To get rid of a trampoline or playset in Collin County, take it apart into metal, mat, net, lumber and hardware. City bulk pickup takes only pieces within its size and weight limits, and Frisco excludes large metal. A removal crew can take it apart on site and haul everything in one trip.
What are you actually getting rid of?
A trampoline breaks down into a steel frame, a pile of springs, a mat and a safety net. The metal can often be recycled, and the mat and net are regular trash.
A wooden playset is bigger and slower. It's a lumber structure with slides, swings and hardware, and the legs are often anchored in the ground.
Either way, it comes apart piece by piece before anything leaves. Plan for a few hours, not a few minutes.
What should you do before you start?
Ten minutes of prep makes the teardown faster and safer. Do it the day before if you can.
- Check which bulk day or drop-off you'll use, so the pieces don't sit in the yard for weeks.
- Clear a path from the backyard to the driveway, and measure the gate.
- Mow or trim around the base so you can see anchors, stakes and bolts.
- Set out bins for screws, bolts and springs, so nothing ends up in the grass.
- Line up a helper. Neither job is safe alone.
How do you take a trampoline apart?
Work from the top down, and wear gloves and eye protection. The springs are under tension, and a spring puller saves your hands.
- Take off the safety net and its poles first.
- Remove the springs, working across the frame so the mat loosens evenly.
- Lift off the mat and roll it up.
- Pull apart the curved rails and legs at their joints.
- On an old trampoline, expect rusted bolts. Penetrating oil and patience work better than force.
- Stack the steel, bag the springs, and keep the mat and net in their own pile.
How do you take down a wooden playset?
Strip everything that isn't structure first: swings, slides, canopies, climbing holds and loose hardware. Then take the frame down in reverse of how it went up.
Start with the roof and upper deck, and never stand on a section you're loosening. It's a two-person job at least.
Pull nails and screws as you go, or bend them over. Loose boards with nails up are the most common way people get hurt.
- Tools: drill and driver, socket set, pry bar, reciprocating saw and a sturdy ladder.
- Gear: gloves, eye protection and boots.
- Plan for the legs. Many are anchored or set in the ground, and some are set in concrete.
- Concrete footings can turn a teardown into an equipment job, so check before you start.
Will the city take it on bulk day?
Partly, and it depends on the material and the size of each piece. These rules come from each city's own page.
- McKinney: McKinney's residential trash page excludes construction and demolition materials and pallets from bulky item collection. Ask before you stack playset lumber at the curb.
- Allen: Allen's bulk item page collects monthly, with each item under 150 lb. Allen asks residents to label toys and yard tools set out for bulk as bulk trash.
- Frisco: Frisco's bulk trash page excludes large metal, and items can't be over 6 ft or 50 lb. Boards are limited to one panel or 5 loose boards.
- Plano: Plano's accepted items list takes wood cut to 6 by 4 feet, stacked no higher than 4 feet. It does not accept buildings or sheds.
- Prosper: Prosper's trash and recycling page collects up to 4 cubic yards of bulk weekly on trash day.
- Anna: Anna's bulk set-out guidelines accept bicycles and home exercise equipment under 50 lbs.
- Sherman: Sherman's bulk and brush page offers one free call-in pickup a month, up to 5 cubic yards of bulk.
Where can the metal go?
A trampoline frame and springs are steel, and so are metal swing-set frames. Keep the metal separate from the mat, net and wood so each pile goes where it should.
Frisco runs its own metal options. Frisco's household chemical disposal page offers free metal drop-off at the Environmental Collection Center, or curbside metal pickup for a $15 fee.
Frisco's bulk page also lists free metal drop-off at 4030 W Plano Pkwy twice monthly, with water bill and ID. It's open Monday to Friday 8 to 4. Our scrap metal disposal guide covers other cities.
What should you watch for?
Once it's gone, expect a patch of thin or dead grass. Rake it out and fill any anchor or post holes before someone trips.
- Springs can snap back. Never pull one toward your face.
- Rotted playset wood can give way under a ladder or a foot.
- Wasps love the underside of playset decks and slides. Check before you reach in.
- Anchor stakes and cut-off posts become trip hazards in the grass.
- Old pressure-treated lumber shouldn't be burned. Haul it instead.
When is it easier to hand it off?
Hire it out when the springs are rusted tight, the playset is big or partly rotted, or you don't have a truck. It also makes sense when other backyard items are going too.
Trampolines and playsets are standard work for our trampoline and playset removal service. We take them apart on site and load metal, mat, lumber and hardware the same trip.
Pricing goes by trailer space, with a Minimum Pickup from $189, and we confirm a firm quote before loading. Planning a bigger yard reset? Our backyard reset post and shed removal service cover the rest.