhouse is genuinely risky; the weight shifts, the stair is steep, and there is often a low beam at the top. Never drop or break a tube set, because the glass is under vacuum and the debris is hazardous. Console TVs in wooden cabinets are heavier still and may need two people to clear a doorway. If you have one, photograph it with something for scale, note that it is in the basement, and let the crew handle the carry.

Wall-mounted and big flat screens

Modern flat screens are lighter but bring their own problems. A 65-inch or larger TV is wide and fragile, and the panel cracks if it flexes. If it is wall mounted, you or a handyman needs to take it off the bracket before the pickup; leave the bracket on the wall unless you want it gone too. Keep the TV upright and never lay a large panel flat on its face. Carrying a wide screen down the tight turning staircase of a Shadyside walk-up or a Bloomfield rowhouse takes two people and some planning at the landing. The TV stand or entertainment center usually goes at the same time, and that is furniture, not electronics. Remotes, cables, a soundbar and a streaming box can all go in the same pickup. A box of mixed electronics is a flat $77 if you have several small items.

Flat TV and media prices

A TV and its entertainment center are $68 + $96 = $164. Two old sets, a 32-inch from the bedroom and a 55-inch from the living room, are $62 + $68 = $130. A single TV falls under the $100 order minimum, so pairing it with something else helps: a 65-inch TV plus a stereo is $73 + $52 = $125. Carry-out from any floor is included.

Booking a TV pickup

The flat price is set before anyone drives over, and it does not change with the weight of an old tube set or the stairs between it and the street. Pick the TV size online or upload a photo, and choose a 2-hour arrival window. The crew carries it from wherever it sits, whether that is a third-floor bedroom, a basement rec room or a house above the street on the South Side Slopes, with no stairs fee. State law requires TVs to go to electronics recycling rather than the trash, and that is how we handle them. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can. JunkRabbit works 7 days a week from 8am to midnight across the City and suburbs, with same-day pickup when you book by 4 PM.

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