How do I get rid of a piano that is upstairs or too heavy to move?

You do not need to move it yourself. A piano disposal team uses skates, ramps and straps and is used to awkward staircases, cellars and external steps. We carry it out from wherever it stands, so you lift nothing.

How to Get Rid of a Piano in the UK

Q: How do I get rid of an old piano?

First decide whether the piano is worth saving. If it still plays, you may be able to sell it, donate it or re-home it. If it is beyond economic repair, the simplest route is a licensed piano disposal service: you get a fixed price, they carry it out of the house and take it away for recycling. Because a piano is so heavy, DIY routes like skips, the tip and the council generally are not options.

Q: Can I get rid of a piano for free?

Not usually. Councils will not normally collect a piano, and even a playable one is hard to give away because whoever takes it still has to pay to move it. If your piano still plays you can try offering it free to a collector, but for an old or unplayable upright there is realistically a cost to having it removed and recycled properly. Our disposals start from £174 including VAT.

Q: Will the council take a piano away?

In almost all cases, no. Most local authority bulky-waste collections exclude pianos because of the weight and because the cast-iron frame needs separating for recycling. That is the main reason people use a specialist.

Start here

First, is the piano worth saving?

Before you think about getting rid of it, it’s worth being honest about what you’ve got. A piano that still plays and holds its tune may have some life left in it — and there’s no sense recycling something that could be enjoyed by someone else. But a lot of old uprights, sadly, are past the point of economic repair: cracked frames, worn-out actions, woodworm or damp damage. If yours is in that state, re-homing usually isn’t realistic, and responsible disposal is the kindest option.

If you’re not sure which category yours falls into, we’re happy to give an honest view — see ethical piano disposal, where we always ask “can it be saved?” first.

Your options, roughly in order

There’s no single right answer — it depends entirely on the piano’s condition and how much effort you want to put in. Broadly, these are the routes people take:

1Sell it — if it genuinely plays well. A good-quality, in-tune piano can sometimes be sold through local ads or marketplace sites. Be realistic, though: the market for second-hand uprights is small, prices are modest, and the buyer still has to arrange moving it.
2Donate or re-home it. Some schools, community groups, churches or individuals will take a playable piano. It’s worth asking around — but bear in mind many already have one, and moving costs fall to whoever takes it.
3Have it disposed of and recycled. For an old, unplayable or damaged piano — by far the most common case — the practical answer is a licensed disposal service that carries it out and recycles what it can. That’s what we do.

The catch

Why you can’t just skip, tip or kerb a piano

An upright weighs somewhere between 200 and 300kg, and a grand a good deal more — most of it cast iron. That weight is why all the usual ways of getting rid of furniture fall down:

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The council

Bulky-waste collections almost always exclude pianos, because of the weight and because the metal frame has to be separated out for recycling.

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A skip

It’s too heavy to lift in safely, it swallows most of the skip, and skip firms won’t accept the cast-iron frame anyway.

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The tip

Even if you could get it there, most household waste centres won’t take a whole piano.

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“Free to collector”

For an old, unplayable piano this rarely works — and the ad tends to bring more time-wasters than takers.

The straightforward answer

The simplest way: licensed piano disposal

Rather than wrestle with skips and tip runs, most people hand the job to a specialist. Here’s how it works with us, start to finish.

01

Get a quote from a photo

Tell us what the piano is, which floor it’s on and how we’ll reach it. A photo is enough for us to work out a fixed price.

Start a quote →

02

We confirm a fixed price

You get an all-in figure up front — no hourly rates, and no “access charge” sprung on you on the day. Happy? We book a slot.

03

We carry it out & recycle it

Our team lifts and loads it — upstairs, cellars, over steps — so you touch nothing. It then goes for stripping and recycling, not straight to landfill.

See exactly what happens to the piano afterwards →

Money

What does it cost to get rid of a piano?

Our piano disposals start from £174 including VAT. That minimum is for a straightforward, very local upright at ground level with no steps — your own figure depends on a few things:

•Upright or grand. Size and weight make a difference — a grand has to be partly dismantled to move safely.
•Which floor it’s on and the access. Stairs, cellars, external steps and tight doorways all add to the work.
•Where you are. In our core areas across Yorkshire and Manchester we’re there daily and weekly; elsewhere we build collections into planned routes, which keeps the cost sensible.

Send a photo and we’ll come back with a firm, all-in price — nothing added later.

Get my exact price →

Common questions

Getting rid of a piano — your questions

How do I get rid of an old piano?+

First decide whether it’s worth saving. If it still plays, you may be able to sell, donate or re-home it. If it’s beyond repair, the simplest route is a licensed disposal service: you get a fixed price, we carry it out and take it away for recycling. Because a piano is so heavy, skips, the tip and the council generally aren’t options.

Can I get rid of a piano for free?+

Not usually. The council won’t normally collect one, and even a playable piano is hard to give away because whoever takes it still has to pay to move it. If yours still plays you can try offering it free to a collector, but for an old or unplayable upright there’s realistically a cost to having it removed and recycled properly. Our disposals start from £174 inc VAT.

Will the council take a piano away?+

In almost all cases, no. Most bulky-waste collections specifically exclude pianos because of the weight and because the cast-iron frame needs separating for recycling.

How do I get rid of a piano that’s upstairs or too heavy to move?+

You don’t need to move it yourself. We use skates, ramps and straps and are used to awkward staircases, cellars and external steps — we carry it out from wherever it stands, so you lift nothing.

How much does it cost to get rid of a piano?+

Our disposals start from £174 including VAT. The exact price depends on the type of piano, which floor it’s on, the access, and where you are relative to our routes. We work it out from a photo and confirm a fixed, all-in figure before we come.

What happens to the piano after it’s taken away?+

We strip it down and separate the materials — cast-iron frame, timber, strings and felts — so as much as possible is recycled rather than landfilled. You can read the detail on how we recycle pianos.

How to get rid of a piano in the UK