Blog · Cambridge
Getting rid of an old fridge, cast iron tub or boiler in Cambridge
Appliances and heavy metal items are where Cambridge households most often get a sticker instead of a pickup. The rules depend on whether the item holds refrigerant and how much it weighs.
Last updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Cambridge Junk Removal team
Which appliances the curb will take
Bulky items in Cambridge are collected once a month on your scheduled bulky day, with a limit of three items for a single-family home, six for a duplex and ten for a building of three to six units. The Region's bulky item list includes dishwashers, dryers and stoves, with their doors taped shut, and water softeners emptied of water and salt.
What the curb will not take:
- Appliances with refrigerant. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers get a "not allowed" sticker.
- Anything over 200 pounds (90 kg). The Region names cast iron bathtubs, pianos and pool tables as examples that exceed the limit.
- Items in the downtown collection areas. Galt, Preston and Hespeler's downtown cores are designated downtown collection areas, where bulky items are not collected at all.
Fridges, freezers and air conditioners
Refrigerant has to be recovered before an appliance can be scrapped, which is why these do not go out with other bulky items. The Region accepts them at its drop-off sites, including 201 Savage Drive in Cambridge, as appliances and scrap metal. A fee applies by weight, and some appliances carry an additional CFC removal fee.
Before a fridge or freezer leaves the house, empty it completely, including the ice maker, and prop the door or remove it while it sits. An empty chest freezer in a basement is still two people's work on a stair.
If the appliance works and is newer, reuse is an option. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore accepts working fridges, washers, electric dryers, ranges, dishwashers and microwaves that are no older than seven years. Gas appliances are not accepted.
Cast iron tubs, boilers and radiators
Cambridge's older houses, especially in Galt, still have cast iron tubs, radiators and old boilers. They share three traits: they are over the curbside weight limit, they are metal and can be scrapped, and they are hard to move.
- Cast iron tubs commonly weigh well over the 200-pound limit. Many are broken with a sledgehammer under a heavy tarp to carry out in pieces. Wear eye and hearing protection if you do this yourself.
- Radiators are heavy and may still hold water. Drain them and cap or plug the pipes before they are moved.
- Boilers, furnaces and water heaters must be disconnected by a qualified gas or heating technician first. Nobody should unhook a gas line themselves.
Once out of the house, all of these are scrap metal.
Getting heavy items out safely
Most injuries on these jobs happen on stairs. A few rules help whether you do it yourself or have it done:
- Measure first. Check the doorway, the turn at the bottom of the basement stair and any railing before moving anything. In post-war Preston and Hespeler bungalows, the basement stair turn is usually the tightest point.
- Use the right equipment. An appliance dolly with straps, not a flat hand truck, is what makes a fridge or freezer manageable on stairs.
- Take off doors and handles when an appliance is a tight fit.
- Protect the floors and walls with blankets or cardboard, especially on original hardwood and plaster in older Galt homes.
- Never go below it. The person on the downhill side of a heavy load on a stair is the one who gets hurt if it slips.
Why scrap metal is worth separating
At the Region's sites, appliances and scrap metal are charged at a lower rate than general garbage. Because a mixed load is charged at its highest rate, a trailer of clean metal costs noticeably less to drop off than the same trailer with garbage mixed in. Private scrap yards around Cambridge also buy some clean metal outright, though prices vary with the market.
Common scrap in Cambridge basements and garages: old washers and dryers, bed frames, filing cabinets, steel shelving, bikes, barbecues with the propane tank removed, lawn mowers with fuel and oil drained, ductwork and copper pipe from renovations.
What not to put in with metal
- Propane cylinders go to the household hazardous waste depot, which accepts barbecue-size tanks or smaller for free.
- Gasoline and oil from mowers and snowblowers must be drained and taken to the depot.
- Electronics, even with metal cases, go to electronics recycling, since they are banned from the landfill.
When to book a pickup
A single stove on bulky day is easy. A fridge from a Hespeler basement, a cast iron tub from a Galt second-floor bathroom, or a farm shed in Branchton full of old equipment is a different job. The crew carries heavy items out, keeps metal separate from garbage and takes refrigerant appliances to a site that can handle them. See appliance and scrap metal removal for what is included. Cast iron and boilers are priced on weight and stairs; the Cambridge junk removal cost guide lists how those jobs are built. Send a photo and say which floor it is on for a price.