How to get rid of old appliances in St. Louis

The short answer

Missouri law, RSMo 260.250, has kept major appliances out of landfills since 1991, so washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers and water heaters go to recycling. City of St. Louis residents can use the monthly BOAT-E collection (batteries, oil, appliances, tires, electronics). County and Illinois residents check their own hauler. Or book a flat pickup from anywhere in the home: washer $133, dryer $128, electric range $134, dishwasher $109, tank water heater $131.

What the Missouri ban means for you

The statute is short: major appliances, waste oil and lead-acid batteries "shall not be disposed of in a solid waste disposal area." In practice:

• You cannot just put a dryer in a dumpster and expect it to go to the landfill.
• Appliances are routed to scrap-metal recyclers.
• Anything with refrigerant — fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers, window AC units — needs the refrigerant recovered under federal EPA rules before scrapping.

Washers, dryers and electric ranges have no refrigerant, so they are simpler. They are just heavy. In City alley blocks, a dryer dropped beside the shared dumpster is a common sight, and it usually stays there, because it is the wrong route for regular refuse collection.

Why St. Louis appliances are hard to move

Laundry lives in the basement in most of the City's older housing. Brick flats in Tower Grove South, Bevo Mill, Dutchtown and Carondelet, most built between the 1880s and 1930, have steep basement stairs, often with a turn at the top and a low ceiling at the landing. In a two- or four-family flat, the basement may be shared, with several sets of washers and dryers side by side.

Postwar County homes are easier but not easy. Florissant built around 18,000 houses between 1947 and 1980, and many of those ranches have a full basement with the laundry, the water heater and the furnace all at the bottom of one straight stair. A washer weighs well over 100 lbs, and getting one up a basement stair safely takes two people and a hand truck rated for it.

Option 1: the City's BOAT-E collection

Inside the City limits, BOAT-E is the City's own monthly collection for batteries, oil, appliances, tires and electronics. It is included in the $14 per month per unit solid-waste fee, billed quarterly on the water bill.

Follow the City's set-out instructions for your week. Refrigerator doors must come off. Appliances are heavy — a washer or a range far exceeds the 100-lb limit for standard bulky items, so follow the City's BOAT-E instructions rather than treating it as one of your three standard bulky items. If yours is in the basement, BOAT-E does not help you get it up the stairs.

Option 2: retailer haul-away

Buying new? Ask if the store takes the old unit on delivery and what it costs. It is often the smoothest swap. Confirm three things before delivery day:

• The old appliance is disconnected. Gas ranges and dryers need the gas line capped by someone qualified; washers need the hoses off and drained.
• The crew will take it from where it is. Basement laundry rooms are common in St. Louis, and not every delivery crew does stairs for the old unit.
• They take the type you have. Some only take like-for-like.

Option 3: County and Metro East households

St. Louis County is dozens of municipalities plus unincorporated trash districts. Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Clayton, University City, Florissant, Chesterfield, Ballwin, and districts covering Oakville, Mehlville, Affton and Lemay all set their own appliance policy. In Illinois, Belleville, O'Fallon, Edwardsville, Granite City and Collinsville do the same. Do not assume the City's BOAT-E program applies to you. Check your bill or your city's trash page.

Option 4: flat pickup prices

Worked examples:

• Basement laundry, Lindenwood Park: washer and dryer, $133 + $128 = $261.
• Kitchen remodel, Maplewood: fridge, electric range and dishwasher, $164 + $134 + $109 = $407.
• Mechanical room, Florissant: old furnace, tank water heater and a dehumidifier, $131 + $131 + $77 = $339.
• Four-family flat, Dutchtown: two old washers left in the shared basement, $133 + $133 = $266.

Prep that makes pickup smooth

• Disconnect first. Have water, gas and venting disconnected safely before the crew arrives. Crews remove appliances; they do not do plumbing or gas work.
• Drain the washer. A washer full of water on a basement stair is a slip and a mess.
• Empty and defrost fridges and freezers a day ahead.
• Clear the path. Move the boxes stacked on the basement stairs and anything leaning in the gangway.
• Flooded basement? After heavy rain, appliances that sat in water should be photographed for insurance before they leave.

Then let the crew do the carry. They bring the appliance up from the basement and out to the truck in the alley or street, any floor, no stairs fee.

Where it ends up

Collected appliances go to appliance and scrap-metal recycling, as Missouri law intends, with refrigerant recovered where needed. We recycle whatever we can, and we try to donate usable items when local charities accept them. A working washer under a few years old may be worth listing for sale first, especially in late summer when students and new renters set up around SLU and WashU. Get your number from a photo at the instant quote page, pick a two-hour window, and it is gone the same day if you book by 4 PM.

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