Like the title says, I’ve got two things that need to leave my fifth-floor walk-up and I’m trying not to do the classic New York thing of putting them next to the mailboxes and hoping for the best. One is a dead 1.7 cu ft mini fridge. It was fine until a couple of weeks ago, then it stopped cycling and now it just hums for five seconds and clicks off. It has no frost in the freezer but the compressor is definitely not running. The other is a folding bike in decent shape—new brake pads, a little rust on the hinges, and it folds well enough to carry down stairs but I've moved on. I don’t want to trash it if someone can actually use it.

For the fridge: I know the city has DSNY bulk pickup and that CFC/freon-bearing appliances have separate rules. I also remember reading that you have to remove the door, or maybe they just won’t take it? We’re on the top floor and there is no service elevator, so I’m not looking to haul it down twice. I’d rather have the pick-up scheduled the same day I bring it out.

For the bike: I’ve seen people use Astoria Buy Nothing and the local mutual aid group, but I’ve never actually listed anything larger than a toaster oven. Do people show up? Do you leave it in the vestibule? I’m home evenings but I don’t want nine strangers ringing the bell and no-showing for a free bike.

If anyone has done this recently, I’d rather hear what worked than read another old 311 FAQ that tells me to call an office that closed during the quarantine. I’m in Astoria, near the Broadway stop, no car, no car-share membership, and I don’t want to make a whole Saturday of returning this stuff.

New to this too but just throwing it out there: can you just put the mini fridge in the basement for the super? My old building had an electronics corner that magically disappeared. Also, do you need to tape the door with painter's tape, or is that only for regular fridges when you put them on the curb? I have a dead window AC I’ve been ignoring and I’m kind of using your thread to figure out my own stuff. Sorry.

Don’t leave it in the basement. That corner becomes somebody’s problem, and if it’s a mini fridge with freon that’s worse. I used 311 last year for a full-size fridge and it took about 10 days to get a pickup. They wouldn’t take it with the door on, so I had to unscrew the hinges. You have to take the door off for safety. For the folding bike, Astoria Buy Nothing actually works if you write 'porch pickup by Thursday, comment if you can commit'—don’t do first-come-first-serve.

city_start_sam, don't apologize for piling on—your window AC is relevant and likely has refrigerant too. The version of you from three years ago may disagree, but the building basement isn't a trash room unless your super has explicitly said so. I've seen a 'temporary drop-off' become a permanent museum of dead electronics, and management eventually sent a building-wide email with camera stills. Not fun.

For fridges: LowerEast_L is mostly right. The city wants the door off so nobody gets trapped, and the collection is separate for CFC/freon items. I'd call 311, choose bulk collection, and then be very clear it's a refrigerator, not just 'appliance.' The portal can be fine, but if your block has had missed pickups, ask for a confirmation number and call the DSNY line. In my building, they'll take a full-size fridge if the building super puts in the request for the whole block. For an individual mini fridge, schedule it yourself.

For the bike, I'd list it on Buy Nothing with two or three time slots, not a rolling window. If they can't commit, that's a red flag. You're not running a storage facility.

Also, city_start_sam, on your AC: same game as the fridge. DSNY will take it, but let them know it contains refrigerant. Do not just leave it by the mailboxes.

This is starting to feel like the building version of that Anniversary dinner near Grand Central for six: one vegan, one no seafood, no chains? thread Anniversary dinner near Grand Central for six: one vegan, one no seafood, no chains?. Everyone’s got a seating-chart problem, except the vegan is a dead mini fridge and the shellfish allergy is a folding bike. Anyway, for the bike, try the 'Astoria, Queens' Buy Nothing but write 'pickup tomorrow 5-7pm or Wednesday 9-11am, first committed comment gets the address' instead of replying to eight people. Last year I got rid of a standing desk that way and the person brought their own dolly, which felt like winning the lottery.

Okay so I called 311 about my window AC and the agent told me to use the DSNY website for a 'special waste drop-off' but then the site asked for an address and said no appointments? Did I do something wrong? Also, do they really enforce the door removal on small appliances, or is that just for full-size? I keep seeing fridges on curbs with the door still on in my neighborhood and I’m always tempted to just do that.

city_start_sam, that's a common mix-up. 'Special waste drop-off' is for things like batteries, paint, motor oil—not a window AC. For an AC, you want bulk collection, not a drop-off. If the site says no appointments, it might be that your address is outside the current collection week, or you're on a non-DSNY block? Call 311 again and specifically say 'bulk appliance, window air conditioner with refrigerant.' If the phone rep still sends you to special waste, ask for a supervisor or just plead politely for the bulk appointment.

I wouldn't judge your block by what you see on other curbs. A lot of those fridges sit there for days and then the super drags them back inside. DSNY can reject a fridge with the door on. For small dorm-size fridges, some crews are lenient, but the door rule is still the rule. It takes five minutes to unscrew. Do that and you'll avoid the parking-block drama.

Also, once they take it, you're done. You don't need to chase the refrigerant with your time. The city handles that part.

Also don't be the person who schedules a Tuesday pickup and puts the AC out on Saturday. That's how it becomes a free-for-all and the truck doesn't show for three days. Wait until the night before or the morning of. For no-shows on Buy Nothing, if someone says 'Sunday hold' just skip them. Sunday holds are where free stuff goes to die. Pick a number and move on.

Just tried this with my AC. I got 4 messages in 20 minutes. One asked if I could hold until Sunday, one asked me to meet them at Broadway and Steinway, and one just said 'address?' after I already said pickup window. Is that normal? I don't want to be rude but I also don't want to run a customer service desk for a broken AC. Also is it my problem if they scrap it and let the freon out? I keep overthinking it.

Completely normal. Free stuff brings out the weirdest questions, but you don't have to answer all of them. 'Address tomorrow 6-8pm' is enough. If they ask you to meet them at the subway, block them mentally. Once they pick it up, it's theirs. You're not a freon cop. If they scrap it wrong, that's between them and the scrap yard gods.

Update from my end: DSNY picked up the mini fridge this morning. I used the 311 portal, got a confirmation, removed the door last night with a hex key, and brought it down around 7:30 a.m. They took the fridge and the door, no note left. For the folding bike, someone from Buy Nothing came by in the evening, unfolded it on the sidewalk to check the hinges, and rode it home. Honestly nicer than seeing it scrapped.

city_start_sam, I'd treat the window AC exactly the same way—bulk collection, not drop-off, and make sure the request says 'refrigerant/AC.' LowerEast_L's advice about not putting it out days early is the part most people skip. A curb AC on Saturday for a Tuesday pickup becomes a pile, an eyesore, and maybe a ticket.

And no, it isn't your job to enforce how a stranger dismantles a free AC. You did the responsible part by not dumping it in the trash room.